Cyprus ups pressure to label Syria safe to return refugees
Cyprus is demanding that parts of Syria be designated safe enough to return prospective Syrian asylum seekers, an assertion that the island-nation has been pressing for months.”The time has come to collectively open the discussion for the revaluation of the state of affairs of Syria,” Constantinos Ioannou, the interior minister of Cyprus, told reporters on…
Kosovo and Serbia take a small but important step forwards
Kosovo and Serbia remain far from agreeing a long-term deal that would see Belgrade recognise Prishtina’s independence, but a seemingly minor agreement on car license plates is a welcome step forward.Since January 1, Kosovars have been able to visit the European Union visa-free. Kosovo was the only remaining country in the Western Balkans whose citizens…
The EU has been very good for emerging Europe
From Tallinn to Ljubljana, emerging Europe is reaping the benefits of two decades of EU membership. But while even the region’s eurosceptics have no real intention of leaving the bloc, more could be done to sell the clear advantages of being part of the world’s largest single market. It was the European Union’s largest ever expansion—the…
The East/West divide in Europe is breaking down
In the minds of young people, the persistent divide between western and eastern Europe seems to be breaking down.Based on the findings of Young Minds, a recent GLOBSEC publication tracking the attitudes of young Europeans, Austria, Greece, Ireland, and Slovakia’s young citizens agree that democracy is the only way forward — despite themselves feeling unrepresented.…
The EU’s ultimate asylum spin doctor
Margaritis Schinas, the vice-president of the European Commission, has spun the EU’s asylum and migration overhaul as the solution to problems facing member states.”It is a system that addresses all our difficulties,” the 61-year-old Greek politician told the European Parliament, earlier this year. Published by: euobserver.com
MEPs: ‘Scale down Frontex operations in some EU states’
The European Parliament on Thursday (14 December) adopted a resolution calling on the EU border agency Frontex to comply with fundamental rights in border operations, and raising concerns over the situation in Greece, Lithuania and Hungary.The resolution adds to the mounting pressure on EU institutions, following an inquiry into the commission’s complicity in funding illegal…
Hardline EU governments in late push to legitimise surveillance of journalists
European governments are still lobbying to legalise state spying on journalists, under a new law designed — on paper — to protect them, Investigate Europe, Disclose and Follow the Money can reveal.Documents obtained from a European Council meeting in November show that France, Italy and Greece are among seven governments insisting on broader wording in…
Hungary’s relaunch of ‘Golden Visa’ programme is anti-establishment posturing gone too far
Fidesz continues to pursue a foreign policy agenda borne out of spite and hubris as opposed to one that is rooted in pragmatism or driven by national interest.Last week, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán personally signed off on a bill to relaunch his country’s scandal-ridden ‘Golden Visa’ programme, a scheme granting renewable 10-year residence permits…
Independent Greek inquiry launched into Pylos shipwreck
A Greek administrative watchdog has launched an investigation in the Pylos shipwreck that likely killed hundreds of people off the Greek coast in mid-June.The probe, announced Thursday (9 November), comes after the Hellenic coast guard refused to launch an internal investigation five months after a tragedy, which saw the vast majority on the boat, possibly…
Kurti and Vučić: The odd couple who made oddity a science
The EU’s decade-long strategy of making Serbia and Kosovo’s European integration conditional upon mutual recognition has failed.Since Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia 15 years ago, the two countries have remained at odds with one another. In spite of the continuing efforts by the EU to mitigate the conflict between them, little if any progress…