EU Labour Conditions: First findings : Sixth European Working Conditions Survey

The sixth European Working Conditions Survey (WCS) presents the diverse picture of Europe atwork over time across countries, occupatiRons, gender and age groups

Read more: First findings: Sixth European Working Conditions Survey - ef1568en.pdf

EU-US Relationship: The Atlantic Alliance needs a facelift - by RM

Everyone seems ton be in total agreement that the US and the EU (Europe) share a lot of common values going back all the way to the American war of independence and the majority of the people on both side of the pond hope it will remain that way. 

Europe and the US need to support each other in these ideals - even though if we look at the US  reasons for helping out Europe in times of need, for instance during the first and second world war, this support also came because of US self interest.

If the Nazi's had won the war in Europe they would also become a direct threat to the existence of the US.

A similar situation developed during the the cold war with the Soviet Union.

What some visionary Europeans are suggesting today is that times have changed. Even though the basic principles on a large number of issues, including human rights are still common ideals in the US and the EU, there are also many areas of disagreement..

These including: but are not limited to, foreign policy, the environment, privacy rights, trade, financial laws, military alliances (NATO), and agricultural safety standards.

In other words - what is good for America is not necessarily good for the EU.

The EU needs to do some basic homework as to figuring out what needs to be achieved from within if the EU wants to become a truly independent world  player and this brain-storming must also include developing a new framework for the Atlantic Alliance with the US.

It is high time this happens, before the more than 500 million inhabitants of the EU lose faith in this greatest European political project ever undertaken in history.


EU-Digest

Syria: EU-Digest Poll shows majority of people polled want return to pre-war status Syria

A recent EU-Digest poll (October through November) shows the majority of the people polled (50%) want Syria to return to the situation before the commencement of hostilities there.

A total of 40% polled  want an immediate cease fire to be called and negotiations started between all involved parties, to reach a binding settlement.

The rest of the people polled (10%) find the present situation confusing and dangerous.

The latest EU-Digest poll which runs throughout the month of December focuses on the EU and changes that are required to make it more manageable and  inclusive..

EU-Digest

Turkey - Freedom of the Press - Turkey detains journalists who allege army lorries carried weapons for ISIS

Recep Tayip Erdogan dragging Turkey into the abyss

Between one and two thousand people protested outside the Istanbul offices of opposition newspaper Cumhuriyet.

The paper has seen its Editor-in-chief and Ankara correspondent arrested and charged with espionage and treason on Thursday for daring to accuse Turkey of doing business with ISIL.

Both men say they have only done their jobs and deny their reporting is helping enemies of Turkey.

“As you know, an investigation has been launched into our reports on intelligence agency MIT trucks carrying weapons. The plaintiff is President Tayyip Erdogan himself.

We came here to defend journalism. We came here to defend people’s right to be informed, their right to learn the truth if the government is lying,” said Can Dündar, the senior of the two men.

“If the country is under a certain threat or in danger, a journalist has to report it,” said Erdem Gül.

Both men were placed in custody after their declarations. Turkey is currently rated near the bottom of global tables for press freedom and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says the author of the lorry story “will pay a heavy price”.

Read more: Turkey detains journalists who allege army lorries carried weapons for ISIL | euronews, world news

EU’s Fate After Paris: A Dark Scenario - by Daniel Stelte

The EU: United we stand divided  we will fail

The terrorist attacks from Paris, inhuman and brutal, serve as an accelerant for already ongoing processes that have been weakening the European Union’s bonds.

Now they combine in a dangerous mixture and react with each other:

• The “third world war”, as labeled by the pope, with radical Islam, which is intensifying for years and in which peaceful solution seems more and more utopian.
• The wave of refugees flowing into Europe, trying to escape war, suppression and poverty.
• A depressing lack of cultural will for self-defense of the West, serving like an invitation to intolerant people to become even more intolerant.
• A European Union that shows more and more that it is not build on shared values but on the generation of economic gains and prosperity. Once Union stops being financially beneficial politicians come under pressure to explain the benefits to their national electorates.
• European governments not sticking to agreements and rules. Declaring themselves incapable of returning to the order of law.
• Governments and private sectors having lived beyond their financial means for years, unable to deal with the hefty debt load and unfunded promises for retirement and health care of an aging society.
• European leaders who have instead of addressing these issues and the ongoing Euro crisis heads on have played for time – without making use of this time.

All of this – and the list is not complete – is now mixing and reinforcing each other.

Note EU-Digest:  Only unity in purpose and joint European action can overcome the dangers that lie ahead.  If the EU breaks up the enemy, which is not only terrorism as such, but also corporate greed and manipulation, will slowly but surely pick away and destroy democracy and liberty individually in each European state without mercy. The EU is worth fighting for !

Read more: EU’s Fate After Paris: A Dark Scenario - The Globalist

The Netherlands: Winds of up to 115 kph hit the Netherlands, more tonight - DutchNews.nl

Winds gusting at up to 115 kph battered the west and north of the Netherlands on Tuesday night and the emergency services were called out to deal with numerous reports of damage. Commuters are being warned to be careful of branches on the roads on Wednesday morning.

The KNMI weather bureau withdrew its code orange storm warning around 04.00 but said more stormy weather is expected on Wednesday night. Some lanes of the A28 were closed after a tanker carrying pig fat was blown over, news agency ANP said. The fat made the road slippery and has to be cleared up before the roads can reopen. Train travel was also disrupted for a time in some places.

A tree has blocked the track between Gouda and Alpen aan den Rijn and the number of sprinter trains between Amsterdam, Schiphol airport and Utrecht has been reduced because of problems with the electricfication system.

In the Groningen town of Noordlaren, a tree crashed into a moving car but the driver was only slightly hurt, broadcaster Nos said. In Zandaam, 450 refugees had to be moved to a sports centre because the marquees they currently live in were not thought to be strong enough to resist the storm.

Read more: Winds of up to 115 kph hit the Netherlands, more tonight - DutchNews.nl

UN Human Rights Council: Giving Saudi Arabia a vital position on the UN Human Rights Council is like putting Dracula in charge of a blood bank - by Noman Ansari

During my 15 years growing up in Saudi Arabia, there was one tenet I, like most expatriates, strictly abided by. This simple unwritten rule was; minimise your interaction with locals.

This is because many, though certainly not all Saudis we encountered, looked upon foreigners as if they were insolent slaves. From interactions in the neighbourhood, workplace, shops, and more, the Saudi disdain for foreigners is pretty clear.

With Saudi media towing the Kingdom line, it was only through word of mouth that we learnt of expatriate girls, women, boys, and boyish looking men escaping capture from Saudi groups. These gangs often travelled in hulking SUVs that sported tinted black windows, and would usually take their victims out into the middle of the desert to assault them sexually.

I myself evaded a child molester, when my childhood friend and I were followed by a big bellied man with a large beard who tried to bribe us with money and candy. This monster regularly prowled the neighbourhood for a few weeks.

Read more: Giving Saudi Arabia a vital position on the UN Human Rights Council is like putting Dracula in charge of a blood bank – The Express Tribune Blog