Shocking, is what editor-in-chief of De Groene Amsterdammer, Xandra Schutte, called what happened to the opinion weekly's correspondent Ingeborg Beugel in Greece. Beugel was in the news over the past days after the Greek prime minister reacted furiously when she asked him about alleged pushbacks, sending boats full of migrants back, during a press conference. Schutte confirms a report by NU.nl on Wednesday that Beugel is being threatened to such an extent that she will return to the Netherlands.
Read more at:
Threatened Dutch journalist flees Greece after confrontation with Prime Minister | NL Times
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Showing posts with label Greece. Show all posts
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November 18, 2021
February 5, 2018
Governments would get more done if they bullied people less on issues like anti-vaccination — Sara Gorman
In 2016, in the midst of a devastating measles outbreak, California decided to repeal the philosophical exemption to vaccines, which allows parents to opt out of required childhood vaccines because of “personal beliefs.”
Soon after that law went into effect, the number of exemptions for medical reasons suddenly soared. Some have argued that the philosophical exemption ban may have in some ways made matters worse, since school administrators are powerless against medical exemptions, but may have had more room to question philosophical exemptions.
Responding to complex social issues such as the anti-vaccine movement requires a full view of human behavior and a solid understanding of what it really takes to change minds. We need to let go of the idea that we can just strong-arm people into complying. Policymakers must understand that changing attitudes and behaviors requires a comprehensive approach that doesn’t rely exclusively on punitive measures alone.
These kinds of laws should be familiar to anyone who has followed the evolution of the response to anti-vaxxers in the US and elsewhere.
Last year, France, Italy, and Germany all announced new laws and fines that in each case made more vaccines mandatory and raised the stakes of not complying. In India, Kerala state instituted a new vaccine mandate for the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine after growing resistance led to serious declines in vaccination rates and constituted a major threat to India’s progress toward eliminating measles. Such policy responses to anti-vaccine sentiment are very common and often the first line of defense.
When faced with a viewpoint or behavior that seems completely irrational, it’s often very tempting to essentially “bully” people with facts, overwhelming them with all the reasons why their viewpoint is factually wrong. But recent research has found that not only does this approach often fail to change people’s minds and behaviors, it may even backfire. This is the basis for the “backfire effect,” a phenomenon in which people become more entrenched in their views after being bombarded with evidence against it.
A recent experiment from researchers at Dartmouth illustrates the principle well. Subjects were given fake newspaper articles that seemingly confirmed several very common misconceptions from recent history, such as that there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. When they were then given a corrective article indicating that weapons were never found, liberals who opposed the war accepted the new article and rejected the old, whereas conservatives who supported the war did the opposite. In fact, those who did not change their view reported being even more convinced that there were weapons after being exposed to the correct information.
Another recent study showed what goes on in the brain when someone experiences the “backfire effect.” Participants were surveyed about their opinions on particular political issues and then were placed in an fMRI machine to measure brain activity. They were then presented with a large quantity of information that disproved their stated opinions. In a follow-up survey several weeks later, researchers found stronger inclination toward original views in the majority of participants. More importantly for this study, however, is what they found about brain activity during these informational challenges. Regions of the brain associated with strong emotion were heavily activated while parts of the brain associated with cognitive reasoning and comprehension were suppressed. In essence, the parts of the brain needed to absorb the new information were shut down by the parts of the brain associated with strong emotion.
As we can see, when people are faced with challenges to strongly-held beliefs, they may become emotional and dig their heels in. This can be a response to a barrage of new information that challenges what they believe, or a response to new laws that challenge the behavioral outcomes of strongly-held beliefs. Either way, we can see how punitive policies to address strongly-held beliefs might be limited, even if they are necessary.
Even when new laws are passed, lawmakers must take great care about how they communicate about them, especially if the law touches on “hot-button” issues like childhood vaccines or gun control. For example, recent research has suggested that presenting people with views they disagreed with on paper made them discount the intellect of the person presenting the views much more than when there was a video explanation provided instead. This is just one of many ways in which the medium and the precise content of a potentially controversial message can change the way it is received.
When faced with difficult viewpoints and behaviors of constituents, policymakers must think very carefully about how to respond. Often laws and regulations are needed, but what gets put in place with those regulations also needs to be carefully considered before new laws are implemented, not as an afterthought.
Read more: Governments would get more done if they bullied people less on issues like anti-vaccination — Quartz
Soon after that law went into effect, the number of exemptions for medical reasons suddenly soared. Some have argued that the philosophical exemption ban may have in some ways made matters worse, since school administrators are powerless against medical exemptions, but may have had more room to question philosophical exemptions.
Responding to complex social issues such as the anti-vaccine movement requires a full view of human behavior and a solid understanding of what it really takes to change minds. We need to let go of the idea that we can just strong-arm people into complying. Policymakers must understand that changing attitudes and behaviors requires a comprehensive approach that doesn’t rely exclusively on punitive measures alone.
These kinds of laws should be familiar to anyone who has followed the evolution of the response to anti-vaxxers in the US and elsewhere.
Last year, France, Italy, and Germany all announced new laws and fines that in each case made more vaccines mandatory and raised the stakes of not complying. In India, Kerala state instituted a new vaccine mandate for the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine after growing resistance led to serious declines in vaccination rates and constituted a major threat to India’s progress toward eliminating measles. Such policy responses to anti-vaccine sentiment are very common and often the first line of defense.
