Dialogue - Page 36 of 39

Letters from America (I): Where the sky is the limit

In this first “letter from America” I make a series of critical comparisons between New York and Brussels in an attempt to distil the best of both worlds, and hopefully infuse what is missing from one to the other. For Europe, which is the focus of this publication, this would mean less parochialism and more ambition for the future at individual and collective levels; more client orientation and more flexibility in employment conditions, while keeping an overall guaranteed social safety net that is the jewel of the “European model”; more openness to other cultures and influences, notably those from other EU countries but also beyond; much more openness towards and investment in new ideas, innovation and creativity; and an overall more optimistic attitude and can-do spirit…

Love without borders

Erasmus and student mobility across borders is not only the prospect of higher employability, meeting people from all over the globe or learning a new language. It is also the chance to meet your future partner! 27% of Erasmus alumni met their life partner during their stay abroad. Erasmus couples have produced nearly 1 million new babies since its implementation in 1987.

Will Greece bring true politics into the Union?

Every time a Greek, Spanish, French, or other European politician says: “this matter no longer depends on me, it’s Brussels”, what s/he is really telling his/her people is that “national politics has become irrelevant, you can vote for whoever you want, it does not make any difference, decisions are made elsewhere”. And yet, so far, true European politics has not come into existence to make up for that loss. It is a broadly held view that the process of European integration inevitably involves a progressive transfer of sovereignty from the national sphere to central institutions. In the course of EU history this question occupied a central place in the negotiation of the various treaties. Each transfer of such an abstract matter, as sovereignty, was painfully measured, negotiated and eventually incorporated into the treaties and daily practice.

Mixed responses to Greece´s game change

So far the responses have been divided. France, the country most exposed to Greece’s debt due to its heavy bank and private lending, welcomed Syriza’s win. François Hollande vowed cooperation with the newly-formed Greek government, recalling “the friendship that unites” the two countries. But Germany’s Angela Merkel was more straightforward. Her spokesman said that Greece should continue to economic recovery and stick “to its previous commitments”. The European Popular Party leader, Manfred Weber, followed the same course, calling Tsipras electoral promises “empty”.

Radical parties across Europe widely welcome Greece’s electoral results. Left wing radical parties in the European Union congratulated Syriza’s Tsipras, with Spain’s Podemos welcoming the “real Greek president, not a delegate of Angela Merkel”.

Jude’s hair miracle

You might be wondering… What’s just happened here? There’s no words to describe this photo! Just a few months ago the British actor showed important lack of hair. But… Ta-daa! Jude has reappear again with this incredible mane of hair, though he is equally attractive with more or less amount of hair. I guess it…

How radical is Syriza?

Chaos has always been a scenario for Greece, ever since the bailout. The mix was there: a bankrupt country, crippling unemployment, violent riots, weekly strikes, neo-Nazis in parliament, a rapid decline in living standards that turned into a humanitarian emergency. Outside Greece, in public analysis and private conversations, the possibility of the destabilisation of democracy came up every now and then, some kind of coup that would send the country to the extreme left or right. For those who indulged in these cassandric predictions the rise of leftist Syriza was a vindication: surely this is a rogue party, self-positioned on the Radical Left, with communist roots, and a populist rhetoric? Discussion of the Greek problem has always involved a degree of fear-mongering, which is useful in the manipulation of public opinion, but rather redundant in adding any nuance to our understanding of a foreign context. A useful key-phrase, if one truly wishes to understand Greece in crisis, is “structural reforms”.

Rosamund Pike, up and coming actress

Keep an eye on this face. Or both actually. British actress Rosamund Pike has become the latest gem in the film industry. She starred together with Ben Affleck in Gone Girl. The truth is that her interpretation hasn’t gone unnoticed. Her brilliant performance has earned her the nomination to the Oscar awards for Best Actress,…

Draghi turns on the QE tap

Mario Draghi has fulfilled his promise and put into action the words “whatever it takes” – which he declared at the height of the debt crisis in July 2012 – to save the euro. After the first ECB Governing Council meeting of the year, its president announced the implementation of the much-anticipated Quantitative Easing (QE), a statement that has not only fulfilled but exceeded the markets’ expectations. The Italian banker has led the ECB into unknown territory with a massive sovereign bond-buying plan that will be added to the existing private sector asset purchase program, amounting to a total of €1.14 trillion. The goal is to quell the threat of deflation, and to reactivate economic growth, which remains stagnant in the euro area.

Cara Delevingne, chords and rouge

She did it again. Cara Delevingne has amazed us once again at the Yves Saint Laurent Loves Your Lips party, where the British model combined two of her passions: music and fashion. Cara wore that spectacular rouge by Yves Saint Laurent, a firm for whom she’s already worked for in the past. And Cara delighted…

The new euro governance

Hitherto, the European Central Bank (ECB) always held its meetings on monetary policy on the first Thursday of every month, followed by a press conference with its president, Mario Draghi. Starting this year, this decision-making frequency will be reduced, and the communications will be more transparent. The Governing Council’s first meeting of 2015 – which could result in the largest stimulus for the euro area of all time– will be held on 22 January, and not on 8 January, which was the custom. 2015 is also a year of enlargement: with Lithuania joining the euro area as its 19th member state.