EU-US Relations: After a year of Trump, good news for Europe – he doesn’t care about us - by Natalie Nougayrède

One year on, what has been the impact of Donald Trump on Europe? How have governments reacted to him? Though the scenario once feared of a populist tidal wave unleashed on the continent by Trump’s victory in the US did not materialise, it would be naive to think Europe’s problems have disappeared.

Still, much has changed in that year. Remember how, on the day of Trump’s election, the leader of the French far-right, Marine Le Pen, tweeted elatedly: “Congratulations to the American people, free!” Florian Philippot, one of her close aides, cast the US political earthquake as a portent for liberal Europe: “Their world is crumbling,” he said. “Ours is being built.” One year on, not only has Le Pen suffered defeat at the ballot box, but she now finds herself struggling: her party split, her credibility in shambles.

Meanwhile, a young, centrist French president makes sweeping speeches on rejuvenating Europe’s unique brand of democracy – market economy and social justice combined – as opposed to US market economy without social justice, and China’s state capitalism without either social justice or democracy. Emmanuel Macron’s election and Angela Merkel’s re-election (even if weakened) can indeed both be read as a response to Trump; proof that Europe can stabilize rather than break apart.

Read more: After a year of Trump, good news for Europe – he doesn’t care about us | Natalie Nougayrède | Opinion | The Guardian

THE EU NEEDS A FRIENDLY DIVORCE FROM THE US: "before Donald Trump finalizes building his Autocracy in the U.S."

Is the Trump Autocracy becoming a reality? 

David Frum recently wrote in the ATLANTIC : "Ii’s 2021, and President Donald Trump will shortly be sworn in for his second term. The 45th president has visibly aged over the past four years. He rests heavily on his daughter Ivanka’s arm during his infrequent public appearances".

"Fortunately for him, he did not need to campaign hard for reelection. His has been a popular presidency: Big tax cuts, big spending, and big deficits have worked their familiar expansive magic. Wages have grown strongly in the Trump years, especially for men without a college degree, even if rising inflation is beginning to bite into the gains. The president’s supporters credit his restrictive immigration policies and his TrumpWorks infrastructure program".

"The president’s critics, meanwhile, have found little hearing for their protests and complaints. A Senate investigation of Russian hacking during the 2016 presidential campaign sputtered into inconclusive partisan wrangling. Concerns about Trump’s purported conflicts of interest excited debate in Washington but never drew much attention from the wider American public".

"Allegations of fraud and self-dealing in the TrumpWorks program, and elsewhere, have likewise been shrugged off. The president regularly tweets out news of factory openings and big hiring announcements: “I’m bringing back your jobs,” he has said over and over. Voters seem to have believed him—and are grateful".

"Most Americans intuit that their president and his relatives have become vastly wealthier over the past four years. But rumors of graft are easy to dismiss. Because Trump has never released his tax returns, no one really knows".

"Anyway, doesn’t everybody do it? On the eve of the 2018 congressional elections, WikiLeaks released years of investment statements by prominent congressional Democrats indicating that they had long earned above-market returns. As the air filled with allegations of insider trading and crony capitalism, the public subsided into weary cynicism. The Republicans held both houses of Congress that November, and Trump loyalists shouldered aside the pre-Trump leadership"

"Those citizens who fantasize about defying tyranny from within fortified compounds have never understood how liberty is actually threatened in a modern bureaucratic state: not by diktat and violence, but by the slow, demoralizing process of corruption and deceit. And the way that liberty must be defended is not with amateur firearms, but with an unwearying insistence upon the honesty, integrity, and professionalism of American institutions and those who lead them. We are living through the most dangerous challenge to the free government of the United States that anyone alive has encountered. What happens next is up to you and me. Don’t be afraid. This moment of danger can also be your finest hour as a citizen and an American."

Note EU-Digest: Our European political leaders should take the time to read this excellent article from the Atlantic and act upon it, before they and the people of Europe, get sucked into this rapidly developing US quagmire.

Read the full report re: the playbook Donald Trump could use to set the country down a path toward illiberalism.


EU-Digest

The Netherlands - Security Services Fail: Bosnian Croat leader Slobodan Praljak dies after drinking poison in UN war crimes court in the Hague

Bosnian Croat ex-General Slobodan Praljak died Wednesday evening after drinking poison at a UN court hearing in The Hague.

"One of the six defendants ... passed away today in the HMC hospital in The Hague," said court spokesman Nenad Golcevski.

Earlier, judges part of the UN International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)  had rejected the 72-year-old's appeal against his 20-year prison sentence for war crimes and crimes against humanity during the 1992-1995 Bosnian war.

