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Economy

What REACH costs you

In front | ANALYSIS
30, 000 'green' bottles sitting on the wall (Photo: G0DA/ Flickr)

The new European regulation on chemical substances is here, both for industries and animals. But research does not get the last word

by Luca Caridà // 21/02/07

PANORAMA

Within our REACH?

The EU's chemical regulation - at a glance

by Nabeelah Shabbir // 20/02/07

INTERVIEW
Maronite protests in Beirut (Photo: Mathier Baudier/ Flickr)

'Financial aid to Lebanon won't increase Western control'

400 million Euros from the Commission, $770 million from the US. But Lebanon remains consumed by instability

by Mathieu Baudier // 19/02/07

FOCUS
Ski within walls! (Photo: Fugo/ Flickr)

Skiing within four walls

In the style of Ski Dubai, the indoor skiing resort in the middle of the desert, ski domes are sprouting like mushrooms throughout Europe

by Stéphane Pocidalo // 15/02/07

ANALYSIS
Sights of the future (Photo: Hub/ Flickr)

'No snow'

Winter is becoming disturbingly mild, humid and snow-less, a fact which is making the ski industry sweat

by Grégory Mounier // 15/02/07

INTERVIEW
The Euro is getting stronger (Photo: jopemoro/ Flickr)

'Were the US to go under, the world would turn to the Euro'

The five-year-old Euro may be trading above the dollar, but a stronger currency can damage Europe

by Jimerna Gómez de la Flor // 15/02/07

FOCUS
Go East (Photo: Kroz/ Flickr)

Eastern ski resorts take centre piste

Longer hours of daylight, groomed slopes, cheap fares and a chance to explore über-foreign cuisine and culture. More and more are taking to Slovenian, Bulgarian, Czech and Bosnian slopes

by Rami Abdelrahman // 15/02/07

Stressed out (Photo: Britney Bush/ Flickr);

The economy of stress

A whopping three out of four employees in Europe suffer from anxiety. How much is stress costing the Union?

by Federico Poggi // 13/02/07

OPINION
A song for German car manufacturers: Günter Verheugen points it out to Angela Merkel (Photo: EU Commission)

Cars before climate

Car manufacturers will have to reduce petrol consumption in all new vehicles, say the European Commission. Yet Angela Merkel wants to defend the interests of the German car industry

by Martin Schneider // 08/02/07

The EU's Mr. Erasmus (Photo: European Commission)

Don't fear the Polish plumber

Integration must happen in-situ, with your neighbours - not with Brussels, says Slovak Ján Figel', European Commissioner for Education, Training and Culture

by Jane Mery // 05/02/07

FEATURE
The water tower of the ancient gas factory in the north of Budapest (Photo: Budapest Urban Development Ltd)

Built on Benzene

The city of Budapest wants to build a science park on the site of the former Óbuda gasworks

by Martin Schneider // 31/01/07

FEATURE
Inside Budapest's metro (Photo: Lipi Lopi/ StockXchange)

Digging deeper on line M4 in Budapest's metro

In 1896, Budapest welcomed the first metro line on the European mainland. Well over a century later, and the Hungarian capital’s public transport network desperately needs upgrading.

by Nils Elzenga // 31/01/07

FEATURE
Viva a European Las Vegas? (Photo: Old Shoe Woman/ Flickr)

Estonia: Europe’s little Las Vegas

Seventy gambling rooms in Tallinn and 3,800 active gambling machines for its 5,000 inhabitants. It's a big game of chance in the little Baltic republic

by Giovanni Angioni // 31/01/07

ANALYSIS
Make or break time in Brussels (Photo: John Wartrell/ Flickr)

Online outlaws

10 million online gamblers, 2, 000 websites: the online gaming community is ever-expanding, becoming a huge phenomenon in Europe. But in legal speak, things are far from harmonised

by Stéphane Pocidalo // 29/01/07

FOCUS
Call your bluff (Photo: Hkvam/ Flickr)

Poker cards on the table

From casinos and shops to television and the internet - the poker craze is taking off in France, leading to huge growth in the industry

by Anne-Laure Murier // 29/01/07

INTERVIEW
2006 Davos Forum session (Photo: kob42kob/ Flickr)