When faced with a viewpoint or behavior that seems completely irrational, it’s often very tempting to essentially “bully” people with facts, overwhelming them with all the reasons why their viewpoint is factually wrong. But recent research has found that not only does this approach often fail to change people’s minds and behaviors, it may even backfire. This is the basis for the “backfire effect,” a phenomenon in which people become more entrenched in their views after being bombarded with evidence against it.
A recent experiment from researchers at Dartmouth illustrates the principle well. Subjects were given fake newspaper articles that seemingly confirmed several very common misconceptions from recent history, such as that there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. When they were then given a corrective article indicating that weapons were never found, liberals who opposed the war accepted the new article and rejected the old, whereas conservatives who supported the war did the opposite. In fact, those who did not change their view reported being even more convinced that there were weapons after being exposed to the correct information.
Another recent study showed what goes on in the brain when someone experiences the “backfire effect.” Participants were surveyed about their opinions on particular political issues and then were placed in an fMRI machine to measure brain activity. They were then presented with a large quantity of information that disproved their stated opinions. In a follow-up survey several weeks later, researchers found stronger inclination toward original views in the majority of participants. More importantly for this study, however, is what they found about brain activity during these informational challenges. Regions of the brain associated with strong emotion were heavily activated while parts of the brain associated with cognitive reasoning and comprehension were suppressed. In essence, the parts of the brain needed to absorb the new information were shut down by the parts of the brain associated with strong emotion.
As we can see, when people are faced with challenges to strongly-held beliefs, they may become emotional and dig their heels in. This can be a response to a barrage of new information that challenges what they believe, or a response to new laws that challenge the behavioral outcomes of strongly-held beliefs. Either way, we can see how punitive policies to address strongly-held beliefs might be limited, even if they are necessary.
Even when new laws are passed, lawmakers must take great care about how they communicate about them, especially if the law touches on “hot-button” issues like childhood vaccines or gun control. For example, recent research has suggested that presenting people with views they disagreed with on paper made them discount the intellect of the person presenting the views much more than when there was a video explanation provided instead. This is just one of many ways in which the medium and the precise content of a potentially controversial message can change the way it is received.
When faced with difficult viewpoints and behaviors of constituents, policymakers must think very carefully about how to respond. Often laws and regulations are needed, but what gets put in place with those regulations also needs to be carefully considered before new laws are implemented, not as an afterthought.
Read more: Governments would get more done if they bullied people less on issues like anti-vaccination — Quartz
January 12, 2018
Sharia Law - Islam: Greece limits Islamic Sharia law courts for Muslim minority
Greek lawmakers on Tuesday overwhelmingly backed legislation to limit
the purview of Islamic religious courts over the nearly 120,000-strong
Muslim minority in the region of Western Thrace.
Islamic religious courts will only be able to rule in family law matters such as divorce, child custody and inheritance if all parties agree, under the new law supported by major parties.
Regular Greek law will apply in cases where all parties do not agree to a religious court settling a dispute.
Greece is the only EU country that has Islamic religious courts.
State-appointed clerics, known as muftis, have resolved family law matters among Muslims in Western Thrace under the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne between Turkey and Greece following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.
Among other things, the treaty involved a population exchange of some 2 million people between Turkey and Greece, except for on some Aegean islands, the Greek Orthodox community in Istanbul and the largely Turkish-speaking Muslim community in Western Thrace.
The Greek Orthodox and Muslim minorities were given certain minority language, cultural and religious rights under the treaty.
But in a strange twist of history, the Muslims of Greece fell under Islamic law while Turkey moved to a secular legal system in the Turkish Republic.
The Muslims in the northeastern corner of Greece near the border with Turkey are mostly ethnic Turks, although there is also a Bulgarian-speaking Pomak community.
Turkey has long taken an interest in what it deems Turkish-ethnic brothers in Western Thrace, drawing accusations from Greece that Ankara is interfering in its affairs.
Greece has been reluctant to change the law around Muslim family matters, fearful that it could prompt Turkey to request changes to the Lausanne Treaty.
Note EU-Digest: To allow Sharia, or any other religious law to function on a parallel status with local and national laws in EU member States is ridiculous and creates more problems than it solves.
Read more: Greece limits Islamic Sharia law courts for Muslim minority | News | DW | 10.01.2018
Islamic religious courts will only be able to rule in family law matters such as divorce, child custody and inheritance if all parties agree, under the new law supported by major parties.
Regular Greek law will apply in cases where all parties do not agree to a religious court settling a dispute.
Greece is the only EU country that has Islamic religious courts.
State-appointed clerics, known as muftis, have resolved family law matters among Muslims in Western Thrace under the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne between Turkey and Greece following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.
Among other things, the treaty involved a population exchange of some 2 million people between Turkey and Greece, except for on some Aegean islands, the Greek Orthodox community in Istanbul and the largely Turkish-speaking Muslim community in Western Thrace.
The Greek Orthodox and Muslim minorities were given certain minority language, cultural and religious rights under the treaty.
But in a strange twist of history, the Muslims of Greece fell under Islamic law while Turkey moved to a secular legal system in the Turkish Republic.
