By Deniz Torcu
The parliamentary elections on June 7th marked the end of one-party government in Turkey after 13 years. While the Islamist Justice and Development Party (AKP) still managed to come out as the most voted party in the country, receiving 40.8% of the vote and claiming 258 seats in the Parliament…
This Thursday (June 18, 2015) marks the first day of the month of Ramadan – the ninth and the holiest month of the Islamic calendar, which is very significant also for the European Muslims. Thousands are expected for the Ramadan opening prayers at the Islamic and Cultural Centre of Belgium (CICB). The building is located in the Cinquantenaire Park in Brussels and is sometimes called the ‘Great Mosque of Brussels.’ Curiously, it’s a gift from the Belgian King.
Krakow is perhaps the most famous city in Poland. Its history, beauty and architecture attract thousands of tourists and students annually. However, all its splendour is being clouded by microparticles which float in the air, invisible to the eye but toxic, and which penetrate surreptitiously into the body, causing serious damage to the health of those who inhale them. Can you imagine a child (or anyone else, for that matter) smoking 2,000 cigarettes a year?
By Georgina Higueras
A reality or just an illusion? The Silk Road is China’s great strategic project and a commitment loaded with opportunities not only for Beijing but also for Europe and other countries. Of course, there are obstacles, especially the instability in Central Asia and the Middle East.
“A heroic mercantile exploit with no prospects”
False. The Silk Road is China’s great strategic commitment as a superpower.
In an unexpected turn of events, the Turkish general elections on 7 June did not end well for the conservative Islamists who have governed the country for the past thirteen years. The Justice and Development Party (AKP), which obtained 41% of the vote, has effectively—and unexpectedly—lost its majority in the Parliament and will now be forced to share power through a political coalition with other parties if it holds onto hope of governing the country.
By Deniz Torcu
On Sunday, 7 June, Turkey will go to the ballot box to elect 550 members of its Grand National Assembly. This will be the 24th general election in the Republic of Turkey and, surely, one of the most important in the country’s history. While it is likely that the current Islamist ruling party, the Justice and Development Party (AKP), will be the winner of the elections, the margin with which they win will be the big question.
By Mario Saavedra
At different times in history it has been Athens, Venice and Milan. Today it’s São Paulo, Shanghai, Istanbul and Barcelona: large cities that sign international diplomatic agreements directly with other governments, either local or national, without necessarily going through their capital city. Mayors or governors have thus become the new diplomats.
By Manuel Ruiz Rico
In 2012, the European Union adopted a mechanism for citizens to exercise direct democracy and promote EU directives: the European Citizens’ Initiative. However, three years after its entry into force, the high expectations it created among ordinary citizens have not been met. Just three of the 31 initiatives have come to fruition and, of these, so far only one – on public water management – has succeeded in getting the European Commission to start moving its bureaucratic legal machinery so that its content can materialize into some form of European standard in the future.
Romania is notorious for being the country with the lowest EU funds absorption rate despite its economy’s dire need for money. Romania’s public and private sector absorbed only €10.33 billion in available EU funds from 2007 until 2013, with €8.7 billion remaining in stand-by until the end of 2015, when the offer will be permanently withdrawn. However, according to the World Bank, the country still has the highest poverty rate in the EU. There are two main reasons that help explain this apparent paradox.
This Sunday Spain goes to the polls. Municipal councils and the governments of most of Spain´s autonomous regions (not Catalonia and the Basque Country, though, which hold their regional elections on different dates) are up for grabs. Beyond the local impact, what everybody is watching for in these elections is the likely redistribution of Spain´s nationwide political preferences, in anticipation of the general election due before the end of 2015. A political earthquake may be in the making with long-lasting consequences for Spain, and for Spain´s input into the European integration process.
