Le Taurillon

Articles de cet auteur (5)

Europe has little to fear in condemning Saudi Arabia

Amid all the bluster surrounding Saudi Arabia’s bizarre tantrum against Canada, the EU has been conspicuous by its silence. A group of MEPs may have said Brussels “must not let itself be pressured into remaining silent”, but their leaders have yet to condemn Riyadh after it imposed bruising (…)

mardi 14 août 2018

Are France and Germany Hiding Behind the European Commission ?

The European Commission, currently deadlocked in the middle of reapproving the widely-used herbicide glyphosate, is growing visibly exasperated with some of its most powerful members. Earlier this week, news emerged that the French, German, and Italian governments were quietly lobbying the Commission to move ahead with reauthorizing the herbicide without their support – all the while publicly speaking out against the move and bashing the substance.

lundi 18 juillet 2016

Democracy shamocracy - wuthering times in Europe

Voters can no longer complain that there is no such thing as choice in politics. As the European Union is gearing up for what will be a rocky election season, with far-right parties expected to win a sizeable chunk of votes, the array of options is dazzling. Unfortunately most such parties (…)

lundi 3 mars 2014

Europe’s Forgotten Neighbours : Union for the Mediterranean

A distinction is often made between European Neighbours and neighbours of Europe within the EU. The former shares a much greater cultural proximity and, behind closed doors, represents candidates for membership. The latter is a purely geographic label. A two-tier Neighbourhood Policy has emerged (…)

mercredi 23 octobre 2013

Is Russia’s play for Ukraine a waste of time ?

In recent years, it has been one of the Kremlin’s consistent diplomatic objectives to get Ukraine on board with its Customs Union. However, with Ukraine seeking to reduce its economic dependence on Russia and improve ties with the European Union, is Moscow fighting a losing battle in (…)