The Muslims in the northeastern corner of Greece near the border with Turkey are mostly ethnic Turks, although there is also a Bulgarian-speaking Pomak community.
Turkey has long taken an interest in what it deems Turkish-ethnic brothers in Western Thrace, drawing accusations from Greece that Ankara is interfering in its affairs.
Greece has been reluctant to change the law around Muslim family matters, fearful that it could prompt Turkey to request changes to the Lausanne Treaty.
Note EU-Digest: To allow Sharia, or any other religious law to function on a parallel status with local and national laws in EU member States is ridiculous and creates more problems than it solves.
Read more: Greece limits Islamic Sharia law courts for Muslim minority | News | DW | 10.01.2018
September 8, 2017
EU: Macron In Greece Calls for Democratic Conventions to Rebuild EU - by Gregory Viscusi
 |
| Emmanuel Macron Rebuilding Confidence and Unity in Europe |
“Are you afraid of a European ambition that will enable us to win back our sovereignty, our democracy, our confidence?” he asked. “Have this crazy ambition. I promise you we will succeed.”
Speaking at the Pnyx, a hill that was the center of Athenian democracy almost 2,500 years ago, Macron began speaking a few words of Greek to pay tribute to the founders of the city state. Switching to French, and with a stunning view of the Acropolis behind him, he promised to unveil a “road map” by the end of the year for introducing greater democracy into the EU and the euro zone.
Rjecting the calls of populist parties to retreat behind national borders, Macron said “true sovereignty” over the economy and borders can only be achieved at the EU level. “Real sovereignty can only be built through Europe, by combining our forces, not by each one of us turning in on ourselves,” the French leader said. “Our challenges are no longer at the national level. Nations have their place, but the real scale is Europe.”
Macron, 39, has shown a sense of symbolism since his May election: choosing the European rather than the French anthem the night of his victory, hosting Russia’s Vladimir Putin at Versailles, and treating U.S. President Donald Trump to a bone-crunching handshake at NATO. He chose Greece as his first state visit because it’s the birthplace of democracy and because its 2010 bailout laid bare the dysfunctions in the euro area that Macron has vowed to fix. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, 43, spoke before Macron, who littered his speech with citations from the Athenian statesman Pericles.
In his election campaign, Macron frequently linked French and European issues, saying France needed to reform its economy to win the confidence of Germany and other northern countries to win them over to accepting greater European integration.
“Our generation can found Europe again by starting with a deep critical study of what went wrong,” Macron said. “We can’t leave it to those who hate Europe.”
Macron, who defeated anti-EU candidate Marine Le Pen in May, said the conventions across the EU he’s calling for would “decide what Europe we want.”
The EU had lost the trust of its citizens, he said, by focusing on “absurd” rules because it had lost the confidence to pursue grander ambitions.
After meeting Tsipras earlier Thursday, Macron said he expects Greece to be able to exit its bailout program when it expires next August and that he supports easing Greece’s debt load. Macron took 40 French company leaders with him to Athens, saying their interest in investing in Greece is a sign of confidence in the country’s recovery.
In his speech, Macron reiterated his call for a common budget for the euro zone with an “executive that is answerable to an elected euro parliament.” He also called for political parties to present Europe-wide lists in the 2019 EU Parliament elections.
Note EU-Digest: Kudos to President Emmanuel Macron for taking this initiative. We have all had enough of the naysayers who want to go back to the so-called "good old Days" with borders, different currencies, trade walls, and strife, The European dream can only become a reality by purpose, unity and independence from foreign interference and political entanglement .
Read more: Macron Calls for Democratic Conventions to Rebuild EU - Bloomberg
August 16, 2017
Tropical Diseases Now In Europe: Holiday season means risk of tropical diseases - by Steve Bridges
Warmer weather and summer travel put tropical mosquito-borne diseases on the European health authorities’ radar.
The warming climate has unpredictable and wide-ranging impacts on the environment. Some climate effects on human health are direct, such as extreme weather and rising sea levels that threaten low-lying areas.
Other climate change effects on health are no less unpredictable but more indirect. The Asian Tiger mosquito and Yellow Fever mosquito species are now present in parts of Europe thanks to warmer temperatures, bringing the risk of tropical diseases with them.
August and September are the primary transmission season for mosquito-borne diseases.
Italy saw the first locally acquired case of "chikungunya" in Europe, with over 200 individuals affected. Chikungunya causes fever and severe joint pain that is often debilitating and can vary in duration.
There have also been cases of "dengue fever" in France, Madeira, and Croatia. Dengue causes bleeding, low levels of blood platelets and plasma, joint pain, and fever.
And the first EU cases of "West Nile fever" were detected in Italy and Romania in 2016.
Read more: Holiday season means risk of tropical diseases in Europe
The warming climate has unpredictable and wide-ranging impacts on the environment. Some climate effects on human health are direct, such as extreme weather and rising sea levels that threaten low-lying areas.
Other climate change effects on health are no less unpredictable but more indirect. The Asian Tiger mosquito and Yellow Fever mosquito species are now present in parts of Europe thanks to warmer temperatures, bringing the risk of tropical diseases with them.
August and September are the primary transmission season for mosquito-borne diseases.
