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Disintegration of EU values? – ISDS clauses in TTIP 1
- International Trade, Op-ed
- 26/02/2016
The Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) is presently being debated at the 12 round of negotiation (22-26 February 2016) of the controversial TTIP deal aimed at establishing a trade agreement between the EU and the US.
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EU Member States struggle in teaching local language to refugees 0
- Human Rights and Migration, Op-ed
- 22/02/2016
Many European countries are facing the problems of lacking experience, quality materials and budget for teaching local language to asylum seekers.
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Europe’s hesitance towards China’s market economy status reframed 0
- Financial Policy and International Markets, International Trade, Op-ed
- 18/02/2016
Whilst Free Trade Agreements cause protests around the globe, the debates surrounding China´s WTO accession have largely escaped public turmoil – remarkably so. Hovering in a depoliticized, neutral jargon, technocrats have successfully reframed the latter into a matter of economic criteria, minimizing their divided political views. Europe however should speak one voice, one that is not misguided by the utopia of extreme globalization, yet aware of the political and social stakes that remain.
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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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