The European Union: Quo vadis?
Tuesday, 2 October 2018 - 11:00 am (CET/MEZ) Berlin | Author/Destination: Knut WingschCategory/Kategorie: Editorial, European Union, General
(Latest update: 22 January 2021) Best of all first: The EU and the Eurozone today have greater approval among its citizens than it did in the past 35 years. This is not just any indicator, but a solid basis and a work order that has so far been adopted only in part to actually address ambitious, long overdue reforms and the necessary reorientation of the EU. A nicely written white paper by the European Commission, which presents possible scenarios until 2025, isn’t enough. What is needed is a “EU Vision 2030” plan with clear timetables and sub-goals, which are constantly being updated, especially as new sub-goals always emerge from ongoing processes, where everyone can find orientation about ongoing and future developments, as well as to participate or in marketing-speak “Europe need a common future and story!” This one is a bit longer and a summary of the current challenges and opportunities, while continuing the article The European Union: Blessing or curse? Past or future?.
Content
- Introduction
- History of Europe and the United Staates of America
- Migration debate, xenophobia, racism and right-wing extremism
- Challenges and solution approaches
- Greece and Macedonia
- EU reforms
- EU budget
- Majority voting
- EU of different speeds
- Integration of the Eurozone
- EU Investment Alliance
- EU Immigration Law
- EU Unemployment Insurance
- Real Estate and Demography
- EU Security Architecture
- EU Climate Policy
- EU Bankruptcy Law
- EU Identity
- European Payment Mechanism
- Learn from crises
- EU-Africa Partnership
- Accession of Turkey to the European Union
- Union for the Mediterranean
- EU accession negotiations with Albania and Macedonia
- US troops in Europe
- 2019 European Parliament election
- Economic and/or political development
- Coronavirus pandemic
- Trickle-down theory
- Austria
- Belgium, Luxembourg and Netherlands (Benelux)
- Bulgaria and Romania
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia (Visegrád Group)
- Denmark, Finland and Sweden (Scandinavia)
- Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania (Baltic States)
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Ireland
- Italy
- Malta
- Portugal and Spain
- United Kingdom
- Turkey
- Debt situation
- Foreign policy
- Trump’s tariffs
- Trump’s anti-China and anti-EU trade war
- Trade agreement between the EU and the US
- EU’s trade partners
- “New Deal”, the restart of transatlantic relations
- EU-China Relations
- Russia and Ukraine
- Nord Stream 2
- Iran deal
- Syrian Civil War
- EU and Israel
- Middle East and Israeli-Palestinian conflict
- Sources
Introduction
Today, people in the states of the EU live in better conditions than ever before. It should be clear to the citizens that the future viability of the states depends on their being under the strong umbrella of the EU in order to prepare themselves for the economic challenges from China, and more recently from the US, militarily from Russia (The Washington Post, 13 September 2018: 5 things to know about Russia’s Vostok-2018 military exercises, The Guardian, 20 October2018: Trump says US will withdraw from nuclear arms treaty with Russia, BBC, 21 October 2018: President Trump to pull US from Russia missile treaty, CNN, 21 October 2018: Trump says US is ending decades-old nuclear arms treaty with Russia, BBC, 21 October 2018: Russia nuclear treaty: Gorbachev warns Trump plan will undermine disarmament, CNN, 22 October 2018: Russia fires back after Trump threatens to ditch nuclear arms treaty (“funny” is that the Russian Tsar Putin has been stationed months ago the nuclear first strike weapon system Iskander-K in the region of Kaliningrad, to threaten Europe permanently, and is lamenting now, because adequate countermeasures to safeguard Europe against continued and further threats from the Kremlin shall be initiated (Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle)), NATO, 25 October 2018: Trident Juncture 18, The Washington Post, 25 October 2018: At a pivotal moment for the alliance, NATO launches biggest exercise since the end of the Cold War, The New York Times, 26 January 2019: Saving NATO, Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, The New York Times, 1 February 2019: U.S. Suspends Nuclear Arms Control Treaty With Russia, CNN, 2 February 2019: Russia follows US in suspending INF nuclear missile treaty, The Washington Post, 2 February 2019: Why Putin won’t be mad about Trump pulling out of the INF Treaty, The Guardian, 2 February 2019: Russia follows US in suspending nuclear deal, The New York Times, 2 February 2019: Russia Pulls Out of Nuclear Treaty in ‘Symmetrical’ Response to U.S. Move, The Washington Post, 2 February 2019: Following U.S., Putin suspends nuclear pact and promises new weapons, Jerusalem Post, 2 February 2019: Russia set to develop new and advanced missile systems, The New York Times, 10 February 2019: How Russia Undermined Over 30 Years of Nuclear Arms Control, France24, 12 February 2019: NATO planning for more Russian missiles: Stoltenberg and The Washington Post, 17 February 2019: Withdrawing from the INF Treaty would cripple arms control efforts for decades, The Guardian, 1 July 2019: US arms control office critically understaffed under Trump, experts say, CNN, 20 July 2019: Clock’s ticking on one of world’s most important nuclear treaties. A dangerous arms race may be next, CNN, 27 July 2019: Donald Trump’s most catastrophic decision, BBC, 2 August 2019: INF nuclear treaty: Nato ‘to avoid arms race’ after US-Russia pact ends, The Guardian, 2 August 2019: Nato and Russia trade barbs after collapse of nuclear arms treaty, CNN, 2 August 2019: NATO chief says end of nuclear treaty is ‘serious setback’, after US withdraws, Al Arabiya, 2 AUgust 2019: US to develop new missiles after exiting INF treaty, Times of Israel, 2 August 2019: US to accelerate missile program after ending weapons pact with Russia, Saudi Gazette, 2 August 2019: US pulls out of Soviet-era nuclear missile pact with Russia, Gulf News, 2 August 2019: US ends Cold War missile treaty in bid to counter China, France24, 2 August 2019: US to withdraw officially from Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, DW, 2 August 2019: Opinion: Scrapping the INF treaty is risky — and a lost opportunity, Arab News, 3 AUgust 2019: The arms race has new legs, CNN, 8 August 2019: Russia has released footage of its new ‘Hunter’ stealth attack drone, Jerusalem Post, 12 August 2019: US, Russia nuke tensions may be even worse than Iran threat – analysis, The Guardian, 17 August 2019: The nuclear arms race is back … and ever more dangerous now, CNN, 18 August 2019: What a mysterious explosion tells us about Russia’s ‘doomsday weapon’, France24, 19 August 2019: US tests medium-range cruise missile in the wake of INF treaty exit, The National Interest, 20 August 2019: Russia’s New Weapons: From Doomsday Nuclear Torpedoes to Skyfall Missiles, DW, 20 August 2019: Russia blast radiation caused by Skyfall missile, US experts say, Haaretz, 21 August 2019: Skyfall Explosion: Doomsday Weapon Accident Shows Limits of Putin’s Dangerous Ambitions). How can it nevertheless be that the colorful and cheerful Europe threatens to become a more and more dull, simple, nationalistic, fact- and learn-resistant Europe? The paradox of this is, above all, that it is the EU itself that made it possible to connect different states and their people. On the one hand, it creates EU citizens and patriots and, on the other hand, simple minded state-cross national movements. After all, nationalism by definition can only function within a nation-state, but not across multiple states, unless one understands the EU as such as a nation-state, so that EU nationalism can emerge to develop common, viable and workable solutions. It is hardly to be expected that Europe’s right-wing nationalists are able to think in such a dimension at all, although here they could take an example from the rednecks and hillbillys of the Southern United States, who have at least understood that, albeit coming from different states, they all are US citizens. That would be, even when still annoying, after all, a development and adaptation of the changed realities and general conditions (The Guardian, 21 July 2018: Steve Bannon plans foundation to fuel far right in Europe, BBC, 23 July 2018: Bannon plan for Europe-wide populist ‘supergroup’ sparks alarm, Bloomberg, 24 July 2018: Steve Bannon Wants to Divide and Conquer in Europe Too, The Guardian, 30 July 2018: Europe shouldn’t fear Steve Bannon. It should fear the hype that surrounds him, The Washington Post, 26 September 2018: A nationalist abroad: Stephen Bannon evangelizes Trump-style politics across Europe, The Guardian, 24 October 2018: The real danger to Europe? The lost sense of a common cause, The Guardian, 18 February 2019: EU parliament’s centrist coalition set to lose majority, poll finds, Arab News, 26 June 2019: Critics should not forget EU’s role in preserving peace). Overall, this article is trying to make it clear what Alexander von Humboldt already knew 250 years ago:
“Everything is connected with everything.”
History of Europe and the United Staates of America
“Only who knows where he comes from knows where he is going.” – Theodor Heuss
In order to understand the current developments in Europe, it makes sense to deal with the very varied and multi-faceted history of Europe and the states/federation building processes. This includes numerous regional, national and international armed conflicts, such as the Thirty Years’ War, which began with the Defenestrations of Prague on May 23, 1618. Under the motto “One people, one religion, one leader”, the catholic Emperor Ferdinand II tried to persuade the Protestant electorates to convert to Catholicism. The attempt failed after several lossy battles in favor of a pluralistic solution, because the acting persons came to the realization that diversity is probably better than simplicity. With that everything has already been said and everyone could have gone home happily and contentedly with this knowledge gain, in order to be able to work on a common, peaceful and prosperous Europe from now on. History went a little bit different and many other wars followed, because people are generally far less able to learn than they would like to think of themselves. If World War I and World War II had any good aspects at all, it is that the results are now deeply branded in the European collective memory and, as a result, the European Union was founded. Following the old saying, “When the donkey is too well, he goes on the ice”, from the end of the 2000s onwards, small groups were formed in the states, which eventually gave rise to national movements and parties and in fact found enough supporters to position their crude (conspiracy) theories against the EU. The vast majority of these theories are completely baseless and fact-free, which is what their supporters, who are suffering from extensive fact allergy, especially like about it. But it is also about fear of loss, especially with regard to identities (or social decline or to be even more accurate: If some Germans think that “refugees take away our jobs,” then these people should just keep the following in mind: Should a refugee, who has never been to Germany or even Europe at all, has no language skills, has no idea of how life and the labor market work here (neither in total nor in detail), be able to “take away jobs” from these Germans, then in their lives has so much gone wrong before, that even 12 million refugees and immigrants could not affect their lifes more negative than it already has been affected before. In any case, it is not the refugees who are to blame, but in most cases, they themselves. Presumably, such people would be overwhelmed even with returnable bottle sorting), even though today’s states have no clearly definable national identities because they are made up of colorful collections of duchies and principalities with partly contradictory identities and due to the numerous small and large migrations of the people over the centuries couldn’t develop clearly identifiable identities (The “Heimat” concept (homeland), on the other hand, is much easier to define, even if it can have individual different definitions). The romantic idea that there ever was a homogenous Germany is a very clear self-deception, because the country and also all predecessors in the area of today’s Germany (even more so if one includes Poland and parts of Russia (German Reich) or parts of France and Italy (Holy Roman Empire of German Nations)), Germany has always been heterogeneous, even if there were majorities and continue to exist. The same applies, of course, to all other current EU states as well, and certainly to the US. The EU offers a basic agreement on the basis of geography, namely, “We are all Europeans”, even if not all countries of the continent belong to the EU by now. With the EU still under construction, it will take quite a while for this to happen. On the other hand, how well European integration already works in everyday life is evident in the changed news situation, among other aspects. 20 years ago, only a small section of the population in Europe was interested in politics and politicians in neighboring countries. This has changed over the past decades fundamentally, because the perception has changed. In the past, it was understood as “foreign policy”, and is now understood as “domestic policy”, because the effects can have an affect for everyone.
At this point, it’s worth taking a look at the history of the United States of America. Even if no one-to-one comparisons are possible, the founding of the USA is the first and until today successful European major project, meanwhile not only more successful than the EU itself, but even the only remaining world power (other European projects, such as Canada, Australia or New Zealand, are also going very well. Overall, Europe has left its mark in many parts of the world due to colonization. Often with negative consequences, but often also with positive effects that reverberate to this day), because ultimately it is the anticipation of the EU outside of Europe. The settlements were finally carried out by people from all European countries (today, e.g., about 50 million of the 330 million Americans say to have German ancestors). Even today, the folklore and local features/peculiarities that came with the European settlers have survived in the individual states, are promoted and celebrated accordingly – all under the common roof of the United States. The EU implements this concern, ie the preservation and promotion of specific characteristics, specificities, folklore, language and food/drink, under the motto “united in diversity” even more consistently and extensively by creating appropriate laws and regulations and providing funding (Europe of the Regions, Culture in the European Union, geographical indication, European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, Minority rights, Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and European Convention on Human Rights). In this respect, the EU is reminiscent of the Roman Empire, but on a voluntary basis, ie a federation of different, diversified states, which keep their cultures, languages, religions and other peculiarities, but united under a common roof with self-given, common rules (Transatlantic relations).
Migration debate, xenophobia, racism, right-wing extremism and right-wing terrorism
It is actually unbelievable: the wall fell, fortunately the Soviet Union failed in its own right, as a result of which most of the Eastern Bloc gained its freedom. There was great hope for democracy, freedom and the rule of law. Especially in the eastward expansion of the EU, which only knows freedom from history lessons, the hope for freedom and democracy was huge. It is all the more surprising that the majority have once again been seduced by nationalist demagogues. From the east, this nationalistic nonsense finally rubbed off into East Germany, which was formerly part of the Eastern Bloc. Where the journey will eventually lead to remains open by now. It will certainly not be pleasing for while. Therefore the blog entry The European Union: Migration debate, xenophobia, racism and right-wing extremism was created.
Challenges and solution approaches in keywords
- While dark clouds are rising on the big stage, a decades-old dispute between Greece and Macedonia is being resolved on the small stage by simply adding a “north”: The New York Times, 17 June 2018: Macedonia and Greece Sign Historic Deal on Name Change (The Guardian, 5 April 2018: The west must not just abandon the Balkans to Russia’s embrace, The New York Times, 10 April 2018: In a New Cold War With Russia, Balkans Become a Testing Ground, The Guardian, 11 July 2018: Greece to expel Russian diplomats over alleged Macedonia interference, Reuters, 13 July 2018: Word ‘Russia’ goes unspoken as Mattis meets Balkan defense chiefs, Bloomberg, 18 July 2018: Putin Has Lost His Influence in the Balkans and Macedonian referendum, 2018, The Guadian, 10 October 2018: Welcome to North Macedonia: parliament votes for name change, Reuters, 11 January 2019: Macedonian parliament agrees to change country’s name, The Guardian, 13 January 2019: Greek government in crisis over Macedonia name deal, France24, 25 January 2019: Greek parliament approves Macedonia name change deal, The Guardian, 25 January 2019: Greek MPs ratify Macedonia name change in historic vote, The New York Times, 25 January 2019: Greeks Approve Deal to Rename Macedonia, in Victory for the West, The Washington Post, 25 January 2019: Greece approves Macedonia name change, ending 28-year row, Bloomberg, 28 January 2019: NATO Dashes to Expand in Balkans After North Macedonia Name Deal and BBC, 6 February 2019: Macedonia signs Nato accession agreement).