Italy saw the first locally acquired case of "chikungunya" in Europe, with over 200 individuals affected. Chikungunya causes fever and severe joint pain that is often debilitating and can vary in duration.
There have also been cases of "dengue fever" in France, Madeira, and Croatia. Dengue causes bleeding, low levels of blood platelets and plasma, joint pain, and fever.
And the first EU cases of "West Nile fever" were detected in Italy and Romania in 2016.
Read more: Holiday season means risk of tropical diseases in Europe
May 27, 2016
Greece: Putin Arrives In Greece On First Visit To EU This Year
Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in Greece on his first
visit to the European Union this year as the bloc weighs whether to
extend sanctions against Russia amid continuing tensions over Moscow's
intervention in Ukraine.
Putin arrived in Athens on May 27 to begin a two-day visit. He is due to meet Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos and Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras for energy and investment talks later in the day.
Putin's visit -- his first to the EU since December -- comes as the bloc's leaders are to discuss next month whether to renew sanctions on Russia's banking, defense, and energy sectors that expire in July.
British Prime Minister David Cameron said on May 27 that the leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) economic powers have agreed that sanctions imposed against Russia over its actions in Ukraine must be extended next month.
“The G7 has agreed on the vital importance of sanctions rollover in June,” Cameron said following a two-day G7 summit in Japan. “Ukraine is the victim of Russian-backed aggression. We must never forget that fact.”
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on May 27 floated the possibility of a "step-by-step" reduction of EU sanctions against Russia if there is progress on implementing peace accords on Ukraine.
"I hope that by the end of June there will be progress and then we can see if we can reduce the sanctions step by step, or if we stay with the measures we have right now," Steinmeier told reporters in Tallinn.
Read more: Putin Arrives In Greece On First Visit To EU This Year
Putin arrived in Athens on May 27 to begin a two-day visit. He is due to meet Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos and Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras for energy and investment talks later in the day.
Putin's visit -- his first to the EU since December -- comes as the bloc's leaders are to discuss next month whether to renew sanctions on Russia's banking, defense, and energy sectors that expire in July.
British Prime Minister David Cameron said on May 27 that the leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) economic powers have agreed that sanctions imposed against Russia over its actions in Ukraine must be extended next month.
“The G7 has agreed on the vital importance of sanctions rollover in June,” Cameron said following a two-day G7 summit in Japan. “Ukraine is the victim of Russian-backed aggression. We must never forget that fact.”
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on May 27 floated the possibility of a "step-by-step" reduction of EU sanctions against Russia if there is progress on implementing peace accords on Ukraine.
"I hope that by the end of June there will be progress and then we can see if we can reduce the sanctions step by step, or if we stay with the measures we have right now," Steinmeier told reporters in Tallinn.
Read more: Putin Arrives In Greece On First Visit To EU This Year
May 18, 2016
EU-US TTIP trade deal under threat over the Feta factor (and much more)
 |
| TTIP: Putting Dracula in charge of the blood bank |
Products like Feta cheese, Gorgonzola, Champagne and Parma ham currently enjoy protection under which only they can be sold by that original name in the EU.
But with the controversial and much protested against Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) those products would not enjoy that protection in the United States.
In addition US companies would be able to sell their products in Europe under TTIP, even if they did not meet the same standards as local foodstuffs – for example Feta cheese from Greece can only be made with goat and sheeps milk.
The Americans say it is unacceptable protectionism and producers can use trademarks, though the US considers names like Feta to be generic and so not protectable by trademarks.
The Europeans say no protection means no trade deal.
With over 1,200 food products and close to 2,000 wine names having “so-called ‘geographical indicator’ status“https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geographical_indication negotiations could be bruising.
Already Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan and French President François Hollande are threatening vetos if the issue is not resolved.
The matter is being discussed this week by the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council.
Note EU-Digest: in reality this massive trade proposal called TTIP is a threat to our climate, health and democracy. NAFTA proved to be a failure, and now the US is trying to shove TTIP, which has been negotiated with very little transparency, down the throat of the EU. Come on EU, show some "cojones", and tell the US where they can shove their TTIP proposal.
Read more: TTIP trade deal under threat over the Feta factor | euronews, economy
April 14, 2016
EU: Corruption costs EU ‘up to €990 billion a year’ – by Ryan Collin
 |
| EU Corruption costs: close to € 1 trillion a year |
Corruption in the EU comes in many forms and has multiple economic, social and political effects, according to the Cost of Non-Europe in the Area of Corruption Study by RAND Europe. Based on three scenarios using different methodologies that included both direct and indirect effects, the study found the EU suffers losses in its gross domestic product that range between €179 billion and €990 billion each year.
The figures are much higher than a 2014 estimate by the European Commission of €120 billion. However, the Commission’s study focused only on direct effects of corruption.
“Corruption is a big black hole at the heart of the European economy,” said Carl Dolan, director of Transparency International. “If companies see the public procurement process is rigged then they are not going to take part in that bid and therefore the public loses out because these aren’t competitive tenders.”
The study found that corruption related to public procurement was estimated to cost nearly €5 billion per year. Procurement corruption includes deliberately removing companies from the bidding process so there is only one viable candidate and limiting the amount of time a company has to respond to a tender for a new contract.
