Blog 3 Columns

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Blog 3 Columns

The flaws of the decade of Roma Inclusion 2005-2015 0
- Op-ed, Social and Economic Policy
- 16/02/2016
After a turbulent decade of Roma Inclusion starting from 2005, the year 2016 is a year of analyses, evaluations and impact assessment. The end of the decade provided space for discussions with an emphasis on the gains and losses of the initiative. Some of the stakeholders highlight the pros arguing that the decade was the perfect period to raise awareness for the issues of Roma while I echo the cons, arguing that the Central and Eastern European countries overlooked the initiative and shown lack of interest in sustainable changes for inclusion of Roma.
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Basic income – Three centuries of discussion 1
- Op-ed, Social and Economic Policy
- 13/02/2016
Between unemployment, the refugee’s crisis, the rise of the extreme right and a possible Brexit, it is easy to see that the European Union has witnessed better times. Let’s try to look at the sunny side of politics. What if every EU citizens received an unconditional basic income? In other words, what if the EU distributed an income regardless of your social-economic status? This is what Finland, Switzerland and the EU more generally decided to inquire into.
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EU-US data transfers: Why Safe Harbour 2.0 may just be an empty shell 1
- Digital Policy and Internet Governance, Op-ed
- 12/02/2016
The European Commission and the US have just come to a deal to replace Safe Harbour, which ensured a blanket allowance for EU-US data transfers before its invalidation by the European Court of Justice (ECJ). The newly-baptised Privacy Shield is supposed to set a framework for transatlantic data flows ensuring compliance with the EU Data Protection Directive. However, except for a fancy new name and a couple of nice declarations of intention, there is – at this time – no sign that it will offer better guarantees regarding EU citizens’ rights to privacy and data protection.
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The dilemma of oil and biodiversity on Azerbaijan’s Absheron Peninsula 0
- Environment and Energy, Op-ed
- 10/02/2016
Azerbaijan is one of the major oil and gas producers in the Southern Caucasus region, which is putting the preservation of biodiversity of the Caspian Sea at great risk.
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Turkey: Who’s the enemy?0
- International Relations and Global Affairs, Op-ed
- 08/02/2016
The repression of Kurds in Turkey has been a long lasting situation, leading to violent outbreaks between the PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party) and the Turkish state. The latest cease fire ended in 21 July 2015 and from then on attacks have been undertaken on Kurd majority areas in southeastern Turkey and northern Iraq, one of the most recent being the killing of 32 on the 10 January 2015.
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University responses to refugee crisis in Europe 0
- Human Rights and Migration, Op-ed
- 06/02/2016
In recent months, the EU has been extensively criticized for its inability to deal with Europe’s largest humanitarian crisis in the last decades. The Commission as well as the Member states received negative cover because of dedicating financial resources to border protection rather than integration of refugees. This op-ed describes how the Commission and universities across Europe could work together to integrate refugees in the EU’s societies.
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Refugee diaspora groups: Bridges between civil society and the state 0
- Human Rights and Migration, Op-ed
- 05/02/2016
What type of government or society do we imagine when confronted with a problem as dire and encompassing as the refugee crisis? Recently, the OECD urged the European member states to scale-up and adapt to the refugee crisis. Yet it remains unclear and opaque what this adaptability should look like, how it should take form and what the role of civil society might be. What is clear is that instead of pointing fingers at other states, governments should take an empowering stance towards their own civil society and refugee diaspora groups.
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The integrative power of the threat of disintegration 1
- EU Governance and Politics, Op-ed
- 03/02/2016
The dynamics of European integration have changed. The EU is no longer moving forward by its power of attraction. Its threats of exclusion have taken a similarly important place.
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Carbon capture & storage: Friend or foe for solving global warming?1
- Environment and Energy, Op-ed
- 02/02/2016
Carbon capture & storage (CCS) is the new kid in town. It promises a drastic reduction of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. I find that much can be argued against it.
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