- French President Emmanuel Macron has proposed ambitious and above all necessary EU reforms. Since the formation of a coalition after the German federal elections lasted more than a year, valuable time has passed and a vacuum has arisen, which right-wing populists and anti-democrats have used to set their content-free phrases in the world. Chancellor Angela Merkel hasn’t sent clear signals on Macron’s proposals yet, although his extensive support is in Germany’s own interest. The Federal Government is still too busy with itself to work on solutions. In principle, it would be desirable to put together the need for extensive EU reforms and the future EU orientation in a plan such as “EU Vision 2030”, which is updated annually, providing predictability and taking the 500 million EU citizens with it. Here, ambitious visions for the future are demanded, especially as it has become clear from past developments that the EU tends to agree on the most weakest and flimsiest compromises, rather than orienting itself towards the top. Accordingly, this already need be taken into account in the baseline scenarios (The White House, 25 April 2016: Remarks by President Obama in Address to the People of Europe, The Guardian, 26 September 2017: Macron lays out vision for ‘profound’ changes in post-Brexit EU, DW, 17 April 2018: France’s Emmanuel Macron calls for revival of EU democracy, The Guardian, 27 August 2018: Europe can no longer rely on US for security, says Emmanuel Macron, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 27 August 2018: U2-Singer Bono: Europe is a thought that needs to become a feeling, The New York Times, 11 December 2018: E.U. Hoped to Put Its House in Order This Year. Not Even Close., The New York Times, 18 December 2018: The End of Europe?, Daily Mail, 9 January 2019: Germany, France set to sign new cooperation accord, France 24, 21 January 2019: One couple, two seats: France and Germany renew vows after golden jubilee, The Guardian, 23 January 2019: European Union: Macron and Merkel are trying to safeguard Europe, not dominate it, The Guardian, 23 January 2019: The Guardian view on Davos: elites without answers, The Guardian, 27 January 2019: Davos 2019: the yawning gap between rhetoric and reality, The Guardian, 12 February 2019: The EU looks like the Soviet Union in 1991 – on the verge of collapse, France24, 4 March 2019: Macron unveils plan for ‘European renaissance’ ahead of key EU vote, The Guardian, 4 March 2019: Emmanuel Macron: Dear Europe, Brexit is a lesson for all of us: it’s time for renewal, The Guardian, 4 March 2019: EU must learn from Brexit and reform, says Emmanuel Macron, Elysee.fr, 4 March 2019: For European renewal, The Washinton Post, 5 March 2019: Emmanuel Macron pushes European ‘renewal’ to counter nationalism, The Guardian, 5 March 2019: EU faces nationalist ‘nightmare’ in next five years, says Verhofstadt, The Guardian, 7 March 2019: Macron reached out to all Europeans, and what does he get? Scorn, Der Spiegel, 13 March 2019: Patronizing, Frustrating and Divisive: The Shortcomings of Merkel’s European Policies, The Guardian, 17 April 2019: Macron vowed to change the EU – but his chance may have gone, The New York Times, 29 April 2019: Europe’s Crisis of Integration, France24, 9 May 2019: EU plans for life after Brexit and the tussle for top jobs at Sibiu summit, Politico.eu, 8 August 2019: King Macron’s unsteady EU crown, Politico.eu, 18 November 2019: France outlines proposal to overhaul EU accession process, Politico.eu, 19 November 2019: 6 countries write to Juncker to support EU enlargement reform, Politico.eu, 20 November 2019: It’s time to update the EU’s internet rules, Politico.eu, 26 November 2019: Berlin and Paris outline plan for EU makeover, Politico.eu, 26 November 2019: How to remake the EU, Politico.eu, 27 November 2019: EU ambassadors cautious on French-German plan for Europe’s future, Politico.eu, 27 November 2019: France is back, but where is Germany?, Politico.eu, 9 December 2019: EU to prepare Magnitsky-style human rights sanctions regime, The National, 9 December 2019: EU backs global sanctions programme for rights abusers, Politico.eu, 9 December 2019: Borrell urges EU to be foreign policy ‘player, not the playground’, Politico.eu, 19 December 2019: What Macron plans for Europe, Politico.eu, 21 January 2020: Conference on the Future of Europe: Don’t mention the T word, Politico.eu, 31 January 2020: Macron: Brexit campaign based on ‘lies’ but EU must reform, Politico.eu, 6 February 2020: EU big four press Vestager to clear path for champions, The Guardian, 8 February 2020: Emmanuel Macron, pilloried at home and abroad, is Europe’s best hope, France24, 15 February 2020: France ‘impatient’ over lack of German drive to reform EU: Macron, CNN, 15 February 2020: The EU is facing a serious crisis. It’s funding the same people who wish to wreck it, The Guardian, 15 February 2020: Macron sets out 10-year vision for EU with call for more integration, Foreign Policy, 19 February 2020: European Union Unveils Proposed Tech Rules (Digital Single Market), Business Insider, 19 February 2020: Europe reveals its ambitious tech blueprint to take on Silicon Valley and China, Politico.eu, 24 February 2020: Europe is fighting tech battle with one hand tied behind its back, European Council in Foreign Affairs, 3 March 2020: Time for a geopolitical Europe: A German answer to Macron, The Guardian, 5 March 2020: Macron, Merkel and the battle for the future of Europe, Politico.eu, 20 March 2020: In EU’s retreat, a way forward).
- The negotiations on the new EU budget will certainly also be interesting.
- To change the unanimity of EU decisions in favor of majority voting, which would solve 90% of all challenges within a short time. At the same time, one would thus break away from the principle of the “dictates of minorities and abstruse individual interests”, especially since majority decisions need to be well-founded by each single EU state. A simple “I am against it” then no longer exist, but each state would have to explain its motives and thus at the same time signaling willingness to negotiate and explain how a compromise would have to look like, so that it would be supported. It would no longer be possible to blame Brussels for “everything thta is going wrong” (which is almost never the case anyway, while mostly EU state governments and state lobbyists are responsible for failure – see Brexit). Instead, it would be much clearer who actually brakes and blocks. For this reason, in particular the Visegrád Group opposes majority voting. The unanimity was once well meant, but actually blocks the EU unnecessary in almost all areas. Perhaps, however, in order to resolve the permanent blockades in some areas, it might be necessary to found a new federal European Union, an EU 2.0, to which only those states will be invited that are committed to European values, which obviously does not include the EU’s eastward expansion. They can then drown in their nationalisms and at the same time are no longer problem cases for the EU.
- “EU of different speeds” to become reality (Eurozone, Core EU, Visegrád). If some don’t want to join programs right from the beginning, they can catch up later (backed by economic incentives) or go the way of the UK. If there is the possibility of access on the one hand, there need to be the possibility of an orderly withdrawal or, in extreme cases, the possibility of being thrown out on the other hand, until the EU has established itself fully and can’t be dismantled any longer, after becoming a federal republic (or what ever it will look like in the future). Thereafter, there should be no more opportunity to leave and this should be contractually fixed, after all, the EU isn’t a “Request Concert” event.
- Greater integration of the eurozone with its own EU finance minister, common fiscal policies and correspondingly strengthened regulations and enforcement options (European Fiscal Compact, Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union and European Stability Mechanism).
- EU investment alliance to dismantle structural weaknesses in the EU states step by step, unlike the previous regional financial umbrella, whose use of funds can be described as “misappropriated” at best. Clear objectives, earmarked and with ongoing review of the use of funds, so that corruption can be erased and the money will actually arrive where it belongs to. Even the reunification of Germany and the attempt of economic adjustment of the East to the West, which will take decades to be completed and has cost so far about 1.8 trillion euros of state funds plus the trillions of private investments, on the one hand makes clear how long this adjustment processes will take among EU member countries and on the other hand how important these attempts of adjustments are.
- Creating an EU Immigration Law (points-based immigration system), paying more attention to EU external border controls and simplified EU immigration procedures to take account of the changed conditions, but also to take the wind out of the sails of nationalists.
- EU Unemployment Insurance, even better: a European Social Security System, with appropriate adjustment mechanisms based on the respective wages and the cost of living in the countries of origin. This not to distribute “social benefits”, but to be able to develop economic stabilizing effects. The enormous social transfers from West to East Germanyto show this exemplarily. The counter-examples are Greece, Italy and other countries that do not have these mechanisms and whose populations are more susceptible to crises – with all the disadvantages. Now some will argue that this would be pure socialism. In fact, it is a pay-as-you-go mechanisms that need to be paid into before it can be disbursed. At the same time, this ensures basic consumption and thus the preservation of jobs and entire economic sectors, even in difficult economic times. E.g., the Greek economy would never have collapsed that heavily, additionally exacerbated by the widespread impoverishment of the population, if these mechanisms would have already existed there. In addition, an EU minimum wage solution would ensure equal competitive conditions, for example in the craft sector. While so far companies from the EU Eastern Enlargement can easily underbid German companies because the personnel costs to be calculated are significantly lower than those in Germany, this would no longer be possible in the future, because then companies from the EU Eastern Enlargement would have to pay their staff that is working in Germany the same wages as German companies have to pay. Of course, not only craft businesses are affected by this problem, but almost all sectors in which SMEs operate.
- Due to changed conditions, there are increasing problems with the adequate supply of affordable housing in European metropolitan areas. Different aspects contribute to this, which together contain some growing social challenges. In order to give this important topic enough room, a separate contribution has been created: The European Union: Real Estate and Demography.
- Creating and maintaing a credible EU security architecture to empower foreign policy decisions and respond swiftly to changing security situations and needs, while the development/deployment of Frontex and the European Asylum Agency are, of course, only two building blocks in the overall context of the Common Foreign, Security and Defence Policy – freedom and democracy are even today neither self-evident, nor are they available for free (Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO), European Intervention Initiative, European Defence Fund, Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD)).
- The growing understanding and awareness of the accelerating, man-made climate change is also taking up more and more space in politics, which is why a separate blog entry has been devoted to the topic: The European Union: Climate Policy.
- Reform of EU bankruptcy law: Sovereign default within the EU need to be possible to prevent future bailouts, as in the case of Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Cyprus, while still allowing each state to ruin itself as it pleases, without holding the taxpayers of other states liable for it (oriented to bankruptcy law for US states that can declare their bankruptcy without the other states or Washington, D.C. can be held liable or have to take over the regulation of the damage). Sovereign default should have no impact on membership in the EU or the Eurozone, but may cost a reputation on the free capital market. One possible example for this scenario is currently Romania. The country has had very presentable growth rates for years, and the government is fueling them additionally with public investments and several social benefits instead of creating reserves. A small crisis would be enough to put the country in the same situation as Greece was and is, because there aren’t sufficient buffers given.
- Formation of a EU identity in connection with a European citizenship, as a counter model and draft to the devastating and egotistical nationalisms, and the acknowledgment that Europe has a migrant history and is thus an immigration and emigration continent for centuries.
- Establish a European payment mechanism to circumvent US sanctions and their consequences for SWIFT transaction traffic. The EU is the largest single market in the world. This need to be taken into account, as well as its independence in payment transactions. Until then, it is a long and stony path, but worth the efforts (DW, 27 August 2018: Germany urges SWIFT end to US payments dominance).
- Learn from crises and implement appropriate mechanisms: Since 2008, the EU and parts of its states are in permanent crisis mode. This happens quite often in a young federation of states, not least because it has not yet been possible to provide for all eventualities, and the stolid nature of the EU also means that it takes much longer to cope with crisis, because the responses to them (in the best case even before they can become crises at all) are all to often not promptly and quickly enough (see “majority voting, instead of unanimity”).
- Developing the EU-Africa partnership (Economic Partnership Agreements (Compact with Africa (CwA)) and Reuters, 12 September 2018: EU’s Juncker eyes Africa free trade pact) at the governmental level, implementing far better anti-corruption measures, while investing in the economies and education, to create prospects for the people and curbe the root causes of emmigration (The Telegraph, 3 September 2018: China raises fears of ‘new colonialism’ with $60 billion investment across Africa, Der Spiegel, 14 June 2019: The Voice of Beijing: China’s Expanding Media Dominance in Africa, Politico.eu, 7 December 2019: Into Africa: Von der Leyen visit kicks off ‘geopolitical Commission’, Gulf Times, 7 December 2019: New EU chief in Ethiopia for first trip outside bloc, France24, 16 January 2020: Record 45 mn people need urgent food aid in southern Africa : UN, Politico.eu, 9 February 2020: An all-Africa free-trade deal to warm the EU’s heart, Politico.eu, 10 February 2020: Council President Michel tells African leaders a changed Europe wants new ties, Gulf Times, 24 February 2020: Africa isn’t ready for currency unions, Politico.eu, 27 February 2020: In search of allies, EU turns to Africa, Politico.eu, 27 February 2020: African Union to EU: We’ve got our own strategy, thanks, Politico.eu, 28 February 2020: To be top gun on foreign affairs, Borrell says EU must buy weapons, Arab News, 12 March 2020: Why Europe has made boosting Africa ties an urgent priority, Politico.eu, 19 March 2020: Africa’s coronavirus outbreaks seeded from Europe, Politico.eu, 23 March 2020: Coronavirus hits Africa’s mega trade deal plans, DW, 21 April 2020: Coronavirus: Debt relief key to helping Africa, says EU Commissioner, Politico.eu, 8 October 2020: EU’s Africa reboot meets cool reception, DW, 20 November 2020: Africa-Europe relations: 2020 was a lost year, Politico.eu, 9 December 2020: EU-AU meeting postponed over ‘agenda issues’, The Guardian, 19 January 2021: Europe can only fix its relationship with Africa if it exorcises its colonial ghosts, Cotonou Agreement, Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) and Africa–China relations).
global_perspectives_initiative_gp_policy_paper_jobs_and_migration_publikation_en_final_digital_neu-1 - The Accession of Turkey to the European Union and the upgrading of the Customs Union have been put on hold until further notice. The reasons for this are the unclear Cyprus issue, the war against the Kurds in southeastern Turkey, the invasion of Northern Syria, the creation of the presidential system and the associated widespread de-democratization. The accession talks will not be terminated by the EU for strategic and diplomatic reasons. This step is left to the Turkish government.
- In addition to some other challenges arising from the current problematic relationship with Turkey itself, this also includes challenges for the perspectives and aspirations of the countries of the Levant and North Africa. That is one of the reasons why it would be advisable to finally bring the Union for the Mediterranean to life, to develop viable alternatives, especially as the EU, because of the ongoing military conflicts in the Middle East, is likely to intensify its efforts in the near future for possible accession candidates in and from Europe only.
- The EU accession negotiations with Albania and (North) Macedonia will start in 2019 (Balkanization, Politico.eu, 29 May 2019: EU should start membership talks with Albania, North Macedonia: Commission, Politico.eu, 3 October 2019: EU chiefs call for start of membership talks with North Macedonia, Albania, Reuters, 10 October 2019: France opposes EU membership talks with North Macedonia, Albania: diplomats, Al Jazeera, 15 October 2019: France warns of ‘endless soap opera’ on Balkans EU membership, Politico.eu, 19 October 2019: EU’s Balkan breakdown reveals split among leaders, The Guardian, 18 October 2019: EU failure to open membership talks with Albania and North Macedonia condemned, Al Jazeera, 23 October 2019: Did Macron kill the EU enlargement dream?, Jerusalem Post, 2 November 2019: Are the Balkans splitting thr EU apart?, Al Jazeera, 2 November 2019: How the EU balkanised the Balkans, Politico.eu, 8 November 2019: Von der Leyen: EU path for Western Balkans is of ‘great strategic importance’, Politico.eu, 9 November 2019: Diplomatic blow-up after Macron calls Bosnia a ‘ticking time-bomb’, Politico.eu, 13 December 2019: 9 EU countries push back on French enlargement revamp, Politico.eu, 4 January 2020: North Macedonian PM resigns, Politico.eu, 10 January 2020: Von der Leyen: EU must keep its promise to North Macedonia and Albania, Politico.eu, 27 January 2020: Merkel: Albania, North Macedonia should get green light for EU talks in March, Politico.eu, 4 February 2020: Brussels puts French accent on EU enlargement, The Guardian, 5 February 2020: EU focuses on enlargement into Balkans after Brexit, Jerusalem Post, 15 February 2020: Macron opens door to North Macedonia, Albania EU accession talks, France24, 16 February 2020: EU in ‘frank’ talks with Balkan nations seeking membership, The Guardian, 17 February 2020: Albania PM likens country to jilted lover in its effort to join EU, Politico.eu, 17 February 2020: Albanian PM plays down hopes of start to EU accession in March, Politico.eu, 24 February 2020: North Macedonia’s PM: EU credibility at stake over membership talks, Politico.eu, 18 March 2020: EU ambassadors discuss opening talks with Albania, North Macedonia, The Guardian, 23 March 2020: EU can start talks with Albania and North Macedonia over joining, Politico.eu, 23 March 2020: EU moves closer to opening talks with North Macedonia and Albania, Politico.eu, 24 March 2020: North Macedonia, Albania get green light for EU membership talks, Politico.eu, 9 April 2020: Western Balkans call for exemption from EU medical export restrictions, Politico.eu, 6 May 2020: Croatian PM on EU-Balkans summit: The meeting is the message, Politico.eu, 6 May 2020: The Western Balkans belong with Europe, Politico.eu, 7 May 2020: 4 takeaways from the EU’s virtual Balkan summit, Politico.eu, 24 June 2020: EU’s two-faced Balkans strategy, The Washington Post, 26 June 2020: The Trump administration’s attempts at Balkans diplomacy are getting more complicated (well, Richard Grenell is involved in it, so that the only direction, the topic can go, is south), Politico.eu, 4 July 2020: Serbian President Vucic takes German lessons, Al Jazeera, 14 July 2020: Serbia-Kosovo deal: Can the EU succeed where Trump failed?, Politico.eu, 18 August 2020: North Macedonia gets new government, CNBC, 4 September 2020: Serbia, Kosovo to open Israel embassies in Jerusalem, Politico.eu, 21 October 2020: Bulgaria threatens to veto North Macedonia’s EU talks, Politico.eu, 17 November 2020: Bulgaria blocks EU membership talks for North Macedonia (because of short-sighted, nationalistic idiocy, the most corrupt EU member country blocked the strategical important EU enlargement to include the Balkans), Al Jazeera, 7 December 2020: On the Macedonian-Bulgarian dispute and historical revisionism, Haaretz, 14 December 2020: As America Retreats, China Claims a Corner of Europe, Al Jazeera, 14 December 2020: Dayton peace (dis)agreement, 25 years on).