To reduce it, RAND Europe suggested that the EU implement a Union-wide e-procurement system, which would bring down the cost of corruption by an estimated €920 million. Another measure to cut corruption would be establishing a European Public Prosecutor’s Office, the study said. Such an office would investigate corruption cases and could reduce corruption costs by €0.2 billion per year.
Read more: Corruption costs EU ‘up to €990 billion a year’ – POLITICO
March 1, 2016
Greece: Migrant crisis: Greece needs EU help to avoid chaos, says Merkel
Austria and several Balkan countries have introduced restrictions stranding migrants in Greece.
Mrs Merkel said EU nations had not battled to keep Greece in the euro just to leave it "in the lurch".
She also defended her decision to open German borders to migrants, despite a resulting slump in her popularity.
More than one million people arrived to claim asylum last year, sparking opposition within her governing coalition and a rise in far-right extremism.
But speaking on Germany's ARD television, Mrs Merkel said she had no "Plan B" and would not change course, rejecting a proposed limit on migration.
In the coming weeks she faces a major test when voters go to the polls in three German states.
On Greece she said: "Do you seriously believe that all the euro states that last year fought all the way to keep Greece in the eurozone, and we were the strictest, can one year later allow Greece to, in a way, plunge into chaos?"
Greece is the main entry point for migrants arriving in Europe, and was infuriated after a group of countries led by Austria installed controls.
It recalled its ambassador to Austria after the group held talks but did not invite Greece.
A key meeting is scheduled on 7 March between EU members and Turkey and a further summit due later that month.
Read more: Migrant crisis: Greece needs EU help to avoid chaos, says Merkel - BBC News
Mrs Merkel said EU nations had not battled to keep Greece in the euro just to leave it "in the lurch".
She also defended her decision to open German borders to migrants, despite a resulting slump in her popularity.
More than one million people arrived to claim asylum last year, sparking opposition within her governing coalition and a rise in far-right extremism.
But speaking on Germany's ARD television, Mrs Merkel said she had no "Plan B" and would not change course, rejecting a proposed limit on migration.
In the coming weeks she faces a major test when voters go to the polls in three German states.
On Greece she said: "Do you seriously believe that all the euro states that last year fought all the way to keep Greece in the eurozone, and we were the strictest, can one year later allow Greece to, in a way, plunge into chaos?"
Greece is the main entry point for migrants arriving in Europe, and was infuriated after a group of countries led by Austria installed controls.
It recalled its ambassador to Austria after the group held talks but did not invite Greece.
A key meeting is scheduled on 7 March between EU members and Turkey and a further summit due later that month.
Read more: Migrant crisis: Greece needs EU help to avoid chaos, says Merkel - BBC News
February 26, 2016
EU Refugee Crises: Fears EU is self-destructing on migrant crisis- Holly Ellyatt
European ministers are meeting Thursday to discuss the latest escalation in the region's migrant crisis amid rising concerns that the survival of the region could be at stake.
Interior and Justice Ministers from the European Union (EU) are meeting in Brussels to discuss plans agreed by Austria and the Balkan nations on Wednesday to fingerprint all migrants entering their countries and to turn away anyone without a passport or valid documents.
This comes as Greece and Eastern Europe also threatened to not cooperate with the EU if they were refused either more help with the crisis, or more leeway with relocation quotas, respectively.
At the meeting in Vienna on Wednesday, Austria warned that the influx of migrants needed to be reduced immediately with the country's interior minister saying it was "a matter of survival for the EU."
The country also criticized Germany for sending "mixed" messages over its stance on migrant crisis by calling on some countries to restrict the flow of migrants while supporting economically-depressed Greece by allowing migrants to travel onwards.
"Germany has to decide what signals Germany wants to send," Austrian interior minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner said after talks with her counterparts from Western Balkan countries, Reuters reported, a region which most migrants travel through on their way from Greece to northern Europe.
Read more: Fears EU is self-destructing on migrant crisis
Interior and Justice Ministers from the European Union (EU) are meeting in Brussels to discuss plans agreed by Austria and the Balkan nations on Wednesday to fingerprint all migrants entering their countries and to turn away anyone without a passport or valid documents.
This comes as Greece and Eastern Europe also threatened to not cooperate with the EU if they were refused either more help with the crisis, or more leeway with relocation quotas, respectively.
At the meeting in Vienna on Wednesday, Austria warned that the influx of migrants needed to be reduced immediately with the country's interior minister saying it was "a matter of survival for the EU."
The country also criticized Germany for sending "mixed" messages over its stance on migrant crisis by calling on some countries to restrict the flow of migrants while supporting economically-depressed Greece by allowing migrants to travel onwards.
"Germany has to decide what signals Germany wants to send," Austrian interior minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner said after talks with her counterparts from Western Balkan countries, Reuters reported, a region which most migrants travel through on their way from Greece to northern Europe.
Read more: Fears EU is self-destructing on migrant crisis
January 29, 2016
Netherlands - Refugees: Netherlands drafting EU-Turkey refugee swap deal
The Netherlands, which holds the EU presidency until the end of June, is preparing a plan that would swap migrants in Greece for 250,000 refugees in Turkey, a senior lawmaker on Thursday told the Dutch daily De Volkskrant.