David Calleo: 'free trade is the last great religion of the West'

On the eve of the global Davos Economic Forum, North American intellectual David Calleo describes his vision of the role Europe plays in globalisation

by Domènec Ruiz Devesa // 27/01/07

Say no to cellulose factories; a protest in Gualeguaychú, in Argentina (Photo: Pablo Flores/ Flickr)

Paper mills of discord along the Uruguay River

By building pulp mills, Finnish global corporation Botnia 'is willing to export pollution' along the binational stream, Argentina claims. Their announcements of further highway blockades is disrupting trade and travel

by Antonio Graziano // 23/01/07

ANALYSIS
An Erasmus that has enhanced lives (Photo: Blond avenger/ Flickr)

Erasmus turns 20 – time to grow up?

Name: Erasmus. Date of birth : 1987. Birthplace: Brussels - the European institutions are rather proud of their baby, which celebrates 20 years in 2007

by Jean-Sébastien Lefebvre // 22/01/07

INTERVIEW
Portrait of war criminal Radovan Karadži in a market in Guca, in Serbia (Photo: SteffenEmrich/ Flickr)

Branislav Djordjevic: 'We don’t know what Europe wants from us Serbs'

On January 21 2007, Serbia sees its first general elections since the new democratic constitution was approved in October last year. The big parties are favourites to win in a country that seems unsure of where it’s going

by Fernando Navarro Sordo // 19/01/07

FEATURE
30 Euros a month: Ioana Constantin (Photo: Annett Müller)

Romania: a wealth of poverty

Romania is regarded as the poorhouse of Europe. It's booming economy is dividing it into a small upper class and a larger emergent underclass

by Annett Müller // 18/01/07

FEATURE
View of the main building of Parc de la Villette (Photos: Anna Karla)

Parc de la Villette: culture not cows

The Parc de la Villette in Paris is one of Europe’s leading art centres. Here art, music, science and technology all rub shoulders

by Anna Karla // 17/01/07

REPORT
The closed entrance of a 'gated community' in Sofia, Bulgaria (Photo: Jutta Sommerbauer)

Fortress Bulgaria: gated communities

Wealthy families in Bulgaria are using gated communities to protect themselves from the poor majority

by Jutta Sommerbauer // 16/01/07

What will Angie bring to the EU? (Photo: EU Commission)

A tale of two presidencies: no firm promises

The constitution, energy security, detangling bureaucracy: Germany dampened expectations as they took over the EU presidency on January 1

by Martin Schneider // 02/01/07

ANALYSIS
Angela against the Turkish membership bid(EU commission)

Turkish Christian Democrats: 'Conservatives at heart'

The CDU is firmly against Turkey’s accession to the EU. Its Turkish-German members are now campaigning for a change of policy

by Ulrich Schwerin // 09/11/06

ANALYSIS
'Want gas, pay more', a graffiti in La Paz (Dowcet / Flickr)

Europe bows to Bolivia

In May, the Bolivian president Evo Morales gave European companies six months to acccept the nationalisation scheme of the country's energy resources

by Irina Zgreaban // 31/10/06

FEATURE

Communism : a new tourist trap

Recycling the 'ostalgia' fashion, a young Polish entrepreneur organises tours around the last ruins of the soviet era

by Hartmut Ziesing // 30/10/06

one sixth of cuyuco immigrants from Africa dies drowning (Carlos de Vega/Flickr)

Fortress Europe fights immigration

While the 25 heads of states and governments discuss a common front to fight clandestine immigration in Lahti, NGOs say the EU policy is "expensive and inhuman"

by Mariona Vivar Mompel // 20/10/06

INVESTIGATION

Unpaid, enthusiastic, EU interns speak out

Young Europeans court EU parliamentarians for internships, an ritual of initiation in the world of diplomacy. But these golden opportunities come at a cost

by Giulio Zucchini // 18/10/06

FEATURE
Barbate fisherman Francisco (Ana Soriano Escudero)