- Interesting things also appear in the deployment of US troops in Europe (United States European Command, United States Army Europe and List of United States military bases). Trump’s administration is thinking about deploying more troops into Poland to “face Russia’s threat to Poland,” but above all, of course, because the right-wing Polish government is willing to spend two billion euros a year (given that Poland is the largest EU net beneficiary country, the question arises as to who will ultimately bear the costs. Poland certainly not), so that a “Fort Trump” can arise (The Guardian, 18 September 2018: ‘Fort Trump’: Donald Trump considers request for US military base in Poland and The New York Times, 19 September 2018: Fort Trump? Poland Makes a Play for a U.S. Military Base). At the same time, the Trump administration checks to what extent US troops can be withdrawn from Germany. Ostensibly, it is also about the relocation of jobs from Germany to Poland. In fact, this would mean a complete turnaround for Germany and its western neighbors, as the battle lines from the Cold War, which lay on the border between Germany and the GDR, would be officially relocated to the Polish border with Russia. In this case, the western EU states should just let new Eastern bloc and the Trump administration do, and be helpful to realize this project, especially as it clears the way for the other EU states, to develop the Common EU security architecture by forming much closer military co-operation among each other, thus creating the not only necessary but long overdue European addition to NATO. Together with the Visegrád group, this is not feasible at present, so it is a fortunate coincidence that their nationalists now join forces with the White House nationalist in securing the EU’s eastern flank (Suwalki gap). Apart from the almost ridiculous military image (the Bundeswehr and the Foreign Ministry are currently having staggeringly weak performances) that the Federal Republic give itself and thus disqualifying its foreign policy (Israel’s self-proclaimed over-friend, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, does not even manage to sent a single frigate as escort for merchant ships in the Strait of Hormuz in an EU mission. The fact that the SPD here adopt AfD positions (no deployment of the Bundeswehr abroad to protect life and limb) is altogether irritating at best), the relocation of the marching up area between East and West to the east of Poland would be quite pleasant. In this respect, the “threat” of the United States, presented here by Trump’s lapdog Richard Grenell, is more likely to be seen as a friendly farewell gesture. When Trump needs “jubilation” for the upcoming 2020 United States presidential election, he is certainly much better off in even racist Eastern Europe than in Western Europe: Der Spiegel, 10 May 2019: Rising Tensions: Trump’s Iran Escalation Poses a Threat for Germany, The Atlantic, 25 June 2019: What the Iran Crisis Reveals About European Power, Foreign Policy, 12 July 2019: How Europe Can Save What’s Left of the Iran Nuclear Deal, Atlantic Council, 7 August 2019: Why Germany Resoundingly Rejected Joining a US-Led Mission Against Iran, DW, 9 August 2019: US threatens to withdraw troops from Germany, The Telegraph, 9 August 2019: US threatens to pull out troops stationed in Germany in row over defence spending, NBC News, 9 August 2019: Ambassador Grenell tells Germany to boost defense spending or U.S. will withdraw troops, Xinhua, 9 August 2019: U.S. ambassador threatens to withdraw troops from Germany over military spending, dpa international, 9 August 2019: US threats to withdraw troops cause stir among German politicians, Jerusalem Post, 15 August 2019: ‘German foreign minister ignoring lessons of Auschwitz,’ supports Iran. The US troops are for sure totally enthusiastic to move into the infrastructure of eastern Poland, but there is no way hard enough to finally be allowed to relocate into “Fort Trump”. In the meantime, the Federal Government can invest the billion-dollar sums previously spent on the US troops presence instead in national defense in order to achieve the 2% NATO target and to make the Bundeswehr fully operational. The cleared areas could be used well for the construction of affordable housing units. All this does not change the fact that German foreign policy is currently not living up to its requirements. Europe’s largest economic power not only has rights but duties alike. This includes the deployment of the Bundeswehr in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, and to the extent that one can expect a successful outcome of missions. To be a world champion of moral sly foxing is no longer enough. Words must be followed by deeds, because otherwise foreign policy is ineffective. In spite of all the big talk by Trump and his puppets, it is obvious that this episode will end one wonderful day, while German/EU-American relations (fortunately without Trump and his administration, including Richard Grenell – Die Zeit, 20 February 2017: Transatlantic relations: Yankee Goes Home, Atlantic Council, 15 March 2018: A Storm is Brewing in Transatlantic Relations, Carnegie Europe, 5 July 2019: Can Ursula Von Der Leyen Save the Transatlantic Relationship?, Politico.eu, 19 August 2019: Trump’s German frenemy, Der Spiegel, 21 August 2019: Radio Silence: German-U.S. Ties Are Breaking Down, Politico.eu, 4 October 2019: Trump names Ric Grenell his special envoy for Serbia and Kosovo) will still be very important, even when NATO and US haters and Putin apologists will not like it at all. Russia is not a serious option and, with the exception of trade, China, in many ways and on many levels, will first have to become one over the next decades. To be fair, one has to admit that after all there has been a considerable change of mentality to the extent that at least the German political leadership has understood (and even supported by the Greens), that it is no longer an option to easily submerge, when it comes to the topic of “Bundeswehr missions abroad”, because of the dramatic shifts in the transatlantic relations. So, of all people, the US hooligan Trump was needed, to let the German government become aware of the new political realities, instead of taking the easy path and accomplish a relatively smooth foreign policy transition during the Obama administration. So far, however, the changes in foreign policy are mainly noticeable in theory and during Sunday speeches. It will probably take a while before this will become visible in practice and internationally, too.
- Between the 23 and 26 Mai 2019, the European Parliament election will be held.
Economic and/or political development
The EU economy continues to develop well, although the federal debts of half of member countries remains above the agreed 60% of GDP. The EU GDP surpasses that of the US. The economic growth was 2.5% in 2017 and is projected to reach 2.3% in 2018, with developments in the member countries varying in some cases significantly (Reuters, 2 July 2018: Beating expectations, euro zone unemployment stable in May, Reuters, 7 September 2018: A decade after Lehman, Europe remains on economic crutches, The Guardian, 21 January 2019: IMF: no-deal Brexit and Chinese slump are biggest economic risks, France24, 7 March 2019: ECB to keep rates unchanged amid weakening economy, The New York Times, 7 March 2019: Global Economy Slows, Pushing Europe’s Central Bank to Make a Surprise Move and The New York Times, 24 April 2019: Europe Not Feeling Much Pain From Trump Tariffs, Central Bank Says, The Guardian, 15 May 2019: Populism isn’t the biggest threat to the EU – it’s the east-west divide, The Guardian, 15 May 2019: Merkel: Europe must unite to stand up to China, Russia and US, The Guardian, 16 May 2019: Majority of Europeans expect end of EU within 20 years, CNN, 18 July 2019: Europe is sleepwalking its way to another lost decade, Irish Times, 25 July 2019: European Central Bank paves way for fresh stimulus package, BBC, 25 July 2019: Eurozone prepares for interest rate cut as growth slows, Saudi Gazette, 25 July 2019: ECB charts path for new stimulus, Gulf News, 25 July 2019: European Central Bank hints rate cut, Arab News, 31 July 2019: Indecisive Europe must secure its digital sovereignty, Politico.eu, 13 August 2019: Boom time for European tourism, CNN, 14 August 2019: 5 of the world’s biggest economies are at risk of recession, Politico.eu, 19 August 2019: Merkel: ‘Truly united Europe’ includes Western Balkans, Politico.eu, 22 August 2019: EU officials float €100B boost for European companies, Saudi Gazette, 22 August 2019: Eurozone bankers warn of ‘more protracted’ slowdown, Politico.com, 24 August 2019: It’s the economy, Dummkopf! German slowdown spells trouble, Politico.eu, 26 August 2019: Europe’s last line of defense, Gulf Times, 6 September 2019: Merkel hopes China-US trade problems will be solved soon, CNN, 6 September 2019: Caught between human rights and trade, Angela Merkel lands in China, CNN, 11 September 2019: Europe needs Germany to spend big. Don’t hold your breath, Politico.eu, 14 September 2019: Trump poised to hit EU with billions in tariffs after victory in Airbus case, Politico.eu, 13 September 2019: What Europe is really fighting about, CNN, 18 September 2019: A crack just emerged in the financial markets: The NY Fed spends $53 billion to rescue the overnight lending market, BBC, 20 September 2019: Why is the Fed pumping money into the banking system?, The Guardian, 23 September 2019: Eurozone economy slows amid trade decline and Brexit fears, The Guardian, 25 September 2019: Global recession a serious danger in 2020, says UN, The Guardian, 30 September 2019: Christine Lagarde must jump-start change in Europe’s economy, Euronews, 30 September 2019: Using the EU’s own trade rules against it: the scourge of ‘VAT Carousel’ fraud (missing trader fraud), Politico.eu, 2 October 2019: The European way of life in numbers, Reuters, 7 October 2019: Mission impossible: Next EU foreign policy chief warns of EU irrelevance, Politico.eu, 15 October 2019: EU builds anti-Trump trade bazooka, Politico.eu, 19 October 2019: EU at ‘standstill’ over past 5 years, says French business lobby chief, The Guardian, 20 October 2019: World economy is sleepwalking into a new financial crisis, warns Mervyn King, CNN, 24 October 2019: The man who saved the euro bows out amid ‘unprecedented’ dissent at Europe’s central bank, Arab News, 25 October 2019: Europe has become the sick man of the world, CNN, 24 October 2019: Debt and deficit aren’t the same thing. Here’s the difference, Politico.eu, 25 October 2019: Argentine election looms over EU-Mercosur deal, Politico.eu, 31 October 2019: Lagarde’s political bent leaves critics fearing for ECB independence, The New York Times, 1 November 2019: Macron Steps Into a Leadership Vacuum in Europe, and on Some Toes, The Guardian, 4 November 2019: Poll reveals majority of eastern Europeans ‘fearful for democracy’, CNN, 10 November 2019: Two of the world’s biggest economies are at risk of recession, BBC, 21 November 2019: New warning on global economic slowdown, Politico.eu, 21 November 2019: The end of world trade as we know it, Politico.eu, 25 November 2019: Four ways to build trust for the single market, Politico.eu, 28 November 2019: EU rebels fight Commission plan to build WTO court without America, The Economist, 28 November 2019: The twilight of the WTO: The trading system’s referee is about to leave the field, Al Jazeera, 30 November 2019: The WTO 20 years after the ‘battle of Seattle’, Politico.eu, 6 December 2019: Don’t bank on the ECB saving the planet, The Guardian, 8 December 2019: WTO faces crisis over settlement disputes unless Trump backs off, Jerusalem Post, 9 December 2019: European innovation community extends operations to Israel, The Diplomat, 12 December 2019: Trump’s War on the World Trade Organization, NPR, 18 December 2019: Boeing Is So Big That Its 737 Max Production Halt Will Slow The Economy, Politico.com, 19 December 2019: Trump to now focus on trade deals after USMCA passage, France24, 21 December 2019: French Foreign Minister Le Drian calls for stronger ties between Europe and Latin America, Arab News, 25 December 2019: Europe’s hard choices in 2020, Politico.eu, 26 December 2019: Europe on the wane, DW, 30 December 2019: US, China and Germany profit most from global free trade, says WTO, Politico.eu, 31 December 2019: Europe’s big problems in 2020, WTO, 1 January 2020: The WTO’s 25 years of achievement and challenges, The Guardian, 2 January 2020: Can Merkel and Macron get Franco-German relations back on track?, Politico.eu, 27 January 2020: Europe vows to finally deliver on its unloved industrial strategy, The Atlantic, 31 January 2020: The European Union’s Double Crisis of Legitimacy (the political union is not only desirable, it is long overdue. Instead of shifting decisions from one government to the next for fear of a few nationalist backbenchers, anti-German and EU-hostile anti-democrats and anti-constitutionalists, right-wing extremists and right-wing terrorists, it is high time for the next big step forward to make the EU more powerful and future-proof and at the same time due of the results to take the wind out of the sails of the nationalists, because the successes will expose the “critics” for what they are: substance-less simpletons), Politico.eu, 3 February 2020: Europe’s next crisis: The geopolitical Commission, Arab News, 4 February 2020: Transformation being forced upon the EU, Politico.eu, 5 February 2020: Vestager’s next big fight will be with Europe, Politico.eu, 15 February 2020: Jean-Claude Juncker: Von der Leyen and I are ‘like the two popes’, Gulf Times, 17 February 2020: US economic outlook remains biggest risk to developing world, Gulf Times, 23 February 2020: Let’s come together to tax tech giants, say G20 officials eying $100 bn boost, The Guardian, 9 March 2020: Oil price plunges almost 30% as Saudis vow to step up production, CNN, 9 March 2020: Why oil prices are crashing and what it means, The Guardian, 9 March 2020: Saudi Arabia price war wipes billions from value of major oil firms, Al Jazeera, 18 March 2020: US crude plummets 11% to 18-year low as demand shock deepens, Al Arabiya, 18 March 2020: Russia would like to see higher oil prices: Kremlin spokesman, Arab News, 18 March 2020: Aramco plans to speed up big crude output rise: CEO, The National, 18 March 2020: Oil slips to lowest level since 2002 as economies brace for recession, Al Arabiya, 18 March 2020: US crude oil hits 17-year low amid coronavirus, Saudi-Russia price war, CNN, 29 March 2020: Economists and investors are flying blind through a pandemic, Politico.eu, 31 March 2020: EU makes new push for solidarity with €100B unemployment scheme, Jerusalem Post, 2 April 2020: Venezuelan warship shoots, rams into German cruise vessel before sinking, The Economist, 16 April 2020: Pandemic geopolitics: Is China winning?, DW, 23 April 2020: How the coronavirus impacts the book industry (it would be easy to create a common platform. You don’t need 2,000 people for this, just 20 and a data center. The connected publishers can do the rest themselves, thus keeping the costs low. However, there are probably once again single interests that prevent this step. Above all, the corona crisis shows that the German retail sector is hopelessly lagging behind in terms of digitalization. Individuals were well positioned before, but the majority were not. “Traditional retail” in particular will decline because of the crisis while it still believes that “personal advice” would be unbeatable compared to “this Internet that will go away anyway”. A remarkable misjudgment), Politico.eu, 27 April 2020: Macron, the lonely Europeanist, Politico.eu, 4 May 2020: Europe’s economic future in German judges’ hands, CNN, 4 May 2020: Some retailers are too broke to go bankrupt, Politico.eu, 5 May 2020: German court lays down EU law, Yale Global Online, 5 May 2020: Irresponsible Superpowers Must Cooperate, Der Spiegel, 5 May 2020: Future of Our Global Economy: The Beginning of De-Globalization, Politico.eu, 5 May 2020: German high court warns ECB that bond buying could be illegal, Foreign Affairs, 6 May 2020: The Coming Post-COVID Anarchy, Politico.eu, 6 May 2020: Hogan: Brussels will ensure ‘supremacy’ of EU law after German ruling, CNN, 6 May 2020: Europe faces recession of ‘historic proportions’, Politico.eu, 6 May 2020: Europe faces ‘recession of historic proportions’, Politico.eu, 6 May 2020: Hungary no longer a democracy: report, Times of Israel, 6 May 2020: Thus passes the glory of Europe, Yale Global Online, 7 May 2020: Don’t Blame Supply Chains, Politico.eu, 8 May 2020: Sassoli demands bigger European Parliament role in recovery plan, YouTube, 8 May 2020: Secretary-General António Guterres video message on observance of Europe Day, 9 May 2020 (Europe Day), European Union – External Action: Europe Day 2020: Together we are Europe, European Union: Europe Day, Politico.eu, 9 May 2020: EU leaders to Europe on Europe Day: We’re Number 1, The Guardian, 9 May 2020: IMF warns of further drop in global growth due to Covid-19, The Guardian, 10 May 2020: The ‘United States of Europe’ speech that Winston Churchill so nearly made, Politico.eu, 10 May 2020: Paolo Gentiloni: EU emergency finance has no ‘draconian’ strings attached, Politico.eu, 10 May 2020: Brussels eyes a bigger EU shareholder role in the coronavirus recovery, The Guardian, 10 May 2020: Elites have failed us. It is time to create a European republic, Politico.eu, 11 May 2020: Snake oil, quackery and deglobalization, Politico.eu, 11 May 2020: Watchdog slams EU agency for letting boss join lobby group, CNN, 13 May 2020: Europe promises to reopen for summer tourism in wake of coronavirus, Politico.eu, 13 May 2020: The EU is undermining its democracies while