Cyprus emerged as the number one issue on the international political arena recently, writes Leyla Tavsonoglu. The Greek Cypriot Government, enjoying the full benefits of being the sole EU member of the island, disregarding the Turkish Cypriot side, in partnership with Israel and Egypt, continues drilling for natural gas and oil on the Cypriot continental shelf. …
It was in September 2018 that Mr. Uner Kirdar, the Former Senior United Nations official and the main architect of UNDP Development Study Programme, said: ‘True development can only be achieved through a process that places ‘people’ at the centre of all concerns, writes Hande Bozatli. This process must aim at the maximum release of…
A trail taking in 25 distinctive war memorials stretching from Derbyshire in the UK to the Menin Gate in Belgium features in an exhibition at the European Parliament. The Angels of Peace exhibition has been created by Conservative MEP Rupert Matthews, who was initially inspired by an eye catching war memorial in the Derbyshire village…
The refugee situation in Europe and its neighbourhood continues to be high on the European political agenda. There are many actors at different levels providing a multi-layered response to the refugee situation, writes Hande Bozatli. Among these actors the role of Local and Regional Governments is at the forefront of offering public services to refugees. At the…
The German Christian Democrats (CDU) are no longer under the thumb of Angela Merkel. During the party congress in Hamburg on December 7 the CDU elected Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (or simply AKK) as its chairperson. She was Merkel’s candidate of choice. But her election was a close call, as the first round did not produce any…
At the Brussels premiere of ‘A Dog’s Life – The Homeless Dogs of Romania’ in the European Parliament, viewers were exposed to the shocking conditions that thousands of dogs have to endure behind the closed door of shelters in Romania, writes Martin Banks. The film questions why the Romanian government is not dealing with this…
The campaign group “New Europeans” has won the CiDAN Citizenship and Human Rights Prize for its Green Card proposal to secure onward mobility (free movement) rights post Brexit for Britons in Europe and to protect EU27 citizens in the UK from discrimination, writes Martin Banks. The prize is awarded by a European jury consisting of parliamentarians and military staff representatives…
The prevalence of ‘fake news’, and the ways in which it is disseminated and used, has become one of the main media policy issues of the day. Under the auspices of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Human Dimension Implementation Meeting 2018, which took place in Warsaw (10-21 September), a debate on…
“Today’s world is far from tranquil, as regional conflicts triggered by ethnical, religious and territorial factors keep cropping up, Religion advocates peace and justice. Religion has been made use of from time to time, just like the strings of a harp being plucked, to trigger and foment conflicts, separation, hatred and upheaval. This has aroused…
Bosnia-Herzegovina will hold elections on Sunday 7th October to choose the three members of the collective presidency prescribed by the Dayton agreement. Milorad Dodik, the current President of Republika Srpska, the Serbian half of Bosnia-Herzegovina, is campaigning to be re-elected in a closely fought campaign, writes James Wilson. Dodik has been speaking in defence of…