Diederik Samson, leader of the social-democratic PvdA party and a key partner in Prime Minister Mark Rutte's coalition government, said a core group of EU member states were working with the Netherlands in order to hash out a deal, including Germany, Sweden and Austria.
If the plan goes ahead, Turkey would accept migrants stranded in Greece in exchange for 250,000 refugees to be relocated across participating member states, directly from Turkey.
In 2015, Greece witnessed more than 800,000 migrants arrive by boat. Many of them had fled their war-torn countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Turkey hosts more than 2.5 million Syrian refugees, according to figures from the UN refugee agency (UNHCR).
Read more: Netherlands drafting EU-Turkey refugee swap deal | News | DW.COM | 28.01.2016
Diederik Samson, leader of the social-democratic PvdA party and a key partner in Prime Minister Mark Rutte's coalition government, said a core group of EU member states were working with the Netherlands in order to hash out a deal, including Germany, Sweden and Austria.
If the plan goes ahead, Turkey would accept migrants stranded in Greece in exchange for 250,000 refugees to be relocated across participating member states, directly from Turkey.
In 2015, Greece witnessed more than 800,000 migrants arrive by boat. Many of them had fled their war-torn countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Turkey hosts more than 2.5 million Syrian refugees, according to figures from the UN refugee agency (UNHCR).
Read more: Netherlands drafting EU-Turkey refugee swap deal | News | DW.COM | 28.01.2016
January 25, 2016
Political Revolution?: The People Have Woken Up - Political Establishment in Europe And US Is In Trouble - by RM
 |
| French revolution 1789 until 1799 |
Polls show they both consider them unreliable and "in the pocket" of private interest groups and lobbyists.
In a way this reaction is also a refreshing development. Slowly but surely in both America and in many countries around Europe people are waking up to the fact that many politicians within their political establishment, on both the left and the right, are not really representing the people who elected them anymore, but rather their own interests.
In fact, most of the polls taken on this issue seem to indicate that many voters now feel that they have been completely sold out by their political elite.
They are also angry about the steady takeover of their liberties by unregulated global corporate forces, and the fact that their elected Governments are doing very little to stop it.
Hence we see the rise of a new breed of somewhat unorthodox people successfully entering the political arena in the US - like Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders. Same is happening in Europe, with the likes of Geert Wilders in the Netherlands, Marie Le Pen in France, , Victor Orban in Hungary, Alexis Tsipras in Greece, and .Pablo Iglesias in Spain, to mention just a few.
Could this be the beginning of a total shake-up and possibly even a peoples revolution changing the existing "fault-lines" of today's political and economic structures in both the USA and the EU ?
It looks like the party has only just begun.
EU-Digest
September 21, 2015
Greek election live: Alexis Tsipras celebrates victory - as it happened
With most of the ballot papers counted, Syriza
is leading with a 35.5% share of the vote compared with 28.2% for the
centre-right New Democracy party. Speaking in Athens, Tsipras declared
the election a victory for the people. “This victory belongs to the
people and those who dream of a better tomorrow and we’ll achieve it
with hard work,” he said.
Jubilant supporters, clearly relieved at the result, took to the streets in celebration, with many singing and dancing outside Syriza’s main election marquee in central Athens.
Tsipras told supporters that he would tackle endemic corruption in the country. “The mandate that the Greek people have given is is a crystal clear mandate to get rid of the regime of corruption and vested issues,” he said. “We will show how effective we will be. We will make Greece a stronger place for the weak and vulnerable, a fairer place.”
Read more:Greek election live: Alexis Tsipras celebrates victory - as it happened | World news | The Guardian
Jubilant supporters, clearly relieved at the result, took to the streets in celebration, with many singing and dancing outside Syriza’s main election marquee in central Athens.
Tsipras told supporters that he would tackle endemic corruption in the country. “The mandate that the Greek people have given is is a crystal clear mandate to get rid of the regime of corruption and vested issues,” he said. “We will show how effective we will be. We will make Greece a stronger place for the weak and vulnerable, a fairer place.”
Read more:Greek election live: Alexis Tsipras celebrates victory - as it happened | World news | The Guardian
September 5, 2015
Turkey - Refugees: Outcry over Bodrum migrant tragedy
Relatives of people who drowned as two boats sank after leaving southwest Turkey have identified the bodies.
At least 12 people believed to be Syrian refugees died off the coast of Bodrum peninsula as they headed for the Greek island of Kos.
Twelve bodies including five children were recovered. Seven people were rescued. Two reached the shore in life jackets.
Among the victims were Aylin Kurdi, 3 and his brother and Galip 5.
Images of Aylin lying face down on a beach have been published across the world sparking a fierce debate over the ethics (link contains the images) of showing a dead child’s body
Thousands of migrants have died this year trying to reach Europe by sea.
Almost 100 people are said to have been rescued by Turkish vessels on the same night as they tried to reach Kos.
At least 12 people believed to be Syrian refugees died off the coast of Bodrum peninsula as they headed for the Greek island of Kos.
Twelve bodies including five children were recovered. Seven people were rescued. Two reached the shore in life jackets.
Among the victims were Aylin Kurdi, 3 and his brother and Galip 5.