funding its autocracies, CNN, 13 May 2020: 2020 is a catastrophe for tourism businesses. Here’s what the industry needs to get back on its feet, CNN, 15 May 2020: Europe’s top three economies are now in recession. The real shock is still to come, Politico.eu, 15 May 2020: Get ready for a two-speed recovery, The Washington Post, 15 May 2020: Europeans emerging from lockdowns are wary of the cheek kiss, Politico.com, 15 May 2020: Coronavirus reheats Europe’s food nationalism, Arab News, 16 May 2020: The EU: Not fatally broken, but it needs fixing soon, Irish Times, 18 May 2020: European project and Ursula von der Leyen face an existential threat in Covid-19, CNN, 19 May 2020: Europe promises to reopen for summer tourism in wake of coronavirus, Politico.eu, 19 May 2020: Ischinger: German-French recovery plan could transform EU and seal Merkel’s legacy, Politico.eu, 19 May 2020: Don’t save the economy. Change the economy., The washington Post, 19 May 2020: The post-American world is now on full display, Politico.eu, 19 May 2020: Franco-German recovery deal meets resistance, Politico.eu, 20 May 2020: German conservatives’ eurobond awakening, Politico, 20 May 2020: Italian PM: Franco-German recovery deal is not enough, Politico, 20 May 2020: Merkel warns against protectionism in face of coronavirus recession, Politico, 21 May 2020: Juncker: EU internal border closures ‘nonsense’ (the Trump administration has announced, that the travel restrictions from Europe to the US will remain in place. The exorbitantly high number of Covid-19 infected and killed in the US given, there will be very few Europeans who would accept the risk of entering the US anyway. In this respect, it’s obviuosly just another misleading election campaign stunt by the Trump administration, to distract Trump voters from the real reasons why Europeans don’t travel to the United States at the moment), Politico.eu, 22 May 2020: This isn’t Europe’s ‘Hamilton’ moment, Der Spiegel, 22 May 2020: Half a Trillion Euros: Merkel and Macron Find the Strength for Europe, Der Spiegel, 22 May 2020: “Times of Struggle”: France and Germany Show the Way Forward in the COVID-19 Crisis, Politico.eu, 22 May 2020: China flexes its trade muscles, Gulf Times, 23 May 2020: Europe’s Hamiltonian moment, Politico.eu, 23 May 2020: ‘Frugal four’ propose ‘loans for loans’ approach to coronavirus recovery fund, The Guardian, 22 May 2020: We lived the European dream. Will any politician stand up for open borders?, The Guardian, 25 May 2020: The Guardian view on Europe and Covid-19: time for true solidarity, The Guardian, 25 May 2020: European Union Dawn of Asian century puts pressure on EU to choose sides, says top diplomat, Irish Times, 25 May 2020: EU divisions laid bare by ‘frugal four’ Covid recovery proposal (“The simple-minded four” would also describe the initial situation well), The Guardian, 26 May 2020: Franco-German plan for European recovery will face compromises, Forbes, 27 May 2020: Canada Opens Door To International Students While U.S. Shuts It, France24, 27 May 2020: EU Commission proposes €750 billion recovery fund in wake of Covid-19 crisis (congratulations to this sensationally good proposal with a lot of foresight and future orientation or according to the American motto “go big or go home!”), BBC, 27 May 2020: Von der Leyen calls €750bn recovery fund ‘Europe’s moment’, CNN, 27 May 2020: EU plans to raise $825 billion for coronavirus relief. Hard-hit countries need help soon, The Guardian, 27 May 2020: European commission: ‘Defining moment’ as EU executive pushes for €500bn in grants, The New York Times, 27 May 2020: A €750 Billion Virus Recovery Plan Thrusts Europe Into a New Frontier, The Washington Post, 27 May 2020: E.U. proposes $825 billion coronavirus rescue plan giving Brussels power to raise money for first time, BBC, 28 May 2020: EU budget: Who pays most in and who gets most back?, Politico.eu, 27 May 2020: Germany’s Scholz sees recovery fund as more than money, The Washington Post, 29 May 2020: Germany, borrowing from Trump, says it wants to make Europe ‘strong again’, Politico.eu, 29 May 2020: Back off, Trump. Germany wants to Make Europe Strong Again, The Washington Post, 29 May 2020: Europeans emerging from lockdowns find conspicuous absence of Americans, The New York Times, 30 May 2020: How We Broke the World, Irish Times, 31 May 2020: National Courts Cannot Override CJEU Judgments, Politico.com, 1 June 2020: G-7 members reject Trump’s bid to bring Russia in from the cold, Der Spiegel, 2 June 2020: Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz: “The EU Consists of More than Just Two Member States”, CNN, 2 June 2020: A lost decade looms for America’s economy, The New York Times, 2 June 2020: Embattled at Home, Trump Finds Himself Isolated Abroad, Too, France24, 3 June 2020: Trump says ‘common sense’ for Russia to rejoin G7, DW, 3 June 2020: Germany unveils stimulus package to kickstart economy, Politico.eu, 4 June 2020: Germany, France launch Gaia-X platform in bid for ‘tech sovereignty’, France24, 4 June 2020: Germany unveils 130-bn stimulus to kickstart virus-hit economy (that’s a really good signal for Germany), Politico.eu, 4 June 2020: Trump’s Europe strategy: Nothing, Der Spiegel, 4 June 2020: A Foreign Policy Conundrum: Merkel and the EU Trapped between China and the U.S., BBC, 4 June 2020: Eurozone in fresh emergency action to boost economy, Politico.eu, 5 June 2020: EU eyes return to free travel by early July, Arab News, 5 June 2020: G20 discusses long-term vision for the digital economy, The Guardian, 6 June 2020: Europe’s big two kiss and make up for pandemic rescue deal, Politico.eu, 6 June 2020: German court ruling could tear EU apart, warns senior judge, BBC, 10 June 2020: Outlook for virus-hit global economy ‘dire’, The National, 10 June 2020: Italy and Greece sign deal defining Mediterranean maritime zones, Politico.eu, 11 June 2020: EU leaders deeply divided on recovery budget, Michel tells Parliament, CNN, 11 June 2020: Trump authorizes sanctions against International Criminal Court officials (well, he’s still on course by acting like your average banana republic dictator), Politico.com, 12 June 2020: Brussels plans to counter Chinese and U.S. subsidies, Politico.eu, 14 June 2020: Trump’s WTO criticism is ‘damaging,’ says trade body’s chief, The National, 14 June 2020: Europe stands united with fiscal support package of requisite magnitude, IMF says, Der Spiegel, 15 June 2020: Wolfgang Schäuble on Germany and Europe: “We Germans Have Reached Agreements with NATO and We Must Adhere to Them”, France24, 15 June 2020: Grand reopening? FRANCE 24 and Deutsche Welle at France-Germany border, The Guardian, 15 June 2020: Germany and France reopen borders as Europe emerges from lockdown, Politico.eu, 15 June 2020: Transatlantic blues as Pompeo holds EU talks, France24, 16 June 2020: Italy’s Conte says EU virus recovery funds will be spent wisely, Politico.eu, 16 June 2020: New factions emerge in EU recovery fund fight, Politico.eu, 18 June 2020: Merkel: Coronavirus pandemic revealed Europe’s fragility, The Guardian, 18 June 2020: The end of tourism? , France24, 18 June 2020: Merkel urges EU to agree on €750 billion recovery plan by end of July, The Guardian, 18 June 2020: The end of tourism?, Times of Israel, 18 June 2020: EU okays landmark Israel ‘Open Skies’ aviation deal, despite annexation tensions, Politico.eu, 18 June 2020: Threat of EU-US trade war grows amid digital tax stand-off, Arab News, 18 June 2020: EU leaders under pressure as bloc approaches crossroads, France24, 19 June 2020: Merkel urges EU to agree on €750 billion recovery plan by end of July, DW, 19 June 2020: EU leaders hold virtual summit on coronavirus recovery plan, The Guardian, 19 June 2020: Angela Merkel fears economic crisis is being underestimated in EU, France24, 19 June 2020: Divided EU leaders face challenges on Covid-19 stimulus package, Politico.eu, 19 June 2020: In budget summit, EU leaders live up to low expectations, CNN, 19 June 2020: Which international destinations are reopening to tourists?, Politico.eu, 21 June 2020: Europe’s post-lockdown rules compared, BBC, 24 June 2020: What the Dutch can teach the world about remote work, Politico.eu, 24 June 2020: Conference on EU future edges closer — but with clear limits, CNN, 24 June 2020: European chocolates, olives and 28 other items could be hit with $3.1 billion in new US tariffs, Politico.eu, 24 June 2020: Hey, big spender! EU prepares to splash the cash, Arab News, 25 June 2020: Trump tears up traditional US approach to Europe, BBC, 25 June 2020: US threatens tariffs on EU beer, gin and olives, Politico.eu, 26 June 2020: Merkel: Europe must set ‘good example’ and fight protectionism, The Guardian, 26 June 2020: Do not assume US still aspires to be a world leader, Merkel warns, Politico.eu, 26 June 2020: Europe’s bank needs more money to fund EU recovery plan, The Guardian, 26 June 2020: ‘For Europe to survive, its economy needs to survive’: Angela Merkel interview in full, Politico.eu, 26 June 2020: We’ll all be speaking German soon, Politico.eu, 26 June 2020: Merkel’s Germany will outlast her, Irish Times, 27 June 2020: New EU borrowing plan could accelerate green recovery, Politico.eu, 27 June 2020: Von der Leyen urges leaders to agree on EU budget by ‘summer break’, The Guardian, 29 June 2020: Poland should get less from Covid-19 fund due to rights record, claim EU member states (rightly so. As the Poles claim that they are a Christian nation (according to their reactions on the migratin crsis, they don’t even have the slightest idea what Christian values are), they should know the biblical “eye for an eye” concept pretty well), Politico.eu, 29 June 2020: Merkel’s Dr. No gets his toughest mission yet, France24, 29 June 2020: Macron and Merkel meet to discuss EU recovery plan, The Guardian, 29 June 2020: Europeans’ trust in US as world leader collapses during pandemic, DW, 30 June 2020: Opinion: Angela Merkel’s moment to define the EU’s future, France24, 1 July 2020: Germany assumes EU presidency as Merkel pushes for massive bloc-wide recovery plan (it is becoming increasingly clear that it is once again time for big pictures and visions of an integrated EU and that real leaders must courageously go ahead, take the EU population with them, animate them, cheer them up – just as outstanding coaches in team sports have to do it in order to ultimately win the trophy. Because of and through Corona, the EU has once again been “given” a time window for major changes. This means that the most important basic requirements are already in place: money is there, there is general consensus, there is a spirit of optimism right up to impatience, and there is pressure to change for years. There is a lot to do, but it can be taken as a very positive challenge because it means work for everyone. What does it start with? Development clear specifications and requirements for the individual departments (economy, education, social issues, environment, digitization, EU defense etc.). After that, only one thing is missing, namely the starting shot! It is actually very simple and only needs to be done), DW, 1 July 2020: Angela Merkel’s last EU Council Presidency — what to expect, Politico.eu, 3 July 2020: European Parliament leaders in Spanish spat, CNN, 4 July 2020: The UK is reopening for business. London may never be the same, DW, 4 July 2020: Donald Trump slams ‘far-left fascism’ at Mt. Rushmore speech for July 4 (fortunately, our freak shows are not called Trump, but instead AfD, NPD, Reichsbürger, Rassemblement National, Partij voor de Vrijheid, Fidesz, PiS, English Defense League and how else Europe’s anti-constitutional and democratic freak shows, racists and fascists call/name themselves. So there is little reason for arrogance as long as we don’t get our own extremists under control), CNN, 4 July 2020: Cracks in the Trump-Europe relationship are turning into a chasm, Politico.eu, 4 July 2020: EU budget rules to come back after crisis: Dombrovskis, DW, 5 July 2020: Faith leaders call to keep EU’s religious freedom envoy, BBC, 6 July 2020: US to withdraw visas for foreign students if classes moved fully online, France24, 7 July 2020: Eurozone economy to plunge 8.7% this year after hit from Covid-19, CNN, 7 July 2020: International students may need to leave US if their universities transition to online-only learning (this has, of course, undeniable advantages: Instead of exposing yourself to the risk of an infection from the Trump virus when studying at Harvard University or other US universities, you can instead study online from your safe home country, while enjoying the benefits of universal health care. The necessary literature is available in European university libraries as well. Only the study experience and networking in the US cannot be replaced by online studies. Foreign students spend approximately $ 45 billion annually. They will be missing in the future), France24, 7 July 2020: US says foreign students whose classes move online due to Covid-19 have to leave, CNN, 7 July 2020: There are more than 1 million international students in the US. Here’s where they’re from, Irish Times, 7 July 2020: The Irish Times view on the dual threat of coronavirus and Brexit, Politico.eu, 7 July 2020: Why the recovery fund won’t work, Politico.eu, 9 July 2020: With Eurogroup, Donohoe wins the tough job of economic recovery, Politico.eu, 9 July 2020: European Parliament clashes with Merkel over rule of law in budget talks, Politico.eu, 9 July 2020: Merkel sees tough road to EU budget and recovery deal, Politico.eu, 10 July 2020: Charles Michel’s small cuts set stage for big EU budget fight, Politico.eu, 10 July 2020: Rutte says Michel’s EU budget plan is an improvement, Politico.eu, 10 July 2020: Bulgaria, Croatia enter euro waiting room, The Guardian, 11 July 2020: Global ‘catastrophe’ looms as Covid-19 fuels inequality, DW, 11 July 2020: Foreign students in US face ‘huge amount of stress and fear’ after visa change, The Guardian, 12 July 2020: EU leaders are split over coronavirus recovery, DW, 13 July 2020: German Chancellor Angela Merkel says EU leaders ‘remain apart’ on coronavirus recovery deal, France, 13 July 2020: EU summit may not reach recovery fund deal: Merkel, DW, 13 July 2020: EU foreign ministers meet to discuss Hong Kong, Turkey, The Guardian, 13 July 2020: The world needs grown-up leadership. Time for Germany to step up, Al Jazeera, 13 July 2020: IMF warns of deeper MENA recession and rising social unrest risks, Arab News, 13 July 2020: IMF predicts worst Mideast downturn in half century, The National, 13 July 2020: IMF cuts Middle East and Central Asia economic outlook as pandemic persists, France24, 14 July 2020: Trump administration reverses course on order barring some foreign students, CNN, 14 July 2020: Trump administration drops restrictions on online-only instruction for foreign students, CNN, 14 July 2020: US allies once seemed cowed by China. Now they’re responding with rare coordination, Politico.eu, 15 July 2020: The coronavirus recovery plan that von der Leyen built, DW, 15 July 2020: China’s economic loss could be Morocco’s gain, Politico.eu, 23 July 2020: EU can’t have it both ways with Turkey, Arab News, 23 July 2020: Macron wants EU to punish Turkey, NPR, 24 July 2020: ICE Confirms New Foreign Students Can’t Take Online-Only Course Loads In The U.S., Politico.eu, 24 July 2020: EU vows tougher response on hybrid threats, France24, 25 July 2020: EU recovery plan deals a blow to popular Erasmus exchange programme, DW, 26 July 2020: Opinion: The dollar determines Cubans’ everyday lives, DW, 27 July 2020: Don’t take unnecessary risks, a second coronavirus wave is definitely coming!, The Guardian, 27 July 2020: Germany by far most admired country, with US, China and Russia vying for second – global poll (Gallup, 27 July 2020: U.S. Leadership Remains Unpopular Worldwide), BBC, 28 July 2020: Pandemic cost tourism industry ‘at least $320bn’, France24, 28 July 2020: Covid-19 cost tourism sector $320 billion in first five months of 2020, the UN says, DW, 28 July 2020: Will Donald Trump’s visa restrictions slow down America’s economic revival?, Arab News, 28 July 2020: Europe’s COVID-19 recovery choice: Responsibility or ruin, The Washington Post, 29 July 2020: ‘Revenge travel’ is the phenomenon that could bring back tourism with a bang, BBC, 30 July 2020: Coronavirus: US economy sees sharpest contraction in decades (well, the Trump virus strikes with all severity. Who would have thought that? Probably everyone who deals with the economy, and therefore definitely no one from the Trump administration), CNN, 30 July 2020: US economy posts its worst drop on record, The Guardian, 30 July 2020: Can Germany now hold the European team together?, DW, 31 July 2020: Eurozone GDP drops 12.1% in record pandemic plunge, Politico.eu, 31 July 2020: The historic coronavirus recession — by the numbers, The New York Times, 31 July 2020: Despite Historic Plunge, Europe’s Economy Flashes Signs of Recovery, France24, 2 August 2020: Tourist sites are empty as Covid-19 travel restrictions limit movement, DW, 3 August 2020: Coronavirus: How are the 4 biggest economies trying to stem insolvencies?, DW, 5 August 2020: Opinion: Trans-Atlantic romanticism ends with Donald Trump, Foreign Policy, 7 August 2020: It’s a New Europe—if You Can Keep It, CNBC, 7 August 2020: Canada to impose tariffs on $2.7 billion in U.S. goods after Trump reignites trade feud (all major US trading partners should band together and collectively impose 25% punitive tariffs on all US products, goods and services. Within no time, the Trump gang would be send to hell by the Republicans. In addition, it would suddenly become clear that the US has been living at the expense of its trading partners for decades when it comes to total accounts (products, goods, services and finances)), CNN, 9 August 2020: ‘Everything is gone.’ Flooding in China ruins farmers and risks rising food prices, Financial Times, 9 August 2020: National budget rules to remain suspended next year, Brussels says, Politico.eu, 10 August 2020: EU governments roll back wage support despite corona uncertainty, BBC, 10 August 2020: Opposition disputes Lukashenko landslide win, Reuters, 10 August 2020: Bloody clashes in Belarus as West condemns crackdown after election, CNN, 10 August 2020: As Belarusians take to the streets, authoritarian leaders rally behind Lukashenko, Politico.eu, 10 August 2020: Germany, France knock down Trump push for WHO overhaul, DW, 12 August 2020: Many German firms ignore partners’ human rights abuses, Al Arabiya, 12 August 2020: An Israeli-Saudi ‘Silicon Wadi’ will benefit both countries, Politico.eu, 12 August 2020: From Stilton to Feta, 5 cheeses that stunk up trade deals, France24, 14 August 2020: EU ministers agree to new round of sanctions on Belarus as protests escalate, Politico.eu, 14 August 2020: Belarus frees protesters as workers turn on Lukashenko, France24, 15 August 2020: ‘No more torture,’ say demonstrators as Belarus faces weekend of protests, BBC, 15 August 2020: Belarus: Thousands protest outside state TV building, France24, 16 August 2020: Lukashenko addresses supporters amid rival rallies in Belarus, BBC, 16 August 2020: Belarus: Mass protest eclipses defiant Belarus leader’s rally, The New York Times, 16 August 2020: Belarus Protests Eclipse Rally in Defense of Defiant Leader, The Guardian, 16 August 2020: ‘We will win’: Vast Belarus rally adamant Lukashenko must go, DW, 17 August 2020: EU emergency summit on Belarus: What’s at stake?, Politico.eu, 18 August 2020: In Belarus, fighting for democracy — and LGBTQ rights, Irish Times, 18 August 2020: Russia warns EU leaders over Belarus ahead of crisis talks, DW, 18 August 2020: Belarus: Fractures form in diplomatic elite, France24, 18 August 2020: Demonstrations held outside prison in Belarus where husband of opposition leader is held, DW, 18 August 2020: Is Belarus closer to the West, or to Russia?, BBC, 18 August 2020: Belarus unrest: President Lukashenko accuses opposition of staging coup, DW, 18 August 2020: Exclusive: Lukashenko regime ‘clearly’ at an end in Belarus, says Schäuble, The Guardian, 18 August 2020: Lukashenko: President hints at fresh repression to keep grip on power, DW, 19 August 2020: EU rejects Belarus presidential election result, France24, 19 August 2020: EU will not recognise Lukashenko’s re-election, plans sanctions on those behind protest crackdown, Politico.eu, 19 August 2020: EU leaders back sanctions on ‘substantial number’ of people in Belarus, DW, 19 August 2020: EU rejects Belarus election result, vows quick sanctions, BBC, 19 August 2020: Belarus unrest: Lukashenko steps up efforts to reassert control, The Guardian, 19 August 2020: Belarus crisis: EU says it does not recognise election results, Politico.eu, 19 August 2020: European leaders mix condemnation and caution on Belarus, DW, 20 August 2020: Opinion: Putin wants Belarus in Moscow’s orbit — with or without Lukashenko, France24, 20 August 2020: Macron, Merkel offer EU mediation for Belarus election stand-off in concert with Russia, NPR, 21 August 2020: How To Invest — Even During A Pandemic, Der Spiegel, 21 August 2020: The End of Lukashenkism? On the Knife’s Edge in Belarus, DW, 21 August 2020: Belarusians ‘will never accept’ Lukashenko’s leadership, says opposition’s Svetlana Tsikhanouskaya, France24, 21 August 2020: Belarus opposition summoned as Tikhanovskaya voices defiance, NPR, 21 August 2020: PHOTOS: Belarus’ Massive And Unprecedented Protests, DW, 23 August 2020: Belarus: Protesters flood Minsk, defying Lukashenko’s threats, France24, 23 August 2020: Massive crowd gathers for ‘New Belarus March’ despite Lukashenko’s warnings, Politico.eu, 23 August 2020: Belarus protests continue after Lukashenko digs in, DW, 23 August 2020: Baltic nations form human chains in support of Belarus protests, France24, 23 August 2020: Lukashenko warns of border threats as Belarus opposition calls for Minsk rally, Politico.eu, 23 August 2020: Europe’s 5G plans in limbo after latest salvo against Huawei, Arab News, 24 August 2020: German finance minister sees ‘no way back’ from EU joint debt, BBC, 26 August 2020: The remote hideout of the World Bank, Israel Hayom, 26 August 2020: Europe is clinging to the Palestinians (once again the already well-known and typical Likudnik and anti-EU propaganda. The EU and most member states would be pretty happy, if and when the letter of intent between the UAE and Israel would be filled with life. There are still a myriad of unchallenged issues to overcome, so that it is far to early to celebrate. At the same time the Israel Hayom is Netanyahu’s advertisement agency, so that the Likudniks make clear what kind of supporters they are looking for: racist, far-right-wing and/or autocratic governments. Pretty telling), France24, 27 August 2020: Putin vows military support for Belarus’ Lukashenko, Politico.eu, 27 August 2020: Putin uses Jacob Blake shooting to call US and EU hypocrites on Belarus (good, old Soviet-style propaganda), The Guardian, 27 August 2020: Belarus protests: Putin ready to send Lukashenko military support, Israel Hayom, 27 August 2020: Ashkenazi meets EU counterparts in Germany on first diplomatic trip overseas, Politico.eu, 27 August 2020: EU too slow to help Belarus, says Lithuania, France24, 27 August 2020: EU condemns crackdown on Belarus opposition as Putin offers to help Lukashenko, Politico.eu, 27 August 2020: Beatings and humiliation: Detained in Belarus tell all, Al Jazeera, 27 August 2020: Putin: Russian forces ready to enter Belarus to end protests, The Guardian, 3 September 2020: Switzerland Voters reject EU immigration curb, DW, 6 September 2020: Belarus: Tens of thousands defy threats and march in Minsk (2020 Belarusian protests), BBC, 6 September 2020: Belarus Lukashenko: Protesters defy heavy security, France24, 6 September 2020: Tens of thousands attend Belarus protest against Lukashenko, France24, 7 September 2020: Masked men reportedly seize senior Belarusian opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova in Minsk, DW, 8 September 2020: Belarus protest leader Kolesnikova detained at Ukraine border, France24, 8 September 2020: Will souring China-Australia relations force a rethink on trade?, CNN, 8 September 2020: These three women stood up to Europe’s longest-serving dictator. Here’s what happened to them, Foreign Policy, 8 September 2020: The Pandemic Is Showing What the EU Is Good For, NPR, 9 September 2020: ‘Terror Against The People’: Belarus Detains Another Opposition Leader, Politico.eu, 10 September 2020: EU’s fraud busters struggle with pandemic overload, The New York Times, 11 September 2020: Pandemic Intensifies Food Insecurity, Leaving ‘Children Screaming in Hunger’, CNN, 11 September 2020: Rented penguins and $300,000 dinners: The wildest holiday requests from the super rich, France24, 12 September 2020: Belarus police arrest dozens of protesters at anti-Lukashenko rally, France24, 13 September 2020: Tens of thousands of Belarus protesters rally on eve of Putin-Lukashenko talks (DW, 14 September 2020: Putin pledges a $1.5 billion loan while meeting Lukashenko in Sochi), The Guardian, 13 September 2020: Belarus: 100,000 join rally against Lukashenko on eve of Putin showdown, CNN, 15 September 2020: Trump less trusted internationally than Putin and Xi after Covid-19 response, Politico.eu, 15 September 2020: Ursula von der Leyen’s State of the Union speech: As it happened, France24, 16 September 2020: EU’s von der Leyen unveils blueprint for recovery in ‘state of the union’ address, The New York Times, 16 September 2020: Europe Is Preparing for the Worst, Politico.eu, 16 September 2020: Von der Leyen challenges EU capitals to step up, Foreign Policy, 16 September 2020: The Dutch Don’t Love Europe—and Never Did, DW, 16 September 2020: Global economy coping with coronavirus better than expected: OECD, The Guardian, 17 September 2020: European Union: Belarus sanctions in doubt as Cyprus demands action against Turkey, Politico.eu, 18 September 2020: EU foreign ministers to try to break deadlock on Belarus sanctions, The Guardian, 18 September 2020: Belarus: ‘Another iron curtain’ could come down across Europe, warns UN, DW, 19 September 2020: Belarus police detain hundreds at women’s rally against Lukashenko’s rule, Politico.eu, 19 September 2020: Why Putin hasn’t won the game in Belarus, France24, 19 September 2020: Belarus police detains hundreds in women’s anti-Lukashenko protest in Minsk, BBC, 19 September 2020: Belarus protests: Opposition icon, 73, among hundreds detained in Minsk, The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, 20 September 2020: An ICIJ Investigation: FinCEN Files, Buzz Feed News, 20 September 2020: We Got Our Hands On Thousands Of Secret Documents. Let’s Break Them Down. (despite all the justified criticism and commotion, one should leave the church in the village. Many of the cases that have now been “uncovered” have already been negotiated and punished. Of course, it’s annoying that something like this continues to happen, even though everyone involved has vowed to stop it as soon as possible. For the most part, this is now working quite well, at least as far as SMEs are concerned. If you were caught laundering money here, that would mean not only a stay in prison but also the withdrawal of your business license and thus the economic end. In this respect, it is incomprehensible that bank managers, after the allegations become known, go to the dominatrix they trust, have their buttocks spanked with a rivet board in order to do appropriate penance and then go home, where they eat a pea soup with a extra sausage. The fact that big banks are repeatedly highlighted is in the nature of things, because the leaks should of course say “If we can catch the big ones, what do we do with the small ones?” They are threatening scenes that are actually quite effective. As someone from the construction and real estate industries, you naturally know that the situation was much more dramatic. Until the late 1980s/beginning of the 1990s it was “good form” to participate in semi-legal deals. That has changed considerably, not least because of the increasingly restrictive legal situation and the risk of discovery. Measured in terms of business volume, it is actually the small private banks that are involved heavily, to stay in business at all (or were even founded for the purpose). Now, therefore, big banks are being pilloried again, which transaction volume from bad deals is negligible in relation to the total transaction volume, so that the small banks get scared and follow the regulations. How helpful this is remains to be seen. In any case, the big banks around the globe have lost market value and have therefore had to pay their fine in advance without a trial and on the basis of previous convictions. Whether that is fair is at least questionable), DW, 20 September 2020: FinCEN Files: Tracing the flow of dirty money, BBC, 20 September 2020: FinCEN Files: All you need to know about the documents leak, Irish Times, 20 September 2020: The FinCEN files: The billion dollar a month money trail, CNBC, 21 September 2020: Leaked U.S. government files suggest Deutsche Bank tops list of suspicious transactions, The Guardian, 21 September 2020: Banking: Barclays and HSBC shares fall after reports of alleged suspicious transfers, BBC, 21 September 2020: HSBC’s shares dive to lowest level since 1995, France24, 21 September 2020: Global banks enabled ‘Ponzi scheme’, moved vast sums of illicit money, leak shows, DW, 21 September 2020: Cyprus blocks EU sanctions against Belarus (which says something about the Cypriot government’s non-existent understanding of democracy and about their desire to support the Belarusian dictator Lukashenko against his people. Perhaps it is just hasty obedience in order to be able to join the Russian alliance in the Eastern Mediterranean after leaving the EU. At the same time, however, it also shows why the principle of unanimity must be given up in favor of the majority principle. It cannot be that a single EU state can hold the entire EU hostage for its fantasies), Financial Times, 21 September 2020: Cyprus blocks EU sanctions on Belarus, France24, 21 September 2020: Belarus opposition urges Brussels to ‘be more brave’ on sanctions, The Guardian, 21 September 2020: Cyprus: EU fails to agree on Belarus sanctions after government blocks plan, Politico.eu, 21 September 2020: Borrell admits EU’s credibility ‘at stake’ over failure to sanction Belarus, Politico.eu, 21 September 2020: Conference on EU’s future derailed by leadership fight, The National, 22 September 2020: Cyprus refuses to back EU sanctions on Belarus unless action taken against Turkey, Politico.eu, 22 September 2020: France’s EU minister urges Cyprus to stop linking Belarus sanctions to action on Turkey, France24, 22 September 2020: World should not be dominated by US-China ‘rivalry’, Macron tells UN, Politico.eu, 22 September 2020: EU must use hard power with ‘not so nice’ Russia and Turkey, says French minister, BBC, 22 September 2020: UN General Assembly: US-China tensions flare over coronavirus, Politico.eu, 22 September 2020: ‘I agree with the chancellor.’ German leadership hopeful sees no need to change course, CNN, 23 September 2020: Leaders spar at UN General Assembly amid global crisis, France24, 23 September 2020: Belarus leader Lukashenko holds secret inauguration amid continuing protests, Politico.eu, 24 September 2020: 2020: The year diplomacy died, Politico.eu, 25 September 2020: ECB tensions resurface as pandemic second wave builds, DW, 25 September 2020: Opinion: FinCEN Files should trigger outrage, Politico.eu, 25 September 2020: In global power contest, Charles Michel says EU takes US over China, France24, 26 September 2020: Belarus police detain dozens of women at anti-Lukashenko protest, The National, 26 September 2020: Global trade recovers to 75% of pre-pandemic levels as monthly exports rise, BBC, 27 September 2020: Switzerland referendum: Voters reject end to free movement with EU, France24, 27 September 2020: ‘Lukashenko has to go,’ says France’s Macron, France24, 27 September 2020: Tens of thousands protest in Belarus despite police detentions, Politico.eu, 28 September 2020: Germany seeks breakthrough on linking EU payouts to rule of law, Politico.eu, 29 September 2020: Poland, Hungary to set up rule of law institute to counter Brussels (of course, no extreme right-winger worldwide ever lived a law abiding life ever, even though they expect it from everyone else. The autocrats from the “new eastern block” are a bunch of weirdos and, on top, using the term “double standard” shows the full scale antisemitism in the east, by trying to equate themselves to the persecution of the Jews – typical brownshirt BS), Politico.eu, 30 September 2020: Commission report finds many EU nations fall short on rule of law, Politico.eu, 30 September 2020: Live blog: European Council summit
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Global Times, 31 October 2020: Closer EU-India ties may accelerate geopolitical realignment, DW, 1 October 2020: Opinion: Words alone won’t enforce EU rule of law, Politico.eu, 1 October 2020: EU bangs the Brexit negotiating table (but stays in the room), DW, 1 October 2020: Turkey, Belarus, Armenia-Azerbaijan present EU with tough test, France, 2 October 2020: EU leaders approve sanctions on Belarus officials after Cyprus drops veto threat, DW, 2 October 2020: Opinion: This isn’t how the EU increases its international influence, Politico.eu, 2 October 2020: EU sanctions 40 Belarusian officials, but not Lukashenko, DW, 2 October 2020: Belarus cancels all accreditation for foreign journalists, Bloomberg, 2 October 2020: What a Second Bauhaus Movement Means for Europe, Arab News, 3 October 2020: Changing of the guard in Germany, France24, 4 October 2020: Belarus police fire water cannon, detain anti-Lukashenko protesters, The Guardian, 4 October 2020: Live Coronavirus: close to 35m cases worldwide; 10,499 new infections in Russia, DW, 5 October 2020: Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya calls for German mediation in Belarus, Reuters, 5 October 2020: EU budget rules to remain suspended in 2021: Commission, DW, 6 October 2020: Angela Merkel meets Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Belarus opposition leader visits Berlin wall, France24, 7 October 2020: Belarus opposition leader Tikhanovskaya added to Russia’s wanted list, Arab News, 7 October 2020: Europe’s contradictions exposed by Middle East crises, DW, 8 October 2020: European Parliament urges EU to snub Saudi G20 Summit, DW, 9 October 2020: Opinion: Nobel Prize for the WFP is an appeal for greater cooperation, Politico.eu, 9 October 2020: As EU debates rule of law, Norway’s already making offenders pay, Politico.eu, 10 October 2020: Fear and loathing (of Donald Trump) in the EU, The New York Times, 10 October 2020: Europe’s Economic Recovery Is a Summer Memory, The National, 10 October 2020: Extreme poverty in Middle East and North Africa doubled between 2015 and 2018, DW, 11 October 2020: Belarusian protesters clash with police, dozens arrested, France24, 11 October 2020: Scores detained as Belarus police crack down on opposition protesters, Israel Hayom, 11 October 2020: US imposes new Iran sanctions that may spook European banks, DW, 12 October 2020: Belarus threatens to use firearms against protesters, BBC, 12 October 2020: Belarus protests: Police authorised to use lethal weapons, DW, 12 October 2020: Humanitarian aid is an investment in the future, BBC, 13 October 2020: EU gets $4bn bargaining chip in US trade row, CNN, 13 October 2020: EU ready