Upon hearing the verdict, Praljak yelled: "Judges, Slobodan Praljak is not a war criminal. I reject the verdict with contempt."

He then drank from a small glass bottle and told the courtroom: "What I drank was poison."

The presiding judge called for medical assistance and ordered the session to be closed to the public.

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic has described the verdict as "unjust" and offered his condolences to Praljak's family.

Note EU-Digest: the death of Slobodan Pralja by his own hand (drinking a potent poison) inside the International Court of Justice during the hearings, puts a major blemish on the Dutch security services, not only for the fact that this poison was smuggled into the prison where Mr. Slobodan Pralja was incarcerated, but also for allowing the defendant to take this poison into the courtroom. 

It was reported the Dutch Ministry of Justice has launched an immediate investigation into this tragic matter.
  
Read more: Bosnian Croat leader Slobodan Praljak dies after drinking poison in UN war crimes court | News | DW | 29.11.2017

The Netherlands: Christmas Joy: top Christmas markets in the Netherlands, - by Alexandra van Kampen

December is the time for cities around the Netherlands to put up decorations, illuminate their most historical and cosy hotspots with twinkling lights and organise a Christmas market.

Depending on your preferences, you can opt for a more intimate market, choose one with a more unique setting or check out which one isn’t too far from your home. Not sure which Christmas market would suit you best? Take a look at our pick of the 10 best ones:

Christmas City Valkenburg is an annual collaboration between seven grand and unique Christmas attractions that will last a month and a half, and take place in Valkenburg.
The multiple underground Christmas markets in the gorgeous caves of the Cauberg are without a doubt the main attraction of the Christmas City. The merchandise is not the most diverse, but their setting is unique in the Netherlands.

The most popular are the Municipal and the Velvet Cave. The newest addition to the Christmas market caves is Mergelrijk, where you can find brittle marlstone all around you. Other attractions include Santa’s Village, which is the main market above ground, the Christmas Parade and the delicious Route d’Amuse.

The Maastricht Christmas Market is part of Magical Maastricht, an enchanting holiday festival that takes place throughout the city of Maastricht in December.

The Market is a great combination of innovation and tradition, with an indoor ice rink, a Ferris wheel, all kinds of other activities and nostalgic Christmas chalets fitted with red roofs and gorgeous garlands.

One of the most magical Christmas fairs in North Holland is the Castle Christmas Fair, taking place at the age-old Assumburg Castle in Heemskerk.

At the castle grounds, around 20.000 visitors will enter into a winter wonderland featuring a Christmas bazaar with a wide range of seasonal wares and an exclusive programme with winter fashion, performances and culinary treats.

The historic inner city of Dordrecht is home to the largest Christmas market in the Netherlands, with hundreds of market stands and multiple stages to the backdrop of the city’s iconic inner ports.

Dordrecht is a small and charming city with just over 100.000 people. The whole inner city participates in the Dordrecht Christmas Market, so that the stalls are well-dispersed and not too busy. Different areas have different themes, and strolling through them gives you a great view of the beautiful streets of Dordrecht!

At the Haarlem Christmas Market, more than 300 stalls are laid out like ribbons through the inner city, coming together to form one of the most celebrated Christmas events in the Netherlands.

The wares stand among choirs that sing Christmas songs, stirring up those warm and fuzzy Yuletide feelings like no other. Haarlem is a particularly good place to host a market thanks to its compact size and pedestrian-friendly streets. The quality of the items being sold is rather high, with lots of handmade crafts and artisan foods.

For those who’d like to do something special this winter, which doesn't necessarily follow the classic Christmas aesthetic, there is the Midwinter Fair, a charming fantasy event at Archeon.

The indoor market is filled with interesting stalls, and the outdoor terrain contains all kinds of tents with traditional tradesmen selling their unique items. Warm yourself by one of the fires, check out one of the interesting bands and grab a bite after shopping. There will also be various fun shows to admire, as well as trade demonstrations and medieval fights.

The Knüss Winterfest embraces winter. The inner city of Utrecht transforms into a seasonal paradise that will warm the heart of any visitor. Various Christmas markets combine to create one big festival that also includes an ice rink, all kinds of music, and servings of spiced glühwein and warm chocolate milk.

Aiming for an international audience, the stately Lange Voorhout in The Hague will once again transform into the Royal Christmas Fair. The fair is set to be even more fun and colourful than previous years, with more than 80 Christmas chalets, a Children’s market, thousands of lights and a diverse cultural program.