Fishing ban increases drug-trafficking

Despite the new EU’s new fishing agreement with Morocco, fishermen in Andalusia fear for their future

by Ana Soriano Escudero // 13/10/06

INTERVIEW
The Spanish economist José García-Montalvo (JGM)

“The ECB cannot please everyone”

The European Central Bank (ECB) maintains low interest rates, boosting growth and property prices. For economist José García-Montalvo, national governments should tax home buyers to control speculation

by Mariona Vivar Mompel // 25/09/06

The Barys car market links East and West (Christian Lindner)

The leopard prowls the Silk Road

Kazakhstan holds a key position on the Asian highway network which criss-crosses 32 Asian states. At the used car market “Barys”, traders discuss the merging of Europe and Asia

by Christian Lindner // 05/09/06

OPINION
China becomes an export powerhouse (Derek T Green Flickr)

Europe meets Asia: reviving the Silk Road

As trade flourishes between the EU and Asia and regional integration accelerates, the Asian highway opens new routes to the East

by Clea Caulcutt // 05/09/06

ANALYSIS
Thuy Thanh Phan, Head of the Mission of Vietnam to the EC meets Benita Ferrero-Waldner, commissioner for external relations (EU commission)

ASEAN and the EU: singing from different hymnals

As regional integration accelerates in Asia, ASEAN might one day resemble the former EEC. I talked to Ludo Cuyvers, professor of economics at the University of Antwerp, who says such comparisons are premature.

by Kevin Byrne // 05/09/06

INTERVIEW
Dr. Willem van der Geest, President of the European Institute for Asian Studies (Dr. Willem van der Geest)

'No concrete measures can be expected from the meeting'

Dr. Willem van der Geest, President of the European Institute for Asian Studies in Brussels, one of the most authoritative voices in the field, gives us the keys to understanding the ASEM meeting and the new season of EU-China Relations

by Giovanni Angioni // 05/09/06

Pragmatism beats idealism among squatters

In the 1980s, a political movement of squatters changed the face of the Dutch capital. Today, young apolitical Eastern Europeans are joining the squatter movement

by Christian Lindner // 28/08/06

INVESTIGATION

Purchase power beats flower power on canals

Once a favourite of the flower power generation, living on a canal boat has become a privilege for the young and affluent. Today modern houseboats are not longer dingy eccentric dwellings for the marginal, but fully equipped modern pads

by Karolin Schaps // 28/08/06

Tourism threatens Montenegro (Foto: Dragana Nikolic Solomon)

Montenegro goes on sale

For years the unspoiled beauty of Montenegro used to be the best kept secret in Europe. Now the sights of old Venetian squares, spectacular mountains, bays, sandy beaches are once more a favourite destination for globe-trotters around the world

by Dragana Nikolic Solomon and Pedja Popovic // 25/08/06

The European Jewish Congress denounces Iran's support of the Hezbollah (snorkel)

Why resolution 1701 falls short of expectations

Following the adoption of resolution 1701, European countries are preparing a peacekeeping force for Lebanon. The European Jewish Congress explains to us why resolution 1701 brings hope but no tangible guarantees

by Ilan Moss // 25/08/06

Bombed buildings in Haret Hreik (lifeflaw)

Why Resolution 1701 fails and must be rejected

Passed unanimously, UN Resolution 1701 aimed at ending the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. The Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign says it will add fuel to the conflict and tells us why

by Alan Hinnrichs // 23/08/06

ATTAC activists demonstrate against Lidl in Bamberg, Germany (Karen Stein)

Lidl cracks the whip

Lidl supermarkets are a familiar sight in malls around Europe, popular among students and cash-strapped families. But according to the German services employees’ union, ver.di, Lidl supervisors repress their workers and enforce 45-hour work weeks.

by Gudrun Giese // 21/08/06

Jesus Christ, king of burgers

Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, July de 2006.

by Ángel Aranzana Haro // 21/08/06

Scorched

Maracaibo, Venezuela

by Marie Pedone // 21/08/06

FOCUS

Bridget Jones Syndrome

Is being single a flaw? It is becoming less so if you consider Europeans’ new demands for their love lives.

by Vanessa Witkowski et Prune Antoine // 13/02/06

ANALYSIS
love or money?