to hit US exports with tariffs over Boeing subsidies if talks fail, The Guardian, 13 October 2020: Trade: WTO rules EU can apply tariffs on US goods as row deepens, The New York Times, 13 October 2020: Europe Can Impose Tariffs on U.S. in Long-Running Aircraft Battle, Politico.eu, 13 October 2020: No more Mr. Nice Europe, Arab News, 13 October 2020: Global economy recovering faster than expected, IMF says, The Guardian, 13 October 2020: Saudi Arabia fails to join UN human rights council but Russia and China elected, European Commission, 14 October 2020: Press statement by President von der Leyen on the New European Bauhaus, Politico.eu, 15 October 2020: EU shoots for €10B ‘industrial cloud’ to rival US, Politico.eu, 15 October 2020: Europe wants ‘strategic autonomy’ — it just has to decide what that means, DW, 17 October 2020: New Zealand: Jacinda Ardern’s Labour Party wins landslide, France24, 17 October 2020: New Zealand’s Ardern wins landslide victory in pandemic-focused elections, BBC, 17 October 2020: New Zealand election: Jacinda Ardern’s Labour Party scores landslide win, CNN, 17 October 2020: New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern wins second term in landslide election victory, The Guardian, 17 October 2020: NZ election: Jacinda Ardern hails ‘very strong mandate’ after Labour landslide, NPR, 17 October 2020: New Zealand PM Ardern Wins Re-Election In Best Showing For Labour Party In Decades, The New York Times, 17 October 2020: Jacinda Ardern, Hero to Liberals Abroad, Is Validated at Home, DW, 18 October 2020: Thailand’s protests and their digital dimension, Times of Israel, 18 October 2020: Huge crowds in Bangkok challenge Thai protest ban for fourth day, DW, 18 October 2020: Belarus: Thousands turn out for protests despite police threat to open fire, The Guardian, 18 October 2020: Thailand Protest leaders play cat and mouse with police as thousands rally, DW, 18 October 2020: Bolivia heads to the polls in contentious presidential elections, Politico.eu, 20 October 2020: Reporter’s Notebook: Trump, Biden and the ‘f****** Germans’ (one can probably assume that the German government would have even voluntarily let Nord Stream 2 disappear into oblivion, if the nutjobs of the governments of the EU eastward expansion and the Trump administration had not so vehemently demanded it. Instead, completing the project has now become a matter of credibility. After Trump’s dealings with the EU and individual EU states over the past four years, it is of course also about not making a single political success possible for him before the presidential elections, no matter how small, and that works surprisingly well. Although the Trump administration is currently trying desperately to promote the “Three Seas Initiative” in order to increase its influence on the EU eastward expansion along the way, the USA can directly bury its economic goals without the cooperation of the EU core countries. Neither Paris, Rome nor Berlin will submit to the Trump dictation. This, of course, against the background that Trump’s policies are just as insane as Putin’s policies. However, this cannot hide the fact that neither Berlin, Paris nor Brussels have any convincing counter-strategies. “We wait for the next US president” is neither sufficient nor a strategy at all. All current and many future challenges are already known, so that appropriate concepts for investments can be developed, which in the end should lead to much more European self-sufficiency in order to, among other things, decouple from Trump’s trade war with China. Also in other areas, such as NATO / Common Security (the EU sees itself as “soft power”, but without appropriate armament and defense structures that take part in solving problems in Europe, the Levant and North Africa with credible clout, from “soft power” only “chat room” remains) or international treaties (e.g. the Iran deal), it is clear that the EU has to develop its own lines and solutions in order to be able to keep up with future global competition), Al Arabiya, 20 October 2020: Israel’s EAPC pipeline company says it will bring UAE oil to Europe in new deal (Trans-Israel pipeline), Reuters, 20 October 2020: Israeli pipeline company signs deal to bring UAE oil to Europe, Financial Times, 20 October 2020: Israel and UAE sign visa and pipeline deals to cement alliance, The National, 21 October 2020: Coronavirus: Workforce is automating faster than expected, World Economic Forum says, Politico.eu, 20 October 2020: Parliament set to climb down in EU budget fight, Palestine Chronicle, 21 October 2020: European Hypocrisy: Empty Words for Palestine, Deadly Weapons for Israel, DW, 21 October 2020: EU agriculture policy: What are the bones of contention?, Politico.eu, 21 October 2020: Don’t stop saving ‘zombie’ jobs, DW, 21 October 2020: Opinion: EU fails to introduce real agricultural reform, Haaretz, 21 October 2020: Europe Lost Nearly 60 Percent of Its Jewish Population in Past Half Century, New Study Shows, Jerusalem Post, 22 October 2020: Why is the EU silent in the face of Turkish provocations toward Greece?, DW, 22 October 2020: Belarus opposition wins European Parliament rights award, France24, 22 October 2020: Democratic opposition in Belarus awarded 2020 Sakharov Prize, DW, 25 October 2020: Belarus: Over 100,000 protest against Lukashenko ahead of strike ultimatum, The Guardian, 25 October 2020: Belarus: ‘People’s ultimatum’ protest met with violent crackdown, France24, 27 October 2020: France encourages EU allies to take measures against Turkey after Erdogan’s boycott calls (the custom union with Turkey should be put on hold and additonal 10% tariffs placed on all products from Turkey into the EU), Politico.eu, 27 October 2020: EU mulls trade action against Turkey, France24, 27 October 2020: Belarus workers, students start nationwide strike in new challenge to Lukashenko, Arab News, 27 October 2020: How Erdogan steered Turkey from ‘zero problems’ to zero friends, Politico.eu, 29 October 2020: EU eyes tighter grip on data in ‘tech sovereignty’ push, The National, 30 October 2020: Eurozone’s surprise third-quarter GDP recovery will be short-lived, economists warn, BBC, 30 October 2020: Eurozone bounces back to economic growth, Politico.eu, 30 October 2020: Cash clash and coronavirus lockdowns: Budget talks head into November, The Guardian, 30 October 2020: The world is rocked by protest – but does taking to the streets ever work?, Politico.eu, 30 October 2020: Eurozone economy jumps ahead of feared second coronavirus crash, Der Spiegel, 30 October 2020: Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan: “India Is a Fascist State, Inspired by the Nazis”, Al Jazeera, 1 November 2020: Tens of thousands protest in Belarus, defying warning shots, Politico.eu, 4 November 2020: Trump or Biden, Europe is the loser (it is apparently time to take off the rose tinted glasses when assessing the USA and its democratic basis. The US has never been a so-called “full democracy” according to the Democracy Index. Even US experts estimate the situation in such a way that “the USA is on the way to democracy”. Trump has now made it clear for four years that this path is not his path. This has been foreseeable for years and has noticeable consequences in practice. In the US institutions hollowed out by Trump, one can often no longer find any contact persons because thousands of positions are vacant. It cannot be made clearer that there is no interest in a dialogue. What does this mean for Germany and the EU? For Germany, first of all, what has already been described several times in some of the articles on this blog, namely the much clearer assumption of personal responsibility and initiative in many areas (trade, economy, climate, security, etc.). For the EU, this should mean, among other things, a considerably deepened Union, possibly in connection with the concentration on the core EU, in order to be able to act quickly. And what about NATO? With Trump’s second term in office, only a rump organization with Canada, the EU (Common Security and Defense Policy), Great Britain and Australia would remain. In addition to the various negative consequences for the EU, this has the remarkable advantage of a multi-trillion investment program for domestic demand, if only to become largely self-sufficient in the areas of energy, technology and weapons technology), Politico.eu, 4 November 2020: Time for Europe to move past ‘pax Americana’, Politico.eu, 5 November 2020: Macron calls for a ‘refoundation of the Schengen area’, DW, 6 November 2020: EU sanctions on Lukashenko, son over Belarus crackdown, Politico.eu, 7 November 2020: US election: Europe’s winners and losers, DW, 7 November 2020: What a Biden presidency might mean for Europe, Politico.eu, 7 November 2020: Europe congratulates Biden (and itself), Politico.eu, 8 November 2020: ‘Despite defeat, Trumpism lives on’: Europe’s papers on Joe Biden’s victory, CNN, 8 November 2020: Europe can shut down terror attacks quickly. But it’s still unable to prevent them, Politico.eu, 8 November 2020: What Biden means for Europe, Politico.eu, 9 November 2020: Orbán threatens to veto EU budget, recovery fund over rule of law (that’s easy to solve. The payments to Poland and Hungary will be frozen until the matter is resolved to create enough time for renegotiations. In the meantime, the other states will receive the agreed funds in return for agreeing to the rule of law clause. The EU must clearly oppose the constant attempts of blackmail from the EU’s eastward expansion and south-east Europe, if only in the interests of its own ability to act), DW, 9 November 2020: Coronavirus vaccine: EU reaches deal with Pfizer, BioNTech, France24, 10 November 2020: EU imposes retaliatory tariffs on US over Boeing-Airbus spat, Politico.eu, 10 November 2020: Council and Parliament reach deal on EU budget, Times of Israel, 10 November 2020: German FM: Biden’s election an opportunity for US to rejoin Iran deal, Politico.eu, 10 November 2020: EU budget deal: What you need to know, Politico.eu, 11 November 2020: Commission fires first shots in battle for more health power, The Guardian, 11 November 2020: Europe can’t afford to lose another generation to youth unemployment, Politico.eu, 13 November 2020: EU threatens more Belarus sanctions after protester’s death, CNN, 14 November 2020: No tourists allowed: These places are still keeping travelers out during the pandemic, The Hill, 14 November 2020: Trump national security adviser to lead US delegation for Southeast Asia summit, Reuters.com, 15 November 2020: Asia form world’s biggest trade bloc, a China-backed group excluding U.S (up to this point, America’s and Europe’s too-brief thinkers were claiming that there would be no bipolar world economy and that the very thought of it would be ridiculous – and now it is a reality. The Chinese are once again showing the world that they are the better chess players: Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), ASEAN–China Free Trade Area (ACFTA), Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)), The Guardian, 15 November 2020: Simon Birmingham urges China to respect ‘spirit’ of new Asian trade pact, France24, 15 November 2020: Asia forms world’s biggest trading bloc, excludes America, DW, 15 November 2020: Asia-Pacific nations sign world’s biggest free-trade agreement (Donnie managed to “decouple from China” incredibly well, but somehow differently than announced. Indeed, under the leadership of China, Asia is decoupling the US. It remains to be seen whether Joe Biden will be able to get a grip on the chaos caused by #45. That’s a bigger challenge), BBC, 15 November 2020: RCEP: Asia-Pacific countries form world’s largest trading bloc, DW, 15 November 2020: Germany’s famed church tax income plummets during pandemic, Politico.eu, 15 November 2020: Europe’s Biden bind: Stick with US or go it alone?, CNN, 16 November 2020: China signs huge Asia Pacific trade deal with 14 countries, Al Jazeera, 16 November 2020: Why is Asia-Pacific’s new trade deal so important?, The Washington Post, 16 November 2020: French and German foreign ministers: Joe Biden can make transatlantic unity possible (a very good, promising and open approach to initiate the “New Deal”. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris need relief and support measures from the Europeans, who have an obligation here to help ensure that the presidency of the two can also be successful in terms of foreign policy), Politico.eu, 16 November 2020: Berlin stresses US ties after Macron knocks minister’s pro-American op-ed, DW, 16 November 2020: Poland and Hungary veto EU budget plan, BBC, 16 November 2020: EU budget blocked by Hungary and Poland over rule of law issue (the main question is how one can take Poland and Hungary out of the disbursement processes and freeze disbursements in such a way that it continues to run normally for the other EU states, while Poland and Hungary gain time to find out whether they want to remain in the EU or to leave. Such a process can take years. Years during which the Polish and Hungarian governments would have to explain to their people why they had ruined their countries and given up democracy in favor of kleptocracy), The Guardian, 16 November 2020: EU faces crisis as Hungary and Poland veto seven-year budget, The New York Times, 16 November 2020: Hungary and Poland Threaten E.U. Stimulus Over Rule of Law Links, Politico.eu, 16 November 2020: Hungary and Poland block EU coronavirus recovery package, NPR, 17 November 2020: Hungary And Poland Block EU Budget With Pandemic Relief Funds For Hard-Hit Nations, DW, 17 November 2020: Germany remains optimistic after EU budget veto, Politico.eu, 17 November 2020: EU’s €1.8T game of chicken over budget and coronavirus fund, France24, 18 November 2020: Hungary says it blocked EU budget over migration ‘blackmail’ (the EU should rid itself as soon as possible off of the facist east bloc), DW, 19 November 2020: Chinese President Xi Jinping blasts protectionism in APEC speech, The Guardian, 19 November 2020: Xi Jinping warns against protectionism in apparent swipe at US, DW, 19 November 2020: Hungary, Poland hold EU hostage over budget (the EU25 should think much more about how to get rid of Hungary and Poland (possibly also Slovenia) as quickly as possible. The easiest way to get there would be to completely stop the payment of EU funds to the two countries, both from the Corona aid fund and from the budget, while excluding them from all decision-making processes. Poland would be bankrupt within a few months, the leadership of which will then lead the mock battle over alleged German war reparations, but to do so would have to terminate all contracts with Germany and de facto split up Poland in order to create the necessary basis and Hungary’s leadership has been in Putin’s pocket for years which is why it has wanted to cause the EU the greatest possible damage for years. In addition, Orban’s ramblings about Hungary as an alleged “freedom fighter” can then come true. At the same time, one has to wonder how much his voters must be blinded when they confuse Orban’s autocratic kleptocracy with freedom), CNN, 19 November 2020: Obama’s insights on Merkel, Putin and other leaders in his new book, Politico.eu, 19 November 2020: EU ministers agree to draw up new sanctions on Belarus, DW, 19 November 2020: EU to slap sanctions on Belarus firms close to Lukashenko, Politico.eu, 19 November 2020: Hungary and Poland must back down in EU budget fight, says Romania’s PM, Reuters, 19 November 2020: Our pandemic-hit world as seen from above, Politico.eu, 19 November 2020: Germany to Turkey: Calm tensions or face EU sanctions, France24, 20 November 2020: ‘We will work relentlessly to find the solution’: EU’s Sefcovic on rule of law crisis, Politico.eu, 20 November 2020: EU will eventually resolve budget deadlock, Hungary’s Orbán says, France24, 20 November 2020: EU co-operation crisis: Hungary, Poland veto EU budget over rule of law, DW, 21 November 2020: Opinion: What role will the EU play in foreign affairs?, DW, 21 November 2020: Will German companies stop cooperating with Belarus?, Irish Times, 21 November 2020: Fintan O’Toole: Ireland can be the middle island between the EU and Biden’s US, DW, 22 November 2020: Belarus: Thousands continue anti-president protests in Minsk, Arab News, 22 November 2020: The EU between marital squabble and divorce — the budget and Brexit, Politico.eu, 24 November 2020: ECB cannot ignore questions about debt forgiveness, Politico.eu, 25 November 2020: EU’s foreign policy gender plan faces resistance from Poland and Hungary, The National, 25 November 2020: The Iranian spy whose Paris ‘bomb plot’ could have sparked a war, Politico.eu, 25 November 2020: French proposal to buy a new EP building in Strasbourg causes outrage (instead of having to spend more money on the nonsense to travel between Brussels and Strasbourg and thereby unnecessarily complicate the work of Parliament, all activities should in principle be concentrated in Brussels and the sites in Strasbourg should be abandoned), Politico.eu, 25 November 2020: Helle Thorning-Schmidt is front-runner to lead conference on Europe’s future, DW, 26 November 2020: Russia pressures Lukashenko to change constitution (another successful propaganda show à la Kremlin :-D ), Politico.eu, 26 November 2020: Beijing’s influence in European Parliament draws fresh scrutiny, DW, 26 November 2020: Hungary, Poland vow to veto EU COVID recovery fund mechanism, Politico.eu, 26 November 2020: Hungary and Poland escalate budget fight over rule of law, Politico.eu, 27 November 2020: Terror trial in Antwerp to test EU-Iran relations, Politico.eu, 27 November 2020: Europe: Caught between a rule-of-law fight and a hard Brexit, Politico.eu, 27 November 2020: Swedish academic’s imminent execution raises EU-Iran tensions, Al