You will find glühwein, winter pelts, flammkuchen, mood lights, wood carvings, candles and all kinds of Christmas wares, and of course there will be a great entertainment programme including various performances by children’s choirs, theatre companies, ensembles and storytellers.

Aiming for an international audience, the stately Lange Voorhout in The Hague will once again transform into the Royal Christmas Fair. The fair is set to be even more fun and colourful than previous years, with more than 80 Christmas chalets, a Children’s market, thousands of lights and a diverse cultural program.

You will find glühwein, winter pelts, flammkuchen, mood lights, wood carvings, candles and all kinds of Christmas wares, and of course there will be a great entertainment programme including various performances by children’s choirs, theatre companies, ensembles and storytellers.

The yearly Dickens Festival is a massive Victorian era re-enactment in the heart of Deventer, featuring over 950 characters from Charles Dickens' most famous novels. Aromas of roast chestnuts, the towering Christmas trees and beautifully restored buildings form the stage of this city-wide performance.

The Christmas market around the Lebuïnuskerk is substantial, and the groups of Christmas carollers and musicians playing pleasant tunes in period style garb are sure to delight. The Dickens Festival is annually visited by 150.000 visitors. Be warned that due to its popularity the waiting time at the entrance can run up to 1,5 hours. On the plus side, entry is free!

From: : Top Christmas markets in the Netherlands, 2017

Belgium, E-Mails, Electronic Communication, EU, Overload, Stressed Out Individuals

One third of Belgians feel stressed out by the sheer volume of email they receive, according to a study organised by family agency Gezinsbond and the 55+ organisation Okra. The associations have released the figures to coincide with the 10th anniversary of No-Email Friday.

One in three Belgians also report feeling helpless at the speed with which they are confronted with new technologies at work, and one in 10 even fears losing their job because of it.

One in five, meanwhile, feel pressured to answer emails in the evenings and weekends when they really don’t want to. And nearly one-quarter of people aged 55 and over are anxious when they are forced to take care of business online.

A full half of those surveyed would support legislation that would allow workers to ignore emails when they are not officially at work.

Read more: One-third of Belgians stressed out by email | Flanders Today

The Netherlands: Syrian ISIS member spotted in Amsterdam - by Janene Pieters

The NL Times reports that a Syrian man who fought for terrorist organization ISIS is living in the Netherlands with false papers, the Volkskrant reports. He was at a meeting in De Balie in Amsterdam in September, where activists of civilian collective "Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently" recognized him.

According to the newspaper, the activists were meeting in De Balie on September 14th following a showing of a film about their work. The 31-year-old ISIS member was there and one of the members immediately recognized him as an ISIS fighter. "We tried to take a picture of him, but he did not want to. He fled outside", Hossam Eesa of the group told the  Dutch newspaper "De Volkskrant". How the man knew about the meeting in De Balie is unclear. It was not listed on De Balie's agenda for safety reasons.

A security guard from De Balie chased after the man, but could not stop him. The police were called, who gathered the activists and their families in a separate room. The police stayed there until the activists could leave the premises safely, according to the newspaper. The activists stay in secret locations in the Netherlands and Germany, because they've been seriously threatened by ISIS for some time.

As far as is known, this is the first time a Syrian ISIS member was signaled in the Netherlands. Sources around the Dutch intelligence and security services confirmed the incident to the Volkskrant, and said hat the AIVD has been watching the man for months.

After years of fighting, ISIS lost almost all of its territory in Syria. Research agency Soufan says that about 30 thousand non-Syrian people joined the terrorist group, including about 280 Dutch. What they will do now is not clear, though it seems plausible that at least some will return to their home countries. About a third of European jihadists already did so, according to the research agency. 

Note EU-Digest: Several Dutch newspaper editors and commentators noted that although Dutch intelligence said they have been watching this ISIS member for months, it seems strange that this man, who has been in the Netherlands now for months illegally, is able to attend a non-publicized anti-ISIS meeting at De Balie in Amsterdam. The other amazing thing is that this ISIS sympathizer, was never arrested, even after the AIVD, as they say, followed him around for several months. This is specially disturbing,  as  the Netherlands terrorism threat level remains high at 4 out of 5. 

EU-Digest

Eastern Europe: EU dashes integration hopes of eastern countries

The EU told Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine on Friday that it "acknowledge[s] their European aspirations and European choice", but only "in [the] context" of a 2016 EU decision which said that association treaties will not lead to membership. 

 

It said it supported the "territorial integrity" of all partners, but did not refer to the right of self-determination of Armenians in Azerbaijan's breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region as it had in previous declarations.

Read more: EU dashes integration hopes of eastern countries