Skip to content

European Union (EU)

Europe Must Reform To Avoid A Populist Domino Effect

June 30, 2016 Sven Giegold, www.huffingtonpost.com , , ,
By Sven Giegold for The Huffington Post - Brexit is an historic setback for the European Union, but not a death sentence. As sad as the referendum result is, it must be respected. After referenda over the European Union’s constitution were held in France and the Netherlands in 2005, it was “business as usual.” That mistake must not be repeated. Europe has to prove that it is capable of learning and changing. Reforms can’t be made by heads of government behind closed doors — they should be transparent.

European Commission Approves Glyphosate For 18 Months

June 30, 2016 Lorraine Chow, www.ecowatch.com , ,
By Lorraine Chow for Eco Watch - Crop Protection Association CEO Nick von Westenholz said he was disappointed that EU member states “forced the commission into this position by ignoring the science and advice of expert regulators.” “The indecision of Member States and the need for an extension demonstrates how politicized this process has become,” he said. “Nevertheless, it will be a relief to farmers that they will be able to continue to use this crucial tool, at least in the short-term.” He added that the standard 15 year renewal should have been granted and urges the member states “to take the sensible, science led decision to re-licence this safe, efficient and effective product for the full 15 year period once the 18 month extension has expired.”

Newsletter: Brexit Backlash Against EU, Revolt Against Elites

June 25, 2016 Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers, www.PopularResistance.org , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
By Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers for Popular Resistance. The globalized economy is not working for most people of the world. International trade agreements and new government structures like the European Union serve corporate power and put the people and planet aside to ensure profits continue to come first. They undermine democracy and national sovereignty, leaving people feeling more powerless. By pushing austerity and commodification of public services, people are now more economically insecure with less wealth and lower incomes. The response of many is anger. Some protest austerity, others blame people of a different skin color, heritage or ethnicity. The surprise vote in the UK to leave the European Union is the latest, and perhaps the biggest, example of the blowback economic and political elites are getting for their actions. Brexit shows we have our work to do to educate people that this is not about racism and anger at ethnic groups, but is really the battle between the people and the elites. It is a conflict over whether we the people will have the power to decide our futures, whether we can create a fair economy that serves more than the 1% and whether we can act in ways that are consistent with the needs of the environmental crisis we face.

2008 All Over Again: Great Britain’s Decision To Leave European Union

June 25, 2016 Chris Hedges, www.truthdig.com , , ,
By Chris Hedges for Truth Dig - Great Britain’s decision to leave the European Union has wiped out many bankers and global speculators. They will turn, as they did in 2008, to governments to rescue them from default. Most governments, including ours, will probably comply. Will the American public passively permit another massive bailout of the banks? Will it accept more punishing programs of austerity to pay for this bailout?

Brexit Vote Sends Shockwaves Across European Establishment

June 25, 2016 Alan Woods, www.marxist.com , , ,
By Alan Woods for In Defense of Marxism - The referendum result was a crushing vote of no confidence in the Establishment. It caused shock waves in the markets which last night were confident of the victory of a vote to remain. The Leave side won by a margin of 52 % to 48%: more than 1.2 million votes more than Remain, with the English shires and Wales voting strongly in favour of Brexit. But Scotland voted massively against. Voter turnout was very high: in Scotland 67%, in Wales 72% and in England 73%.

EU Appeals Committee Says No To Glyphosate Re-License

June 25, 2016 Staff, www.sustainablepulse.com ,
By Staff of Sustainable Pulse - The European Union Appeals Committee has failed to reach agreement over the re-licensing of the World’s most used herbicide, glyphosate, with France and Malta voting against the re-approval and seven other countries abstaining including Germany, Italy, Portugal, Austria, Luxembourg, Greece and Bulgaria. “The Commission regrets that no decision could be taken by the member states, in spite of its efforts over recent weeks to accommodate requests and concerns,” a spokeswoman for the European Commission said.

After Brexit, European Left Calls For ‘Massive Political Opposition’

June 25, 2016 Nadia Prupis, www.commondreams.org , ,
By Nadia Prupis for Common Dreams - In the tumultuous aftermath of the UK's vote to leave the EU, the European left is responding with a mix of reason, measured reassurances, and righteous defiance. Left Unity, a populist UK political party, released a statement early Friday morning that criticized the right-wing organizers of the Leave campaign and vowed to "step up the fight against neo-liberalism here—opposing all cuts, defending the NHS [National Health Service], fighting for decent housing—and across Europe."

