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Greece: two or three things that Ms. Merkel should bear in mind at this point in June

Pending , EU
22 June, 2015

By Viktor Sukup

The last few months have not ceased to darken the European scene. Islamist terrorism remains a serious threat, as shown by the attacks in Paris and the high number of “jihadists” made in Europe. The economy is still not taking off; unemployment is not dropping; and the problem of Greece is not yet resolved. As for immigrants and the thousands of deaths from their attempts to reach Europe, as well as the highly shady deals between European countries over how to receive –or rather reject– these immigrants, the NGO, Global Social Justice, estimates, not incorrectly, that we should now be ashamed to be European.

Goodbye “Mr. President”, let the halay begin!

By Deniz Torcu

On the afternoon of Sunday, 7 June, citizens of the Republic of Turkey followed their post-general election ritual: they turned on their TVs to catch the incoming results, poured a cup of tea and engaged in some country-saving debate that always pairs well. For the past three elections, the only “winners” have been the voters of the governing Justice and Development Party, with celebrations kicked off by one of Mr. Erdogan’s infamous “balcony speeches” in which he would proudly embrace the will of the people, dutifully accepting his role as the leader of the country.

UE-AL, 1990-2015 : Apres la perte de terrain, ou allons-nous?

Par Viktor Sukup

Depuis 1990, les relations commerciales entre l’Europe et l’Amérique Latine et les Caraïbes ont connu d’abord un recul relatif très important, puis, à partir du tournant du siècle, leur part s’est stabilisée sur un niveau modeste, entre 10 et 15% du commerce extérieur total de la région.

Breaking the linguistic barriers in Europe, with or without Esperanto

By Christos Mouzeviris

Various Euro-enthusiasts hold the belief that Europe should have a common language. And for some federalism activists, “Esperanto” is ideal to be the future language of a united Europe. Yet in a continent in deep economic and political crisis, plagued by an ever increasing euro-scepticism, how could any leader convince the voters to take such a step?

Parliamentary elections in Turkey: The end of the beginning or the beginning of the end

By Yanni Gigourtsis

A few hours separate us from perhaps the most critical elections in Turkey since the establishment of the multiparty parliamentary system in the late 1940s. Once again, as in the last 15 years, the protagonist in this year’s election–as it should not, at first reading – is the country’s President and, for many years, Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. In the 7 June elections, however, the stakes are higher for the political future of the Turkish President. It is the future of the country and the course it will take in the coming decades that will be decided. Let me explain.

Turkey’s history explains support for Erdogan

By Esra Taskiran

Imagine a party consecutively winning the last nine local and general elections since 2002. Imagine a feat that commands the attention of the entire world so as to become doctoral and master’s theses at numerous international universities. Without a doubt, this power originates from a strong reasoning, which is hidden in the recent history of Turkey.

Turkey at the Crossroads: a turning point for democracy

By Deniz Torcu

For many people, seeing the president of a democratic republic, who is obliged to be “non-partisan” according to his country’s constitution, publicly bashing the main political opposition parties in government while waving a religious text in his hand is something that comes as a shock and is difficult to comprehend. For Turkish citizens, this is a regular day.

After Syriza and Podemos, the Portuguese LIVRE

As a reaction to the austerity imposed on Portugal, a new political movement gave birth to a new political party, the poppy-branded LIVRE. Founded in March 2014 by former Left Bloc MEP Rui Tavares, LIVRE has already participated in the last European Parliament elections (May 2014), albeit unsuccessfully, registering only 2,18% of the votes. Anti-austerity and pro-European, this leftist party is politically and ideologically in line with the Spanish Podemos and the Greek Syriza.

Challenges and opportunities for EU-Mexico trade relations

By Evelyn Luz Acevedo Bravo

In early May, the renowned Brussels think tank CEPS (Centre for European Policy Studies), in collaboration with the bank BBVA, organised a meeting among high-level representatives from the EU and Mexico aiming to provide an overall review of the EU-Mexico trade relationship. The conference highlighted and discussed new opportunities, in light of progress and advances made by both, to revisit and enhance the EU-Mexico Free Trade Agreement so that each party is better served and may prosper to an even greater extent.

The European Union’s dilemma in the complexity of global politics

It´s Our Voice , e(u)-Generation , EU
18 May, 2015

By Frank Aragbonfoh Abumere

In global politics, complexity is the norm rather than the exception. One characteristic of the complexity of global politics is the dilemma between order and justice. On the one hand, the existence and sustenance of order, i.e. maintenance of peace and security, is seen by some politicians, diplomats and scholars as the overriding value in global politics. But on the other hand, the promotion of justice, i.e. respecting human rights, giving consideration to morality, etc, is seen by other politicians, diplomats and scholars as the overriding value in global politics. The European Union (EU) as a regional or supranational organisation cannot be said to either totally subscribe to the ‘overriding value’ of order or the ‘overriding value’ of justice…