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Latest News
- In this new book, Brendan Donnelly and Hugh Dykes, both former Conservative parliamentarians, critically review British attitudes towards the European Union, particularly those of the media and political classes. They...
- Federal Union held its AGM and annual conference on 17 March 2012. The morning session, entitled “Can the European Union be saved?”, looked at the European treaty agreed at the...
- By John Parry Review of “The Council of Europe” by Martyn Bond (Routledge Global Institutions Series, price £75 hardback) It was summer 1949. In the village of Le Hohwald, tucked...
Latest Blog Entries
- How the world turns - 20/05/2012It is not only the world of politics that is turned upside down by the European banking crisis and the ineffectual way in which political leaders are dealing with it. ...
- Authentic euroscepticism - 20/05/2012A very interesting article in the Daily Telegraph last Friday by Jeremy Warner (read it here) sums up the eurosceptic dilemma and reveals the perverse nature of the way they...
- Overwhelming - 18/05/2012This blog has described before the difficulties associated with Greek departure from the eurozone. It would reduce the Greeks to a cash or even barter economy for a while, and...
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European Commission Archive
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Günter Verheugen: enough already
Posted on 08/01/2007 | No CommentsPublished in EUobserver, 8 January 2007 European Commission vice-president Günter Verheugen hit the headlines again last week, questioning the right of smaller EU states to nominate members of the Commission in future. The present Commission has one person from each country, large and small. Mr Verheugen... -
Ruth Kelly
Posted on 13/05/2006 | 1 CommentAs the film of The Da Vinci Code is about to open, attention has unsurprisingly returned to Ruth Kelly. You may recall that she is the cabinet minister rumoured to be a member of Opus Dei: she refuses to discuss it, saying that her religious... -
Brussels’ fight for diplomatic control
Posted on 04/03/2005 | No CommentsBy Richard Laming Published in the Financial Times, 4 March 2005 Sir, It is disappointing but not surprising that bureaucratic interests in Brussels are fighting a turf war over the future European diplomatic service (“Brussels at odds over new post”, February 28). If the aim is... -
European politics comes out of the Commission crisis strengthened
Posted on 22/11/2004 | No CommentsBy Richard Laming Published in EUobserver, 22 November 2004 Now that the Barroso Commission has finally received the approval of the European Parliament, it is time to survey the wreckage. Which parts of the European system have emerged stronger, and which weaker? The European Parliament has shown... -
Mr Buttiglione helps to draft an unwritten chapter to the European constitution
Posted on 28/10/2004 | No CommentsBy Peter Sain ley Berry In delivering certain ill-advised remarks to the European Parliament about gay men and straight women, Mr Rocco Buttiglione, the Italian Commissioner designate may turn out to have done a greater service to Europe than ever he might have done as... -
EU commissioners should be as political as cabinet ministers
Posted on 15/04/2004 | No CommentsBy Richard Laming Published in the Financial Times, 15 April 2004 Sir, it is not surprising that the European Commission has a lame-duck air about it, given the way its members are chosen and the role they are asked to fulfil (“Leadership please”, April 14).... -
No surprise if the Commission has an end-of-term feeling
Posted on 01/04/2004 | No CommentsBy Richard Laming Published in EUobserver, 1 April 2004 Reports filter out that European Commissioners are starting to think about political jobs in their member states. This is hardly a surprise. For who are the Commissioners but senior national politicians who have been seconded to Brussels for... -
A compromise on the Commission may be necessary to maintain momentum in the IGC
Posted on 14/11/2003 | No CommentsFederalist Letter to the Intergovernmental Conference Issue number 13, 14 November 2003 A compromise on the Commission may be necessary to maintain momentum in the IGC Dear Members of the IGC No-one envies you the task of debating the draft constitution prepared by the Convention... -
Speech to the European constitutional convention
Posted on 23/08/2003 | No CommentsBy Fernand Herman, on behalf of the Federalist Voice network Mr Presidents, ladies, gentlemen, honourable members of the Convention You have heard at length from diverse members of civil society who have expectations of Europe. Those expectations are many and pressing. For the most part,... -
Time to stop bashing the Commission
Posted on 13/08/2003 | No CommentsBy Richard Corbett MEP Popular EU decisions are rapidly claimed by governments. Unpopular ones are blamed on the Commission. The European Commission is the eternal bogeyman of Europe. But in Britain we go further. Our popular press demonises the Commission as an unelected dictatorship, –...
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