Arabiya, 28 November 2020: Belgium court charges Iranian diplomat with 20-year prison term over terrorism, DW, 29 November 2020: Belarus protesters gather in Minsk districts, hundreds arrested, Irish Times, 29 November 2020: Chris Johns: Economies may enjoy ‘roaring twenties’ if ministers learn lessons, DW, 30 November 2020: Hong Kong’s democracy movement in dire straits as Beijing tightens grip, Politico.eu, 30 November 2020: Merkel says ‘all sides’ must make compromises to break budget deadlock, NPR, 30 November 2020: Biden Is Good News For Europe, But China Challenges Await, Haaretz, 1 December 2020: European Allies Pushed Back When Trump Sanctioned Iran’s Banks, The Guardian, 1 December 2020: Von der Leyen Hungary and Poland should take EU budget row to court, Politico.eu, 1 December 2020: The von der Leyen Commission end-of-year report card, The Atlantic, 1 December 2020: The Nazi Inspiring China’s Communists, The Guardian, 1 December 2020: An effective response to Europe’s fiscal paralysis, Politico.eu, 2 December 2020: EU-US ‘tech alliance’ faces major obstacles on tax, digital rules, The New York Times, 2 December 2020: Biden: ‘We’re Going to Fight Like Hell by Investing in America First’, DW, 2 December 2020: Poland and Hungary gamble on funding with EU budget veto, Politico.eu, 2 December 2020: How Europe can bypass Poland and Hungary’s vetoes, DW, 2 December 2020: Coronavirus: Former French President Valery Giscard d’Estaing dies of COVID at 94, Politico.eu, 2 December 2020: Von der Leyen threatens EU recovery fund without Hungary and Poland (very good approach. The EU should even go further and organize the budget until 2027 without Poland and Hungary. This would mean that both countries could think about whether they want to continue to belong to the EU by 2027 – of course without receiving the previous, lavish support from Brussels, which in Hungary alone finances 50% of all infrastructure measures. Poland and Hungary are the largest net recipients of Brussels development aid payments. Their populations will certainly react enthusiastically to the complete failures of their national leaderships if they are missing several 100 billion euros in their budget over the period), DW, 2 December 2020: Coronavirus: Former French President Valery Giscard d’Estaing dies of COVID at 94, Politico.eu, 2 December 2020: Former French President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing dead at 94, France24, 3 December 2020: ‘The president who modernised France’: political leaders remember Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, France24, 3 December 2020: French press bids ‘adieu’ to former president Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, The Guardian, 3 December 2020: Electric cars More than 500,000 full electric cars sold in Europe in 10 months, Politico.eu, 3 December 2020: Poland blinks first ahead of showdown at the EU budget corral, DW, 3 December 2020: UN: COVID-19 to worsen poverty in 47 poorest nations, Politico.eu, 3 December 2020: 7 things to know about Europe’s plan to boost democracy, DW, 3 December 2020: Belarus police get rougher to protect Alexander Lukashenko, Politico.com, 3 December 2020: Don’t expect Biden to ‘reset’ relations with Beijing, DW, 4 December 2020: Viktor Orban: Hungary will stick by EU budget veto threat (hopefully it stays that way. The money that Brussels doesn’t spent on Hungary and Poland can be spent on meaningful projects in other EU states instead), France24, 4 December 2020: Remembering Giscard d’Estaing, fighting to ski despite Covid-19 & decoding ‘The Crown’, Politico.eu, 4 December 2020: Viktor Orbán rejects rule of law compromise idea, France24, 4 December 2020: Giscard grasped the 70s mood, but French women won their own rights, The Washington Post, 6 December 2020: McCarthyism was never defeated. Trumpism won’t be either., DW, 8 December 2020: Poland, Hungary face growing calls to drop EU budget veto, Politico.eu, 8 December 2020: EU lobby register falls short of transparency demands, DW, 9 December 2020: Hungary’s budget veto leaves Orban isolated, France24, 9 December 2020: Poland, Hungary accept German EU budget offer as ‘D-Day’ approaches, Arab News, 9 December 2020: EU to toughen sanctions on Turkish drilling — draft statement, Politico.eu, 9 December 2020: EU leaders to line up new sanctions on Turkey at summit, Arab News, 9 December 2020: Turkey brushes off any EU sanctions over east Med crisis, Europa.eu, 9 December 2020: Security Union: A Counter-Terrorism Agenda and stronger Europol to boost the EU’s resilience, DW, 10 December 2020: EU breaks deadlock on budget, coronavirus recovery fund, DW, 10 December 2020: EU Special Representative: ‘We see a pattern of violations in Belarus’, France24, 11 December 2020: EU Summit: Turkey says European sanctions plan is ‘biased, unlawful’, Politico.eu, 11 December 2020: EU leaders demand banking union progress, France24, 11 December 2020: EU reaches landmark budget deal with Hungary and Poland, Politico.eu, 11 December 2020: EU leaders move toward sanctioning Turkey, The National, 11 December 2020: EU agrees to map out sanctions on Turkey over Mediterranean drilling, NPR, 11 December 2020: EU Ends Standoff, Moves Forward With Budget And Coronavirus Relief Fund, Arab News, 13 December 2020: France, other European countries withdraw from business forum over Ruhollah Zam execution, Politico.eu, 13 December 2020: EU countries withdraw from Iran business forum over journalist’s execution, Al Arabiya, 13 December 2020: Iran forum postponed as journalist, diplomats withdraw over journalist’s execution, The National, 14 December 2020: World’s 20 largest economies rebound in Q3 after Covid-induced declines, OECD says, Politico.eu, 14 December 2020: Norway’s push for a change to ‘bad deal’ with EU (pretty unbelievable how many Europeans are falling for nationalistic fruitcakes like the Centre Party at the moment. At the same time, of course, it also reflects the problems in the educational systems – Norway–European Union relations), Politico.eu, 15 December 2020: Germany pushes EU regulator on approving coronavirus vaccine before Christmas, Politico.eu, 15 December 2020: Jourová: EU won’t use rule of law powers in ‘activist’ way, Politico.eu, 16 December 2020: Belarus opposition leader calls on EU to do more, The New York Times, 17 December 2020: Powerful Nor’easter Leaves New York City With Its Biggest Snowfall in Years, Politico.eu, 17 December 2020: EU top court gears up for rule-of-law battle (of its life), BBC, 17 December 2020: Jacob Rees-Mogg accuses Unicef of ‘playing politics’ over UK food campaign (Great Britain’s most overrated Tory politician Rees-Mogg also speaks up and rightly gets a lot of headwind for it, because it is thanks to the failed politics of the Tories that the situation has escalated so far so that Unicef has to intervene – The Guardian, 17 December 2020: Free school meals scheme in one of UK’s poorest areas faces axe), Saudi Gazette, 17 December 2020: UNICEF to feed children in UK for first time, The Guardian, 17 December 2020: Jacob Rees-Mogg under fire for dismissing Unicef’s UK grants as stunt, Politico.eu, 18 December 2020: Angela Merkel’s rule-of-law legacy: A divided Europe, Politico.eu, 18 December 2020: EU recovery fund deal may get money flowing in summer, The Times, 19 December 2020: ‘To win against Russia and China we must beat them at their own game’, DW, 24 December 2020: Rural EU citizens more anti-European and anti-democratic — study, BBC, 26 December 2020: American parenting styles sweep Europe, The Guardian, 26 December 2020: China: Economy to overtake US as world’s biggest by 2028, report predicts, BBC, 26 December 2020: Chinese economy to overtake US ‘by 2028’ due to Covid, The Atlantic, 27 December 2020: ‘I Believe That the U.S.A. Can Be the Crucial Player’, DW, 30 December 2020: Moldova’s Maia Sandu: ‘I want to be the president of European integration’, Reuters, 31 December 2020: U.S. slaps tariffs on French and German wines, aircraft parts amid EU dispute, DW, 31 December 2020: EU ‘regrets’ new US tariffs on German, French products, CNN, 31 December 2020: 2020 was a terrible year for Europe. 2021 is unlikely to be much better, Politico.eu, 1 January 2021: Two options for Europe’s coronavirus economy: Bad or a lot worse, Politico.eu, 1 January 2021: Germany’s drive for EU-China deal draws criticism from other EU countries, The Guardian, 3 January 2021: Tesla Manufacturer almost hits 500,000-car delivery target for 2020 despite pandemic, Politico.eu, 4 January 2021: European elections to watch in 2021, Arab News, 4 January 2021: Divided EU cannot afford to waste any more time, Politico.com, 5 January 2021: Biden Wants to Boost Democracy. He Should Shelve the Summit and Look to Europe., BBC, 6 January 2021: Kim Jong-un says North Korea’s economic plan failed, The Guardian, 6 January 2021: North Korea: Kim Jong-un says economic plan a near-total failure at rare political meeting, The Times, 6 January 2021: Kim admits grave economic crisis in North Korea, CNN, 6 January 2021: The world’s most powerful passports for 2021, Saudi Gazette, 7 January 2021: Foreigners to be allowed to run Saudi-owned companies, The New York Times, 11 January 2021: Trump’s Brand Loses Its Luster in the Backlash (serious companies have no choice but to break off business relationships with Trump companies if they want to avoid economic losses and reputational damage), France24, 11 January 2021: Trump administration redesignates Cuba as state sponsor of terror, The Guardian, 12 January 2021: Pompeo scraps Europe trip after EU leader calls Trump ‘political pyromaniac’, Arab News, 13 January 2021: Crown prince: $6 trillion of investment opportunities available in Saudi Arabia over next decade, DW, 15 January 2021: EU launches Year of Rail campaign amid drop in passenger numbers, Politico.eu, 17 January 2021: France pushes suspension of EU-US trade dispute, BBC, 17 January 2021: Eurostar: Government urged to ‘safeguard’ rail firm’s future, DW, 18 January 2021: China’s economic growth slowest in 4 decades amid pandemic, BBC, 18 January 2021: Covid-19: China’s economy picks up, bucking global trend, The Guardian, 18 January 2021: China: Beijing reports strongest growth in two years after Covid-19 recovery, Politico.eu, 19 January 2021: Borrell says he’s not to blame for controversial EU statement on Venezuela, BBC, 22 January 2021: Google threatens to withdraw search engine from Australia, The Guardian, 22 January 2021: Google threatens to leave Australia – but its poker face is slipping).
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control: Coronavirus/COVID-19: Situation update worldwide
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- Since the situation is developing dynamically, there is now a separate blog entry to the topic available: The European Union: Coronavirus Pandemic.
- Saying goodbye to the obviously dysfunctional trickle-down theory, known in the US as part of Reaganomics and the United Kingdom as part of Thatcherism, especially since it has achieved the opposite of what was originally announced, thereby causing considerable disruption in wealth distribution in the West (The Guardian, 13 June 2019: Why are we still pretending ‘trickle-down’ economics work?).
- Austria: Austria consistently ranks high in terms of GDP per capita, due to its highly industrialized economy, and well-developed social market economy. Until the 1980s, many of Austria’s largest industry firms were nationalised; in recent years, however, privatisation has reduced state holdings to a level comparable to other European economies. Labour movements are particularly influential, exercising large influence on labour politics and decisions related to the expansion of the economy. Next to a highly developed industry, international tourism is the most important part of the economy of Austria. The country ranks 10th among the largest EU net payer countries (France24, 18 May 2019: Austria’s far-right Vice Chancellor resigns over video scandal, The Washington Post, 18 May 2019: Austria’s vice chancellor announces resignation amid leak of video of purported graft, Times of Israel, 18 May 2019: Head of Austria’s far-right FPOe resigns government amid corruption scandal, The Guardian, 18 May 2019: Austria to move fast to hold elections after coalition collapses (the question arises why so far no similar videos haven’t been published with protagonists of the AfD, Rassemblement National, Lega Nord, Fidesz, PiS, etc.? It’s about time), France24, 18 May 2019: Austria’s Kurz calls for snap election after vice-chancellor corruption scandal, The Guardian, 19 May 2019: Austria prepares for fresh elections after Ibiza video scandal, Jerusalem Post, 20 May 2019: Australian, Austrian politics and the Israel question – analysis, The New York Times, 19 May 2019: European Elections Will Gauge the Power of Populism, Times of Israel, 20 May 2019: Austrian Jewish head praises downfall of far-right leader, The Guardian, 27 May 2019: Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz ousted in no-confidence vote, DW, 30 May 2019: Austrian president names Brigitte Bierlein interim chancellor, Haaretz, 27 September 2019: Austria Is About to Normalize Its Racist, anti-Semitic Far Right – Again, BBC, 28 September 2019: Austria election: Sebastian Kurz’s People’s Party ‘top poll’, Al Jazeera, 29 September 2019: Austria’s Sebastian Kurz wins election, projections show, Politico.eu, 29 September 2019: Sebastian Kurz spoilt for choice of coalition partners after election win, Times of Israel, 29 September 2019: Austria’s Kurz projected to win elections as far-right tumbles, 2020 coronavirus outbreak in Austria, Politico.eu, 19 March 2020: The Austrian ski town that spread coronavirus across the Continent, CNN, 24 March 2020: How an Austrian ski resort helped coronavirus spread across Europe, CNN, 31 March 2020: Austrian officials face lawsuit from 2,500 tourists over ski resort outbreak, Times of Israel, 4 May 2020: Israel said to join tourism compact for countries bringing virus under control, DW, 16 May 2020: The dark side of politics: Austria’s ‘Ibiza affair’ still sticks, Der Spiegel, 2 June 2020: Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz: “The EU Consists of More than Just Two Member States”, Der Spiegel, 6 July 2020: The Ischgl Outbreak: Families of COVID-19 Victims Seek Justice, Politico.eu, 10 October 2020: Austrian far right’s ex-leader eyes Vienna comeback after scandal, DW, 11 October 2020: Vienna voters deal blow to the far-right in local elections, Politico.eu, 11 October 2020: Former Austrian far-right leader falls short in comeback bid, DW, 12 October 2020: Commission blames Austrian government for poor handling of Ischgl coronavirus outbreak, DW, 2 November 2020: Austria terror attack: Multiple casualties after shooting near Vienna synagogue, France24, 2 November 2020: At least two killed in Vienna ‘terror attack’, Austrian authorities say, CNN, 2 November 2020: Vienna ‘terror attack’: Suspects at large and armed; at least one person killed, Irish Times, 2 November 2020: Vienna: At least two dead, several injured in ‘terror attack’ in city centre, Arab News, 2 November 2020: Two dead in ‘terror’ attack in central Vienna, BBC, 3 November 2020: Vienna shooting: Gunmen hunted after deadly ‘terror’ attack, France24, 3 November 2020: Death toll rises in Vienna ‘terrorist’ attack, city sealed off as police launch extensive manhunt, The Guardian, 3 November 2020: Vienna terrorist attack: several dead after shooting near synagogue in Austria – live updates, BBC, 3 November 2020: Vienna shooting: Arrests after Vienna attacked by ‘freed jihadist’, CNN, 3 November 2020: Four people ‘killed in cold blood’ in Vienna during night of terror, The National, 3 November 2020: Vienna terrorist attack: two killed and scores injured in six Austrian shootings, Times of Israel, 3 November 2020: European rabbis urge ‘much more’ government control of mosques, DW, 3 November 2020: Vienna: Police investigate terror links to gun attack, The Guardian, 3 November 2020: Austria: Terror attacker ‘pretended he had given up jihadism’, Politico.eu, 3 November 2020: UK raises terror threat level to ‘severe’, Al Jazeera, 3 November 2020: ‘No evidence of second attacker’ in Vienna shooting, France24, 3 November 2020: Islamic State group claims responsibility for Vienna terrorist attack, without providing evidence, Arab News, 3 November 2020: Austria police detain 14, give new details on Vienna killer, The National, 3 November 2020: Europe unites against ‘common enemy’ of terrorism after Vienna attack, DW, 3 November 2020: Austria attack: World leaders condemn ‘horrifying’ shootings in Vienna, The Guardian, 3 November 2020: Analysis: Does Vienna attack signal new wave of jihadist terrorism?, The National, 3 November 2020: Fear of a fresh ISIS attack strategy grips Europe, Irish Times, 3 November 2020: Terror will not divide Austria, chancellor says in wake of Vienna attack, Al Jazeera, 6 November 2020: Austria closes mosque, promises to shut more, in wake of attack (if you do not want to adhere to western, democratic and inclusive rules, then you have forfeited your place in the EU. That should be fundamentally clear to everyone and not just after terrorist attacks), BBC, 6 November 2020: Vienna shooting: Anti-terror chief suspended over intelligence bungle, The National, 6 November 2020: Vienna attack: Counter-terrorism chief suspended after ‘intolerable’ intelligence failures, Al Arabiya, 6 November 2020: Austria closes ‘radical’ mosque, association over links to Vienna attacker, Times of Israel, 7 November 2020: Vienna anti-terror chief suspended after failure to prevent Islamist shooting, Politico.eu, 26 November 2020: Austrian village of Fucking to be renamed Fugging, DW, 4 December 2020: Ex-finance minister found guilty of corruption).
