Content about Brussels

European stock markets today, Tuesday 22 May, opened in the green and remained there until well into the afternoon.

Even from a business point of view, the spectacle of the newly appointed French President François Hollande running to Berlin, practically minutes after his official inauguration, was by itself a strong message; France is not to question the German prerogative in the European Union and of course in the Eurozone.

With a weekend ahead of us and hopefully lovely and sunny weather [outside the Brussels], drinks with friends on a terrace sounds like a great idea. Here are some drinking suggestions for a good night out.

#10 The White Russian

What it consists of?
Vodka (preferably vanilla), Kahlúa liqueur, and light cream:
2 oz of vanilla vodka
1 oz Kahlúa
Light Cream (to top off the glass)

#9 Blue Hawaiian

With the dignitaries in Brussels, Berlin, Paris and Washington having already termed the next Greek legislative election a referendum, with one question to be answered by voters 'stay or leave the Eurozone', Greek citizens continue to be bewildered.

Before flying out to the G8 Summit at Camp David and the NATO Sumit in Washington, D.C., European Commission President José Manuel Barroso sent out a clear message to Greece: swim together or sink alone.

An agreement on the Second Economic Adjustment Programme and the debt reduction agreement has been a consistent focus of the Commission in order to to concentrate efforts on growth and jobs througout Europe, but more specifically in the debt-ridden Greece.

Albania’s application for membership to the European Union on 28 April 2009 was an important landmark for a country that 20 years ago had emerged from a communist rule as one of the poorest, most isolated, most repressive and most inscrutable in Europe.

BRUSSELS – Many years ago, I took my children to visit the sites of the D-Day landings in Normandy. I wanted them to understand the sacrifices that others had made so that Europe and North America could enjoy the benefits of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We saw the beaches whose names echo through history – Omaha, Utah, Juno. Those beaches remain a memorial to the idea that, together, we can overcome any threat, no matter how great.

Ireland is likely to vote yes to a referendum on the fiscal compact, according to the latest polls, but a significant number of undecided voters mean that the government parties, which support the treaty, cannot afford to be complacent over the next two weeks.

According to a Red C/Sunday Business Times poll, the yes side is standing at 53%, which is a 6 point rise, with the no side at 31%. About 16% are undecided.

A group of nine deputies of the European Parliament headed by Paulo Bertalochi recently paid a visit to Dushanbe to attend the second session of the Committee for Interparliamentary Cooperation between European Union and Tajikistan, Asia-Plus quoted the Lower Chamber of Tajikistan’s Parliament as saying. The deputies met with Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon, speaker of the Majlisi Namoyandagon of the Majlisi Oli Shukurjon Zuhurov. They discussed further expansion of inter-parliamentary relations. 

During a first historical visit to Europe, a parliamentary delegation from Myanmar guided by Thura U Shwe Mann, speaker of the Pyithu Hluttaw/House of Representatives, was in Brussels to meet with the leaders of the EU and with the Belgian Institutions.

Sergei Stanishev, interim president of the Party of European Socialists (PES), said today that ‘there is a genuine crisis of youth unemployment across EU’.

Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci urged Brussels to provide a concrete support to Pristina's EU integrations, lamenting on the lack of appreciation of his country's reforms and progress.