Should Europe introduce tighter security measures after the Paris attacks?
Spain along with France and Germany push for introducing limits in passport-free travel within the Schengen area through national border ID checks.
Analysis
Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović is the new Croatian President
Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović will become Croatia’s first female president following a narrow victory over the incumbent Ivo Josipović. This has been a male job ever since the country became independent after the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1991.
Big homework for small Latvia
Latvia’s six-month presidency of the Council of the European Union comes at “a critical time for Europe”, according to Jean-Claude Junker, President of the European Commission. In his visit to Riga on 7 January, Mr Junker welcomed Latvia’s Presidency and the country’s priorities for the upcoming semester.
Ukraine: the worst year since World War II
Nearly half a million Ukrainians have fled the country since April. More than 387,000 went to Russia, and among them most were Russian speakers from the east. The official count by the UN is 4707 dead since the Ukrainian revolution turned violent at the end of February 2014.
Lithuania now has the euro
Lithuania has become the 19th member of the euro joining its Baltic neighbours Estonia and Latvia. It is also expected to be the last to enter the monetary union for several years. This is a move with geopolitical and economic implications. The country comes on board the Eurozone with a growing economy.
Greece going into elections in strong anti-austerity climate
When the Greek conservative party failed to gather the necessary 180 votes to elect a president in the third parliamentary vote, snap elections were called, and the European press diagnosed a political crisis. Within days it became evident that this was not the case. Elections were set for 25 January.
Greece: Suspense Continues
The second round of voting for the election of a new president of Greece by the Greek parliament did not yield the necessary 200 votes. If the Parliament fails to elect a President in the third round, Greece will have general elections, with the left-wing Syriza party poised to obtain the majority of votes…
New leadership: Donald Tusk praised for efficiency
Taking over from Herman Van Rompuy, the former Polish prime minister is the first-ever president from a former Communist or Soviet state to take a top EU position since the 2004 enlargement. The summit was also the first formal occasion to showcase his English.
Greece in extremis before second Presidential election
In a highly polarised climate Greece appears to be heading closer to snap elections. The government has failed to secure the required 200 votes in the recent presidential elections for its candidate Stavros Dimas, a former European Commissioner.
The financial engineering of Juncker’s plan
How to turn 21 billion euros into 315 billion euros. This is essentially the goal of the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), the master plan which led Jean Claude Juncker to the presidency of the European Commission. The plan aims to reactivate the ailing economy of the region, and create 3.3 million jobs by 2017.
