Photo by Calum Lewis on Unsplash The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) used to have been the bastion of the UK business establishment since 1965. It was formed by a merger of the Federation of British Industries, the British Employers’ Confederation and the National Association of British Manufacturers. It claims to speak for some 170,000 businesses of all sizes and sectors, across…
Photo by Bexar Arms on Unsplash On 28 September 2018, Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi visited the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul to obtain a Saudi document confirming he was divorced, so that he could marry his Turkish fiancée. He was told to come back on 2 October to collect the document. When he returned a Saudi murder…
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has said that the Russians are committing mass war crimes against civilians in the occupied territories of Ukraine. As of 19 December, the UN recorded 142 cases of executions of Ukrainian civilians. In addition, numerous facts about large-scale torture and cruel behaviour towards detainees, including sexual…
If Putin is not defeated in Ukraine, he will march on Europe. In recent months, in sync with attempts at massive assaults on the front, Russia has been concentrating its propaganda efforts to cut off any Western support for Ukraine. In particular, it has cultivated the myth that the Russian army is invincible (which, in…
On 14 December, EU leaders approved the European Commission’s recommendation to open accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, bringing both countries even closer to joining the EU. This is an extremely positive development for the whole of Eastern Europe, but at the same time there are many obstacles to overcome. Despite Orbán’s best efforts, the…
I am deeply saddened to learn that my friend and EU Political Report’s Political Editor Philip Bushill-Matthews died on 10th December. His loss is sorely felt; Britain has lost both a witty political commentator and a fine statesman. I first met Philip when he was campaigning to be elected as a Member of the European…
Photo by Dmitriy Altynnikov on Unsplash The international community, including the EU, has been urged to throw its weight behind closer integration between Central Asian countries. Specifically, the West is asked to support the creation of a Central Asian Union to foster closer relations between the various countries, such as Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, in the region. The demand…
Photo by Travel With on Unsplash The West, including Europe, is heading for a potential fresh “struggle” with Russia and China in the race to win influence in Central Asia. That is one of the messages to emerge from a conference in Brussels on “Central Asia and the EU’s Historic Choice.” The lively debate on 7 December heard…
Photo by AXP Photography on Unsplash The international Tax and Investment Centre in Washington and EU Political Report in Brussels are pleased to sponsor an international conference entitled “Central Asia and the EU’s Historic Chance”. The meeting will be held at 10.00 am on Thursday 7th December at the Brussels Press Club at Rue Froissart 95, 1040 Brussels, Belgium. The…
Photo by Stock Birken on Unsplash Some 70 years before Benjamin Franklin borrowed the phrase, English playwright Christopher Bullock in 1789 wrote in his comedy The Cobbler of Preston: “T’is impossible to be sure of anything but Death and Taxes.”. In the UK as in most European countries both certainties can happen together, with tax on inherited wealth…