Images of Aylin lying face down on a beach have been published across the world sparking a fierce debate over the ethics (link contains the images) of showing a dead child’s body
Thousands of migrants have died this year trying to reach Europe by sea.
Almost 100 people are said to have been rescued by Turkish vessels on the same night as they tried to reach Kos.
Read more: Outcry over Bodrum migrant tragedy | euronews, world news
August 19, 2015
European Migrant Disaster: EU commission says "Worst migration crisis since WWII" - by Mo Ahmad
The European Union says the scale of migration, driven by war,
disaster and poverty in Middle East and North Africa, has no parallel since the end of World War II.So far Italy and Greece have borne the brunt of the emergency in the EU, while Turkey is already coping with housing more than a million refugees.
Greece recently sent a ship to the resort island of Kos to speed up the registration of hundreds of Syrian refugees following mounting tensions over a huge influx of new arrivals.
While in Italy the situation was not much better. “We were faced with a very emotional scene”, Commander Massimo Tozzi, told the Italian news agency AGI, describing how some bodies were floating on the water. Three hundred and nineteen people, including a dozen women and children, were saved, according to Massimo Tozzi, commander of the rescue patrol.
Nearly 400 other migrants were picked up in the Mediterranean Saturday August 15 by other vessels taking part in the EU’s patrol and rescue operation, Triton.
The Corriere della Sera newspaper revealed that the migrants who lost their lives were in the hold of the vessel. When the sailors got on they discovered the bodies.
“Either the global community is able to resolve the Libyan question, or today’s (migrant tragedy) won’t be the last”, Alfano said.
Survivors of the hazardous crossing from Libya often tell of how traffickers lock migrants in the hold who pay less for the voyage – mostly black Africans.
“The human smugglers have found that road and flows of migrants have been growing, which is a cause of concern”, he said.
UNHCR European Director, Vincent Cochetel, has said facilities on the Greek islands are “totally inadequate”.
“There is still no care being provided for the refugees”, Vangelis Orfanoudakis said. The two fishermen filming the footage can be heard saying there are “many migrants” on the boat. The number is a little less in Italy, where 102,000 migrants have made the journey.
But after the precarious boat trip to Kos and sleeping rough on the streets, a young Syrian man, Anas, who is travelling to Athens with his daughter, feared more hardship was to come.
“Then when the Greeks saw what happened, they decided to pull us out of the water and bring us to land…” The ship is expected to speed up the registration process of about 7,000 refugees who are stranded on the Kos island.
Almost a quarter of a million migrants have crossed the narrow stretch of water from Turkey in small boats and dinghies to Europe this year, according to the worldwide Organization for Migration.
Note EU-Digest: the EU Commission and EU member states better get their act together on solving this crises which has the potential to result in a variety of serious consequences. It should also acknowledge and remedy the fact that this Middle East exodus of refugees to the EU is a direct result of a totally failed Western US led Middle East policy, which goes back many years and is only getting worse.
Read more: EU commission: Worst migration crisis since WWIIPress Examiner
August 15, 2015
Greece: Eurogroup approves third bailout for debt-ridden Greece
Eurozone finance ministers agreed on Friday to approve a third
bailout programme for Greece, with the first tranche of aid to be worth
€26 billion.
Eurogroup chairman Jeroen Djisselbloem said that "of
course there were differences, but we have managed to solve the last
issues."
To recapitalise Greek banks €10 billion will be made available, while a second tranche of €16 billion will be paid out in several installments, starting with a €13 billion installment by August 20 when Greece must make a new debt payment to the European Central Bank (ECB).
"On this basis, Greece is and will irreversibly remain a member of the Euro area," said European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker after the deal was sealed.
Read more: france 24 - Eurogroup approves third bailout for debt-ridden Greece - France 24
To recapitalise Greek banks €10 billion will be made available, while a second tranche of €16 billion will be paid out in several installments, starting with a €13 billion installment by August 20 when Greece must make a new debt payment to the European Central Bank (ECB).
"On this basis, Greece is and will irreversibly remain a member of the Euro area," said European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker after the deal was sealed.
Read more: france 24 - Eurogroup approves third bailout for debt-ridden Greece - France 24
July 20, 2015
Greece: Krugman slams Greece, Germany slams Krugman - by Matt Clinch
Renowned economist, and a fervent critic of austerity, Paul Krugman
has slammed the Greek government for accepting harsh tax and reform
measures. On the very same weekend, German Finance Minister, Wolfgang
Schaeuble, openly questioned the Nobel Prize-winner's knowledge of
Europe's monetary union.
Krugman had been calling for Greece's government to reject the proposals that creditors have demanded in exchange for unlocking much-needed cash. He had dubbed the demands as "madness" and a "complete destruction of national sovereignty."
With the reforms having been given the green light, Krugman told CNN Sunday that he may have "overestimated the competence of the Greek government."
"(The Greek government) thought they could simply demand better terms without having any backup plan," he told the news channel in an interview. "So, certainly this is a shock."
The radical-left Syriza Party was elected this year with a mandate to reject tough austerity measures from creditors but last week agreed to a deal despite Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras stating that he did not believe in it. Tsipras has since tried to weather a storm within his own party and experts suggest that another election could come later this year.
