Married to an Italian for over 30 years and with two children who are dual nationals, I did not until recently seek an Italian passport, writes Sir Graham Watson. My UK passport was headlined ‘European Union’ and gave me a right to work and reside anywhere in the EU. Since Brexit, the number of UK…
Month: May 2024
EU Attitudes to Migration
Photo by Julie Ricard on Unsplash In some countries, emigration outweighs immigration as a concern. according to a new survey. It comes just ahead of the keenly awaited EU elections this June. Ahead of the poll, the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) tested public attitudes towards key themes of the political campaigns – including migration, the performance…
Taiwan and the Loch Ness Monster
Taiwan’s absence from international organisations has been likened to the search for the Loch Ness Monster. The Taipei Representative Office in Brussels says the search for “Nessie” in the Scottish loch is like looking for Taiwan’s involvement in organisations like the UN. The Taiwan Representation has collaborated with the Belgian cartoonist, Lectrr, to create a cartoon comparing finding…
Culinary Tour of Morocco
Dev Biswal, owner of The Cook’s Tale restaurant in Canterbury, has announced a 10-day culinary tour to Morocco (27 September to 6 October). The tour costs £3250, with a nominal £200 additional charge for solo travellers, including flights ex Gatwick, wine tasting, cooking class, guided visits and 19 sumptuous meals. The trip comprises 4 nights in…
European Young Leaders
Photo by Kiana Bosman on Unsplash Are you a high flyer with a “sense of European identity”? If so, the European Young Leaders (EYL40) programme could be just for you. It seeks to honour younger people who are striving to make an impact in their chosen field of work and, currently, nominations are being sought for…
Low-Cost Carrier Relaunches Brussels Flights
Photo by Robert Lukeman on Unsplash PLAY, a low-cost carrier based in Iceland, will relaunch its Brussels flights on May 28, the third consecutive year it has served travellers from the Belgian capital. It offers three flights a week from Brussels Zaventem Airport to Reykjavík, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, between 28 May and 7…
Use Frozen Russian Assets to Purchase Air Defence for Ukraine
Photo by Rostislav Artov on Unsplash A petition has been delivered to Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo calling on the Belgian Government to take a leading role in providing air defence systems to Ukraine. In delivering the open letter, a campaign spokesperson said, “The Russian central bank holds approximately €210 billion in assets within the European Union,…
Manchester is Sweet in More Ways than One
For a moment there, it seemed like we’d never leave winter. But finally, here we are enjoying some warmer temperatures and a newfound excitement for the months to come. The onset of Spring brings with it a positive glut of bank holidays here in Belgium. so what better excuse to consider a well deserved short…
Left Calls to Shun Radical Political Parties
Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash The leaders of the S&D Group, Renew Europe, Greens/EFA and the Left in the European Parliament have called on all democratic European parties to reject any “normalisation, cooperation or alliance with far-right and radical parties.” In their joint statement, they say they “condemn” any form of violence and reiterate…
Russians Target Kharkiv
Kharkiv after bombardment by Russia / photo by UNIAN (Andriy Mariienko) The city of Kharkiv, situated near the border with Russia, has become a focal point of Russian aggression in Ukraine. In March of this year, Russian President Putin introduced the term “sanitary zone” in reference to the border area of the Kharkiv region. This…