Europe Archives

Q&A: &#39Don&#39t Think of Migrants in Numbers Alone&#39&#39

The clash among cultures is not the inevitable destiny of our times, says Predrag Matvejevic. Intellectuals and politicians must both do their bit "to foster the concrete utopia of the alliance of civilisations."

SPAIN: Biofuels – Good for Business, Bad for the Poor, Say Activists

By IPS Correspondents

Making fuels from plants is strongly supported by the business community in Spain, but equally strongly criticised by environmental organisations because of its negative impact on food production.

ALBANIA: European Integration Takes More Than Attitude

By IPS Correspondents

Albanians are among the most Euro-enthusiastic people in the Western Balkans, surveys show. But that does not mean they believe they will join the EU in a hurry.

CZECH REPUBLIC: Corruption Catches Anti-Roma Minister

By Zoltán Dujisin

Two corruption scandals were too much for Jiri Cunek, the conservative minister who gained fame and power for his uncompromising views on the Roma.

SERBIA: EU Takes a Step Closer

By IPS Correspondents

The European Union has decided to deepen its political and economic ties with Serbia, despite suggestions that the Belgrade authorities could be protecting one of the most wanted men in the former Yugoslavia.

EUROPE: Schengen Brings East Closer to Europe

By Zoltán Dujisin

Along the railway station in Csop, Ukraine, home to a substantial Hungarian-speaking community, shops and stores for various goods have sprung up, and the town's main streets and buildings look fresher and newer than is the norm in inland Ukraine.

SPAIN: Europe’s Gateway for Cocaine Clamps Down on Trafficking

By IPS Correspondents

The Spanish government plans to use more modern technology and strengthen its intelligence services to fight drug trafficking, both domestic and across its borders. Spain is the main gateway for drugs into Europe, and is also the European country with the highest levels of consumption.

RUSSIA: Women Look for Greater Representation

By Kester Kenn Klomegah

Several women leaders are hoping for a higher representation in parliament after the Dec. 2 elections than the present 10 percent.

BALKANS: Ethnic Divisions Plunge Bosnia Into Chaos

By Vesna Peric Zimonjic

The resignation of Bosnia-Herzegovina Prime Minister Nikola Spiric shows yet again that 12 years after the war ended, the unified state is still unable to function.

BULGARIA: Teachers Launch Unprecedented Strike

By Claudia Ciobanu

Bulgarian teachers are starting the sixth week of general strike after rejecting a final offer made by the government before it went on to adopt next year's budget.

SPAIN: Court Confirms ETA Not Involved in Madrid Train Blasts

By Tito Drago

A court in Madrid Wednesday sentenced three men to up to 42,000 years in prison for the Mar. 11, 2004 train bombings that killed 191 people and injured nearly 2,000 in the Spanish capital, although it failed to identify the masterminds behind the attacks.

SOCIETY-BALKANS: Facing &#39Extinction&#39, Nations Seek Babies

By Vesna Peric Zimonjic

A young woman lost her job in a small town in Serbia after she gave birth to a baby boy and was to be absent from work for a year. That sacking shook up a nation.

POLAND: Friendlier Days with Neighbours Appear

By Zoltán Dujisin

The change of government in Poland heralds a new era in its cooperation with the European Union, and changes are also expected in Warsaw's policies towards both Russia and the United States.

RUSSIA: All Set for Uneasy Dialogue with EU

By IPS Correspondents

Encounters between Russian President Vladimir Putin and European Union leaders can be embarrassing affairs - at least for those EU politicians who fret whenever the bloc's image as a defender of democracy is sullied.

CORRUPTION: Little Check on Czechs

By Zoltán Dujisin

Corruption remains a key - and unresolved - issue in the Czech Republic's moves to reach the standards of Western Europe.

MIGRATION: Fortress Europe Should Lower Its Drawbridge, Says NGO

By IPS Correspondents

The European Union is set to open its doors wide to qualified immigrants with its blue card system, and at the same time slam them even more tightly shut to undocumented workers, of whom there are 10 million in the bloc, including 700,000 in Spain.

GREECE: A Country Is In a Name

By Apostolis Fotiadis

U.N. Secretary-General's special mediator Matthew Nimits has invited Greece and Macedonia to resume negotiations over what Macedonia calls itself.

EUROPE: Move to Halve Pesticides Use

By IPS Correspondents

Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are seeking that pesticide use be halved within a decade in order to reduce the amount of hazardous chemicals in the environment.

UKRAINE: Westwards, But Not Much More

By Zoltán Dujisin

Ukraine's opposition forces have reached a coalition agreement that will give the populist Yuliya Timoshenko the post of Prime Minister. Foreign policy might change, but realism will prevail.

LABOUR-EUROPE: Strike Culture Changes Course

By Julio Godoy

The joint strike action by French and German railways workers Oct. 18 disguises wide differences in approach to industrial action in the two countries.