Krugman - a noted Keynesian - has been a very vocal critic of the austerity that has been placed on Greece from euro zone lawmakers, which include those in Berlin. Schaeuble used an opportunity to respond to Krugman when asked about the economist in an interview with German newspaper Der Spiegel.
"Krugman is a prominent economist who won a Nobel Prize for his trade theory," he said in an interview on Saturday.
"But he has no idea about the architecture and foundation of the European currency union. In contrast to the United States, there is no central government in Europe and all 19 members of the euro zone must come to an agreement. It appears Mr. Krugman is unaware of that."
Read more: Krugman slams Greece, Germany slams Krugman
Krugman had been calling for Greece's government to reject the proposals that creditors have demanded in exchange for unlocking much-needed cash. He had dubbed the demands as "madness" and a "complete destruction of national sovereignty."
With the reforms having been given the green light, Krugman told CNN Sunday that he may have "overestimated the competence of the Greek government."
"(The Greek government) thought they could simply demand better terms without having any backup plan," he told the news channel in an interview. "So, certainly this is a shock."
The radical-left Syriza Party was elected this year with a mandate to reject tough austerity measures from creditors but last week agreed to a deal despite Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras stating that he did not believe in it. Tsipras has since tried to weather a storm within his own party and experts suggest that another election could come later this year.
Krugman - a noted Keynesian - has been a very vocal critic of the austerity that has been placed on Greece from euro zone lawmakers, which include those in Berlin. Schaeuble used an opportunity to respond to Krugman when asked about the economist in an interview with German newspaper Der Spiegel.
"Krugman is a prominent economist who won a Nobel Prize for his trade theory," he said in an interview on Saturday.
"But he has no idea about the architecture and foundation of the European currency union. In contrast to the United States, there is no central government in Europe and all 19 members of the euro zone must come to an agreement. It appears Mr. Krugman is unaware of that."
Read more: Krugman slams Greece, Germany slams Krugman
July 17, 2015
Greek parliament approves tough reforms demanded by Brussels with large majority
Greece’s parliament has approved tough new austerity reforms by a large majority.
The result was 229 votes to 64 in the 300 seat chamber. There were 6 abstentions and one absentee.
The passing of the bill was set as a condition by Brussels for an 86 billion euro bailout over the next three years.
The vote came after Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who had been facing a revolt by his own Syriza party, made an emotional speech to get them on board.
Even though he had declared his dislike for the terms agreed with Greece’s creditors he said he had done his best for the country
.
In the end one-in-four Syriza party members did not back the bill.
The result was 229 votes to 64 in the 300 seat chamber. There were 6 abstentions and one absentee.
The passing of the bill was set as a condition by Brussels for an 86 billion euro bailout over the next three years.
The vote came after Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who had been facing a revolt by his own Syriza party, made an emotional speech to get them on board.
Even though he had declared his dislike for the terms agreed with Greece’s creditors he said he had done his best for the country
.
In the end one-in-four Syriza party members did not back the bill.
Read more: Greek parliament approves tough reforms demanded by Brussels | euronews, world news
July 13, 2015
Greece: Eurozone sets Greece tough terms as euro exit looms
Eurozone leaders set Greece brutal take-it-or-leave-it conditions for a
desperately needed bailout deal at a summit on Sunday as an exit from
the single currency loomed ever larger.
Read nore: Eurozone sets Greece tough terms as euro exit looms - Yahoo News
Hawkish Germany pushed for a
Greek "time out" from the euro if leftist Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras
fails to agree terms for a three-year rescue plan worth up to 86 billion
euros ($96 billion).
Athens
faces demands to push through new reform laws next week to win a third
bailout since 2010, with the government in a tight corner as the
cash-starved country's banks look set to run dry in days.
"There
will be no agreement at any price," Merkel said as she arrived for the
summit of 19 eurozone leaders, complaining of a loss of trust in Athens
and warning of "tough negotiations" ahead.
Read nore: Eurozone sets Greece tough terms as euro exit looms - Yahoo News
July 10, 2015
Europe's Future Is Federal - by Jean Tirole
Embroiled with the Greek crisis,
European policymakers will soon have to step back and reflect on the
broader issue of the Eurozone’s future. Before envisaging an exit or, on
the contrary, more sustained integration, it’s right to reflect upon
the consequences of each option.
Oversimplifying, there are three
strategies for the Eurozone: a minimalist approach that would see a
return to national currencies, while keeping Europe perhaps as a free
trade area and retaining a few institutions that have made a real
difference such as common competition laws; the current approach based
on the Maastricht Treaty of 1992 and its fiscal compact update in 2012;
and, finally, the more ambitious version of federalism. My own clear
preference is for the federalist version but I’m not at all convinced
that Europeans are ready to make it work successfully.
Note EU-Digest:
Federalism is probably the only way to go if Europe does not want to
become subservient to the presently ruling superpowers, China, the US,
and even Russia. Populism and nationalism is not the way to go, as it
has always turned sour in Europe's history. True federalism would
certainly require finding another historic shining political star like Mustafa
Kemal Ataturk, who has the ability to get the EU reorganized, and all
the EU member states moving in the same direction. Let's hope we get
blessed soon in finding that "needle in the political haystack" to
rescue the EU out of the iron grip of the Wall Steet dominated financial
community.
Read more: Europe's Future Is Federal » Social Europe
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