352 European Groups Ask EU To Support Right To Boycott

May 22, 2016 Staff, www.eccpalestine.org , , , ,
By the European Coordination of Committees and Associations for Palestine. More than 300 human rights and aid organisations, church groups, trade unions and political parties from across Europe have called on the EU to uphold its legal responsibilities and hold Israel accountable for its violations of international law and to defend the right of individuals and institutions to take part in the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement for justice and equality. Signatories to the letter called on the EU commission to “introduce the human rights guidelines guaranteeing freedom of speech and right to boycott and to use all other means you have in your disposal to support European citizens in their struggle to uphold basic human rights.”

The EU – A CIA Covert Operation

May 11, 2016 Justin Raimondo, www.original.antiwar.com ,
By Justin Raimondo for Anti War - The upcoming British referendum on whether to stay in the European Union (EU) represents the culmination of a long term project by the United States to destroy the concept of national sovereignty in the Old World and replace it with a supranational entity with ironclad links to Washington.. Whether that longstanding ambition has succeeded will be decided on June 23 – which is why President Barack Obama made a special trip to the Mother Country to give them a little lecture on the alleged evils of nationalism and the goodness of the EU.

90,000 Protest Obama: ‘Free Love, Not Free Trade’

April 24, 2016 Jon Queally, www.commonmdreams.org , , ,
By Jon Queally for CommonDreams. Hannover, Germany - On the eve of a visit by U.S. President Barack Obama, tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Germany on Saturday to voice emphatic opposition to the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership agreement (TTIP), a deal they argue benefits global capitalism and corporate elites at the expense of the public good and local democracy. With a 1960′s “Summer of Love” theme informing the march, many participants grooved under banners reading “Freie Liebe – Statt Freihandel” (Free Love – Not Free Trade) as organizers estimated 90,000 people in attendance. With Obama arriving to meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday to push for the deal, the expression of dissent in the city of Hannover matches recent reporting explaining how support for the TTIP has fallen on both sides of the Atlantic.

As Support Plummets, Is EU Moving Closer To Becoming ‘TTIP Free Zone’?

April 22, 2016 Deirdre Fulton, www.commondreams.org ,
By Deirdre Fulton for Common Dreams - Intercontinental opposition to the TransAtlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) continues to grow, with a new poll out Thursday showing that support for the controversial deal has "plummeted" in Germany and the U.S. over the last two years. The survey (pdf), conducted by YouGov for Germany's Bertelsmann Foundation, showed that only 17 percent of Germans believe the corporate-friendly trade agreement is a good thing, down from 55 percent in 2014. Likewise, in the United States, only 18 percent support the deal, compared to 53 percent two years ago...

Mapping The European Left Socialist Parties In The EU

April 16, 2016 Dominic Heilig, www.frosalux-nyc.org , ,
By Dominic Heilig for Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung - The European party system is changing rapidly. As a result of the ongoing neoliberal attack, the middle class is shrinking quickly, and the decades-old party allegiance of large groups of voters has followed suit. The European far right has been able to capitalize on this development; in many countries, populist and radical right-wing parties have experienced an unprecedented boom, as Thilo Janssen’s RLS-study on “Far-right Parties and the European Union” shows.

Opposition Derails EU Bid To Extend Use Of Toxic Herbicide

March 8, 2016 Lauren McCauley, www.commondreams.org ,
By Lauren McCauley for Common Dreams - A wave of opposition has slammed the brakes on a plan to re-approve the use of Monsanto's toxic glyphosate in the European Union as a number of member states, buoyed by growing public outcry, launched a shock rebellion against the proposal. European Commission leaders met behind closed doors in Brussels on Monday to hold a vote on whether to extend authorization of the use of the weed-killer for 15 years, before its license expires in June.

EU Countries Launch Rebellion Against Glyphosate

March 6, 2016 Staff, www.sustainablepulse.com , , ,
By Sustainable Pulse. The Netherlands and Sweden have joined France on Saturday in coming out strongly against the re-licensing of glyphosate-based herbicides in Europe. The remarkable rebellion against the World’s most used herbicide is likely to delay the expected March 8 EU vote by member countries on the re-licensing of the chemical. Public pressure against glyphosate in countries across Europe has been intense, with nearly 1.5 million people petitioning the EU’s health commissioner, Vytenis Andriukaitis, for a ban on the substance, the Guardian reported. After a Dutch parliament vote opposing the renewal of glyphosate’s permit, the Netherlands called for a postponement of the EU-wide decision.

EU Promised ExxonMobil TTIP Would Erase Enviro Obstacles

February 25, 2016 Arthur Neslen, www.theguardian.com , , ,
By Arthur Neslen for The Guardian - The European Union’s trade commissioner told the multinational oil company ExxonMobil that a major free trade deal being negotiated with the US would help remove obstacles to fossil fuel development in Africa and South America, documents obtained by the Guardian reveal. At a meeting in Brussels in October 2013, Karel de Gucht told the firm that the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) could address its concerns about regulations in developing countries that restrict the company’s activities.
«12345678910»