The editorial team of Katoikos
Such were the words that Chancellor Merkel used to express her deep shock at the revelation that it was apparently the co-pilot who had intentionally crashed the Germanwings Airbus 320 into the southern French Alps on 24 March 2015, killing all 149 passengers and crew onboard, in addition to himself. The photo is from the visit of…
How many of us bother to look at what European leaders decide when they meet in Brussels or elsewhere? Did you know that their main decisions are published as “Conclusions” of the European Council? They have a major impact on our lives, directly or indirectly. But they are only selectively reported on and seldom studied in detail, as they should be. We decided to take our magnifying glass and go through the most recent European Council Conclusions, those adopted by the EU leaders at their meeting in Brussels on 19-20 March 2015.
A day for Water, the essence of Life. Water and sustainable development is this year’s theme of World Water Day, which is celebrated every year on 22 March.
Remarks by President Donald Tusk after the European Council meeting 20 March 2015 Good afternoon. Yesterday evening, and early this morning, I hosted an informal meeting with Prime Minister Tsipras, Chancellor Merkel, President Hollande, President Juncker and President Draghi. Eurogroup President Dijsselbloem was also there. The meeting was requested by Prime Minister Tsipras to discuss…
On 16 March 2015 the Iranian Foreign Minister, Javad Zarif, was in Brussels for talks with High Representative Mogherini and the Foreign Ministers of France, Germany and the UK. This was part of the six-power talks (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany) with Iran on the latter’s uranium enrichment programme. 16 March was also the day of the EU Foreign Affairs Council (EU Foreign Ministers) in Brussels, chaired by Ms. Mogherini.
Among the core symbols of sovereignty and independence of a country are a flag, a national anthem and armed forces that carry the flag and march in the sounds of the anthem. The EU has up to now had only the first two elements, that is the 12-star flag and Beethoven’s Ode to Joy that doubles at its anthem. If one takes seriously the statement made by the European Commission President, Jean-Claude Juncker, to the Welt am Sonntag newspaper during last weekend the EU may well get its own army too, at least in the long run.
This is what she said: Mr President, It is an honour for me to address the Security Council in my first months as High Representative of the European Union. I would like to thank the French presidency of the Council for this opportunity to discuss our partnership. And I would like to thank you, Mr…
One can only hope that Boris Nemtsov’s death, the protests, investigation and soul-searching that will follow it, will prove a turning point towards a more transparent, tolerant and democratic Russia. The country needs a new start. Let’s see if President Putin can change course and steer such a positive transition.
Boris Nemtsov, born in 1959, Russian Deputy Prime Minister during the Yeltsin Presidency and a prominent opposition leader during the Putin years, was shot dead in the night of 27 February 2015 near the Kremlin by unidentified assailant(s). Thousands of people took to the streets of Moscow and other Russian cities on 1 March to honour him…
As if the Qatar 2022 World Cup had not generated enough controversy already, another dispute came to stir things up. FIFA announced on 25 February that it will not compensate UEFA, the Union of European Football Associations, for losses that its members may incur due to a possible holding of the World Cup in November-December 2022.