What’s love got to do with it?

February 14th is a special “day of love” in most places in the world. Do we really need it or is it just a marketing scam?

by Aleksandra Rychta // 13/02/06

love through the internet

Love at first byte

More and more Europeans are looking for true love through the keyboard. Could finding a soul mate be just a mouse-click away? Through the internet, borders and inhibitions can be overcome in the flash of an eye.

by Sarah Rüffler // 13/02/06

INTERVIEW
Yalcin Vahit

No compromise on political equality – say Turkish Cypriots

Yalcin Vehit, head of the Turkish Cypriot representation to the EU, speaks to cafebabel.com about the problems in Cyprus, and its position in the EU.

by Ilker Aslan // 10/02/06

TESTIMONY
Place d'Armes, Luxembourg (Luxembourg Tourist Ofiice, London)

Luxemburg: three languages, one nation

It is not easy to establish a national identity when foreigners make up 38% of a country’s population, especially when it is a country that has to sit between France and Germany. However, sometimes a small country can teach the European Union a wonderful lesson on integration.

by Mirko Coleschi // 06/02/06

INTERVIEW
Prof. Guido Montani (MFE)

“The EU’s decision-making system is medieval”

Guido Montani explains why the nationalist route is a dead end street for Europe.

by Marco Riciputi // 06/02/06

FOCUS
Symbol of the 'Berlin Republic': the dome of the Reichstag in Berlin (Florian Rohlfshagen)

Living in the shadow of the past

Between new-found nationalism and rediscovered confidence, are the Germans beginning to see themselves in a different light, without having fully dealt with their past?

by Ulrich Schwerin // 06/02/06

ANALYSIS
Polish people can look to an optimistic future. This photo shows a road in the Polish Kolno-Region (Maciej Ciupa)

Poland on the way up

In old Europe, people are fearing an influx of cheap Polish labour and the relocation of businesses to Poland. But are these fears justified? We take a look at the facts.

by Joachim Korte Bernard // 30/01/06

FOCUS
GM Potatoes

Food for Life

The organic lobby is suspicious of GM and biotechnology, but the European Commission wants the know-how.

by Nora S. Stampfl // 23/01/06

FOCUS
Where have your vegetables come from?

Do you speak Eurofood?

Brussels has announced a truly European food policy. They call it ‘From Farm to Fork’. And of course they wish you ‘bon appétit!’

by Alice Desthuilliers // 23/01/06

PANORAMA

A decade of food hysteria

Many EU countries have ordered farmers to keep their chickens indoors. Such action has a familiar ring. The past decade has been marked by crises in the food chain in Europe.

by Silvia Filipe // 23/01/06

Squealer, urges birds to attack

Animal Farm reloaded

A new chapter to Orwell's classic. Animal Farm recruits sickly birds in a Jihad against human-kind.

by Jana Neupauerova // 23/01/06

A Statoil executive poses in front of Ayatollah Ali Khomeini's deadly words

Ahmadinejad's Jihad

As the nuclear crisis deepens, isn't it time that Europe put aside its differences with Iran's opposition party, asks MEP Paulo Casaca.

by Paulo Casaca (MEP) // 19/01/06

ANALYSIS
Barcelona, Gaudí and the revolution (Ilaria La Commare)

Homage to Catalonia

Catalonia’s draft statute changes Spain’s fiscal system.

by Fabio De Franceschi // 17/01/06

FOCUS
The Belgian flag (wikipedia)

Belgium: a linguistic laboratory

Belgium's autonomous regions aren't speaking the same language.

by Sophie Constant // 16/01/06

FOCUS
The less you pay, the more you fly (Marcello)

Low-cost generation

Europe's twenty- and thirty-somethings are enjoying the era of low-cost consumerism, particularly in air travel, telecommunications and food; a spending revolution which is increasing their sense of European identity.

by Ilaria La Commare // 09/01/06

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Indre

Life Extention for Nuclear Plant

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Indre

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International Migrants Day

The author pictured the masculine effort to provide the family with goods. Because the relocation was inconceivable, couple of years ago the sportive sweating with the home-backpack could seem even absurd.

by dionizas // 20/12/07