Last weekend, Ireland voted “yes” for the Lisbon Treaty, meaning the European Union will be getting a long-overdue structural overhaul. Grant Doyle was in Brussels for the celebrations.
European Union
Tony Blair: Europe’s first President?
Now Ireland has ratified the Lisbon Treaty, former British PM Tony Blair has all but shored up the support needed to become the first President of the European Union, inside sources tell the Times
Europeans throw Russia an olive branch
The big political story in Europe is the release of the European Union report on last year’s war between Russia and Georgia. Both sides claim a degree of vindication from it.
Leaked: who’s to blame for war in Georgia?
Officially, it’s equal blame game for the 2008 South Ossetian war, with Georgia opening the initial fire, but Russia responsible for keeping it going, according to leaks from the EU investigation.
Why the world kicks sand in the EU’s face
The European Union should be one of the world’s great economic and political powers — but it packs all the punch of a decaf soy latte and a soggy croissant. How did such heavy-hitting countries end up creating a 98-pound weakling?
Crikey Says: Overseas postings: send your critics far, far away
The Prime Minister had big news this morning, announcing Kim Beazley and Brendan Nelson as new ambassadors. Is Mark Latham’s ambassadorial posting due any second now?
Europe one-ups America. Again.
Most of Europe will soon have lower income tax rates than most of America, says an unhappy WSJ. And now the EU is finalising a free trade deal with South Korea, while the US loses ground.
Tony Blair’s EU Presidency bid stumbles at the first hurdle
Prime Minister Tony Blair’s conceited plan to resuscitate his political career to become the first President of Europe has been greeted with howls of anger and derision.
Britain pushes Blair for EU Presidency
After rejecting the Euro and backing Bush over Brussels, Tony Blair could become the first President of the European Union.
Europe’s last dictator
The Western media refers to him as “the last dictator of Europe,” while his supporters call him “bat’ka” (father), but Belorussians prefer not to speak about President Alexander Lukashenko at all. As Natalya confesses, “I’m afraid to talk about him.”
The European Left is a dead duck
Last weekend’s European elections signify not only the rise of the right but also the decimation of the left.
Why the EU matters #1: it stops people being blown up in their beds
The EU stops people being blown up in their beds. It prevents them from cowering in fear as foreign armies roll across their country, averts human rights abuses on a scale our minds simply can’t contemplate. It thwarts, in a word, war, writes psephologist Stephen Luntz.
Europeans go to the polls
This week, the second-largest democratic election in the world takes place: an election across the 27 countries of the EU for the 736 members of the European parliament.
Belarus: Cuba of the East
EU leaders need to present Belarus with a clear alternative to dependence on the Kremlin if they want to help reform the country, says Charles Tannock.
EU kyboshes goods that aren’t energy efficient
The EU agreed to set environmental standards for household products such as windows and shower heads in a bid to reduce energy consumption. And it won’t end there.
Eurozone economy: Situation critical
In Europe is now becoming slowly clear that the recession is much deeper serious than first thought, writes Glenn Dyer.
Another Irish question: The demise of the Lisbon Treaty
Before Ireland went to the polls to determine the fate of the Lisbon treaty last Thursday, another Irish Question was emerging, writes Binoy Kampmark .
