Latest posts
National security versus transparency: drawing the line
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A new set of principles looks to define what information may be withheld by governments for reasons of national security, what should be disclosed, and what the role of whistleblowers should be, writes Sandra Coliver...
Court orders reopening of Greek broadcaster ERT
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A Greek court orders that ERT must be reopened while it is being restructured – in a move that could help the country's shaky coalition government avoid collapse...
Obama is not a 'rock star' politician who has changed the world
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President Barack Obama did not deliver on climate change, Guantanamo, foreign policy or gun control and he oversaw an upsurge in drone strikes, and state surveillance, writes Heike MacKerron...
Seven days - a week in the life of Philippa Edmunds
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The manager of Freight on Rail travels to Brussels to make the case against cross-border mega trucks, attends an annual rail freight conference, and meets colleagues at the Campaign for Better Transport – while finding time for plenty of outdoo...
Europe is standing in Africa's way on agricultural expansion
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European policy-makers are considering legislation to solve a problem that does not exist and creating circumstances that will relegate African agriculture producers and consumers to second-rate status – claims Thompson Ayodele...
Van Rompuy optimistic on EU economy at G8
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The existential threat to the euro has been overcome and the EU's strategy to exit the economic crisis is paying dividends, Herman Van Rompuy says ahead of the G8 summit in Northern Ireland...
PRISM is just 'the tip of the iceberg' in an Orwellian society
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Willingly or not, the big internet service providers are contributing to an Orwellian scenario of systematic control over individuals – writes Professor Vladimiro Sassone...
'Major reforms' needed in care for elderly
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The number of people aged over 80 is to double by 2050 – but governments are already struggling to deliver high-quality care for the elderly, a study published today warns...
Luxury hotels, flights and dinners - government waste continues
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Despite the dire state of the economy, politicians and civil servants continue to spend taxpayers' money wastefully and it has to stop – writes John O'Connell...
Credit unions: an ethical solution to lending crisis?
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Banks failing to lend to low-income people and small businesses has been a major problem in recent years – but credit unions could provide an ethical alternative if they can be made sustainable, argues Joseph Wright...
EU threatened Greek broadcaster days before it went off air
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Revelations about a dispute with the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation over pro-EU news channel Euronews cast doubt on the European Commission's claim to have been an impartial bystander...
Ashton: 'great concern' at Syria chemical weapons claims
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The EU's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton says US intelligence that the Assad regime has used chemicals weapons against opposition forces in Syria should be verified by a UN mission on the ground...
MEPs want 'United States of Europe' - even without the UK
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More than 50 per cent of MEPs want a 'United States of Europe', while 20 per cent think that the EU would be 'better off' if the United Kingdom left the union – according to new poll...
Protecting pensions at a time of economic crisis
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Demographic pressures and an ageing population, combined with the poor economic environment and structural unemployment in some EU member states, could render public pension systems unsustainable - warns Thomas Montcourrier...
G8 leaders 'need to go further' on food security in Africa
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When they meet at Lough Erne, G8 leaders will have to reconcile two competing visions of the New Alliance initiative started last year to lift millions of people out of poverty, writes Jonathan M. White...
Weedkiller found in human urine - where is it coming from?
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The European Commission must urgently investigate how glyphosate is finding its way into people's bodies because of the potentially damaging effects on our health, says Adrian Bebb...
Privatising roads would benefit drivers and taxpayers
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The condition of traffic on our publicly owned roads is not due to some 'disease of civilisation' but to government ownership itself, which we now have the means to abolish, writes Gabriel Roth...
EU advisory group on tax havens provokes anger
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Every year European governments lose €1tn as a result of tax dodging, but the EU cannot deal with the issue properly if it invites organisations with conflicts of interest onto its advisory group, writes Pascoe Sabido...
Turkey's tolerant protests: a window into the future?
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The demonstrators in Turkey are of different political backgrounds, lifestyles, and identities and have displayed an untypical level of tolerance that could have far-reaching consequences, write Emiliano Alessandri and Özgür Ünlüh...
A blueprint to tackle child abuse across international borders
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Studies suggest that 10 to 20 per cent of European children will suffer some form of sexual abuse when growing up – it is time for the EU to take action, writes Mary Honeyball MEP...