- Belgium, Luxembourg and Netherlands (Benelux): Due to the cultural differences between the Dutch-speaking north and the French-speaking south, Belgium is politically not easy to manage (Times of Israel, 28 October 2019: Jewish mom gets nod as Belgium’s first female prime minister, DW, 28 October 2019: Belgium gets first woman prime minister, Israel Hayom, 31 October 2019: Belgium names first ever Jewish, female prime minister, NPR, 3 May 2020: Belgians Urged To Eat More Fries To Help Potato Farmers Amid Pandemic-Related Glut, France24, 27 July 2020: Belgium tightens Covid-19 restrictions to avoid another lockdown amid rise in cases, Politico.eu, 1 October 2020: Belgian milestone: A first trans minister and nobody cares, Jerusalem Post, 3 October 2020: Antwerp Jews to lose army protection under new Belgium government’s plan, The Guardian, 4 December 2020: Security services say Brussels mosque infiltrated by Moroccan spies, Arab News, 4 December 2020: Belgian court to give verdict in Iran diplomat case on January 22, Brussels Times, 13 January 2021: ‘Totally unacceptable’: Minister condemns riots in Brussels, Express, 13 January 2021: Brussels chaos as protesters torch police station in furious clash with officers, BBC, 14 January 2021: Belgian king’s car hit during riots over death in police custody, New York Post, 14 January 2021: Brussels BLM protesters pelt Belgian king’s car with rocks, The Washington Post, 14 January 2021: 4 detained from Belgium demonstration over Black man’s death), but economically sound. The average wealth of Luxembourg‘s households is around 2.5 times the EU average. The banking, insurance and real estate sectors account for over 50% of the GDP. The Dutch banking sector was hit hard by the economic and financial crisis, so it was talked about having to call on the euro rescue fund, but it has since stabilized again. The economy has been growing steadily since 2013 (The Guardian, 18 March 2020: Eurovision Song Contest cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic, Politico.eu, 11 May 2020: The Flemish nationalist exit strategy, Politico.eu, 26 May 2020: Disenchanted Belgians turn their backs on Wilmès, BBC, 23 June 2020: How the Dutch are reshaping their post-pandemic utopia, France24, 10 July 2020: Netherlands takes Russia to European court over 2014 downing of Flight MH17, Politico.eu, 19 July 2020: Belgian PM Wilmès: Now is not the time for regrets on coronavirus response, Politico.eu, 23 July 2020: Mark Rutte: Too frugal and not frugal enough, CNN, 18 August 2020: Amsterdam has been collapsing for years. Now it’s paying the price, Foreign Policy, 16 September 2020: The Dutch Don’t Love Europe—and Never Did, Al Jazeera, 27 October 2020: Erdogan files complaint against Dutch far-right politician, Al Arabiya, 27 October 2020: Dutch PM says Erdogan complaint against anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders ‘unacceptable’, Politico.eu, 23 November 2020: Dutch far-right MP Baudet resigns over racism row, DW, 8 January 2021: Amsterdam weighs ban on ‘coffee shop’ tourism (Amsterdam has suffered from so-called overtourism for years. It is certainly not good for The Bulldog, but it is only logical to switch off drug tourism – in the interests of residents and tourists alike), DW, 15 January 2021: Dutch government resigns over child benefits scandal, BBC, 15 January 2021: Dutch Rutte government resigns over child welfare fraud scandal, The Guardian, 15 January 2021: Dutch government resigns over child benefits scandal, The New York Times, 15 January 2021: Dutch Government Resigns After Benefits Scandal, Politico.eu, 15 January 2021: Mark Rutte pulls plug on Dutch government, plans immediate return, CNN, 15 January 2021: Dutch government resigns over child welfare fraud scandal, France24, 15 January 2021: Dutch government collectively resigns over childcare subsidies scandal). The Netherlands and Belgium 5th and 6th among the among the largest EU net payer countries. Despite its large private wealth, Luxembourg has been the EU’s net recipient country since 2016 and ranks 16th among the largest EU net beneficiary countries.
- Bulgaria and Romania: Bulgaria is considered the poorest and most corrupt country in the EU. In the latter, Romania is not far from the latter (Corruption in Romania, DW, 11 August 2018: What is happening in Romania is not democracy and The Guardian, 5 October 2018: Romanians to vote in referendum LGBT groups say is fuelling hate). Otherwise the countries do not have much in common anymore. Bulgaria has a large wave of emigration behind it (around 1/4 of the population since the end of the Soviet Union – BBC, 30 September 2019: How to slow down the world’s fastest-shrinking country), because in the western EU federal states better-paid employment opportunities can be found. The workers who have migrated, are now missed at the other end of the chain, so that foreign investors do not invest in the country, because there are not enough local skilled workers given anymore. In contrast, Romania’s economy has been growing faster than the rest of the Eurozone for years. Numerous foreign investors and companies have been attracted, who have now created more than 500,000 jobs. The unemployment rate stands at 4.5%, which is causing a shortage of skilled workers and thus led to noticeable increases in wages and salaries, but also to rising minimum wages, which are to be doubled by 2022. The average wage is around 450 euros, the minimum wage at 320 euros. Romania and Bulgaria are ranking 2nd and 8th among the largest EU net beneficiary countries (Economy of Bulgaria and Economy of Romania). With effect from 1 January 2019, the Romanian government under Liviu Dragnea, which is corrupt to the core, will take over the EU Presidency for six months (The Guardian, 30 December 2018: Romania to take over EU presidency amid fears for rule of law, Politico.eu, 1 January 2019: Tusk backs Romania’s EU presidency after Juncker’s ‘doubts’, France24, 1 January 2019: Romania takes over EU presidency amid strained relations with Brussels and Business Review, 7 January 2019: Liviu Dragnea v European Commission: PSD leader takes EU anti-fraud body to court over Tel Drum case, Al Jazeera, 27 August 2019: Romania government hanging by thread as coalition ally pulls out, Politico.eu, 10 October 2019: Dancila’s Romanian government falls in no-confidence vote, Politico.eu, 22 October 2019: EU to end corruption monitoring scheme in Bulgaria, but not Romania, The Guardian, 24 November 2019: Romanian centrist president re-elected by a landslide, France24, 24 November 2019: Pro-European incumbent wins Romania presidential elections, Politico.eu, 20 December 2019: Romania seeks EU ‘flexibility’ on budget and energy tax, says finance minister, Politico.eu, 25 December 2019: Thirty years after Romanian revolution, questions remain, Politico.eu, 19 February 2020: Radio Free Europe returns to fight fake news, Reuters, 11 July 2020: Thousands call on Bulgarian government to resign in anti-graft protests, DW, 11 July 2020: Bulgaria’s president calls on ‘mafia’-style government to resign, Politico.eu, 12 July 2020: Corruption crisis puts Bulgaria’s Borissov on the ropes, France24, 13 July 2020: Fourth night of anti-government protests in Bulgaria, Politico.eu, 30 July 2020: Disinformation fuels Romania’s coronavirus spike, Politico.eu, 10 August 2020: EU’s credibility is at stake over Bulgaria, says reformist leader, DW, 6 September 2020: Bulgaria riots: Police, anti-government protesters clash in Sofia (2020 Bulgarian protests), Politico.eu, 9 September 2020: MEPs tackle rule of law in Bulgaria as corruption crisis swells, Politico.eu, 9 September 2020: How Bulgaria became the EU’s mafia state, Politico.eu, 10 October 2020: Why thousands are fighting the Bulgarian government: ‘They have no vision for the future’, Politico.eu, 17 November 2020: Bulgaria blocks EU membership talks for North Macedonia (because of short-sighted, nationalistic idiocy, the most corrupt EU member country blocked the strategical important EU enlargement to include the Balkans), DW, 5 December 2020: As Romania votes, millions still live in poverty, Politico.eu, 6 December 2020: Coronavirus casts shadow over Romanian election, Al Jazeera, 7 December 2020: On the Macedonian-Bulgarian dispute and historical revisionism, DW, 7 December 2020: Romania election: Opposition Social Democrats lead in preliminary vote results, Politico.eu, 11 December 2020: 5 reasons why Bucharest won the EU cyber center race.
- Croatia: Croatia is classified as a high-income economy by the United Nations. In 2010, economic output was dominated by the service sector which accounted for 66% of GDP, followed by the industrial sector with 27.2% and agriculture accounting for 6.8% of GDP. According to 2004 data, 2.7% of the workforce were employed in agriculture, 32.8% by industry and 64.5% in services. The industrial sector is dominated by shipbuilding, food processing, pharmaceuticals, information technology, biochemical and timber industry. In 2010, Croatian exports were valued at 64.9 billion kuna (€8.65 billion) with 110.3 billion kuna (€14.7 billion) worth of imports. The largest trading partner is the rest of the European Union. More than half of Croatia’s trade is with other European Union member states. Privatization and the drive toward a market economy had barely begun under the new Croatian Government when war broke out in 1991. As a result of the war, the economic infrastructure sustained massive damage, particularly the revenue-rich tourism industry. From 1989 to 1993, the GDP fell 40.5%. The Croatian state still controls a significant part of the economy, with government expenditures accounting for as much as 40% of GDP. A backlogged judiciary system, combined with inefficient public administration, especially on issues of land ownership and corruption, are particular concerns. Tourism dominates the Croatian service sector and accounts for up to 20% of Croatian GDP. Annual tourist industry income for 2017 was estimated at €9.5 billion (The Guardian, 6 January 2020: Croatia elects leftist Zoran Milanovic to be next president, The Guardian, 22 March 2020: Zagreb hit by earthquake while in coronavirus lockdown, BBC, 22 March 2020: Earthquake rocks Croatia’s capital Zagreb, DW, 6 July 2020: European Commission apologizes for von der Leyen Croatia election video, DW, 7 August 2020: Opinion: Croatia on path towards reconciliation with Serbian minority, DW, 29 December 2020: Deadly earthquake causes huge damage, BBC, 29 December 2020: Croatia earthquake: Five dead as rescuers search rubble for survivors). The country ranks 13th among the largest EU net beneficiary countries.
- Cyprus: In the wake of the Greek crisis, Cyprus narrowly escaped state bankruptcy in 2013. Unlike the large neighboring country, the island republic has been back on track since 2017 and can boast good growth rates in all areas. This was mainly due to the strong tourism industry and the prudent actions of the Minister of Finance, which, unlike in Greece, did not increase taxes, but consistently cut spendings and thus kept the economy going (BBC, 8 August 2019: Turkey ramps up drilling off Cyprus on eve of peace talks, Al Jazeera, 9 August 2019: Cyprus’ rival leaders ready to meet UN chief to seek peace again, Al Jazeera, 25 November 2019: Cypriot leaders in Berlin after UN push to revive peace talks, Al Jazeera, 15 December 2019: Turkish navy orders Israeli ship out of Cyprus’s waters, Times of Israel, 11 December 2019: Turkey won’t rule out force to halt drilling in Cypriot waters, The Guardian, 16 December 2019: Armed Turkish drone lands in Cyprus as regional tensions rise, The National, 16 December 2019: Turkey deploys drones to Northern Cyprus following Libya deal, Times of Israel, 18 December 2019: In blow to Turkey, US Congress ends decades-old arms embargo on Cyprus, Jerusalem Post, 23 December 2019: Greece, Israel, Cyprus to sign deal on gas pipeline on January 2, Haaretz, 25 December 2019: Cyprus, Cyberspies and the Dark Side of Israeli Intel, Al Jazeera, 29 December 2019: Greek PM: Athens to seek world court if talks with Turkey fail, Al Jazeera, 2 January 2020: Greece, Israel, Cyprus, move to build East Med gas pipeline (EastMed pipeline), France24, 2 January 2020: Greece, Cyprus, Israel sign EastMed pipeline deal, Al Jazeera, 2 January 2020: Will new gas deal fuel regional rivalry in east Mediterranean?, Al Arabiya, 2 January 2020: Leaders of Greece, Israel, Cyprus to sign gas pipeline deal, Times of Israel, 2 January 2020: Israel inks mega gas pipeline deal with Greece, Cyprus, France24, 2 January 2020: Between Ankara and Athens, the eastern Mediterranean is simmering with tensions, Arab News, 14 January 2020: Conflict may be in the pipeline in Eastern Mediterranean, Times of Israel, 18 January 2020: Italy’s foreign minister expresses doubts over feasibility of EastMed pipeline (since this is primarily a political project, economics actually plays a subordinate role), Arab News, 19 January 2020: Saudi Arabia offers ‘full support’ to Cyprus amid Eastern Mediterranean tensions, DW, 7 March 2020: Protesters, police clash at closed checkpoint, Politico.eu, 6 June 2020: Cypriot president: ‘Aggressive’ Turkey should be stripped of EU candidate status, Jerusalem Post, 19 July 2020: Greek ambassador warns of Turkey, lauds Israeli gas pipeline approval (it is somehow interesting how a project that actually isn’t that significant for the EU, but only for Cyprus, Greece and the third country Israel, is politically inflated to give the impression that the EU is behind it, so that there could be deterrent potential against Turkey. Nice try, but that will probably not work. Erdogan’s neo-Ottomans can read as well, so that they have now also recognized the strategy behind the attempts by Greece, Cyprus and Israel. This will not make the project implementation any easier. Italy already jumped off boat in January 2020, because the project is economically “not feasible”. How the Greek ambassador came up with the idea that the project could be of interest to Central and Northern Europe remains his secret. In fact, Nord Stream 2 is currently being completed, which will supply Northern and Central Europe. “..alongside shipping it to the EU by tankers in the form of liquefied natural gas” – wishful thinking, as the LNG trade in the EU is in a dead end, not least because of the world market prices for natural gas and crude oil), Arab News, 22 July 2020: Greek navy on ‘heightened readiness’ over Turkish activities: official, DW, 24 July 2020: Europe warns Turkey against natural gas mission near Greece,Politico.eu, 6 August 2020: Greece signs maritime border deal with Egypt amid spat with Turkey, The National, 6 August 2020: Egypt and Greece sign deal on maritime zones, Al Arabiya, 17 August 2020: US supports Cyprus, wants closer eastern Mediterranean gas cooperation, DW, 17 September 2020: Refugee pushbacks by Cyprus draw attention from EU, UN, Al Arabiya, 18 September 2020: Gas standoff: France backs Cyprus calls for EU sanctions on Turkey as an option, DW, 21 September 2020: Cyprus blocks EU sanctions against Belarus (which says something about the Cypriot government’s non-existent understanding of democracy and about their desire to support the Belarusian dictator Lukashenko against his people. Perhaps it is just hasty obedience in order to be able to join the Russian alliance in the Eastern Mediterranean after leaving the EU. At the same time, however, it also shows why the principle of unanimity must be given up in favor of the majority principle. It cannot be that a single EU state can hold the entire EU hostage for its fantasies), Financial Times, 21 September 2020: Cyprus blocks EU sanctions on Belarus, France24, 21 September 2020: Belarus opposition urges Brussels to ‘be more brave’ on sanctions, The Guardian, 21 September 2020: Cyprus: EU fails to agree on Belarus sanctions after government blocks plan, The National, 22 September 2020: Cyprus refuses to back EU sanctions on Belarus unless action taken against Turkey, Politico.eu, 22 September 2020: France’s EU minister urges Cyprus to stop linking Belarus sanctions to action on Turkey, BBC, 8 October 2020: Varosha: Turkey reopens deserted Cyprus resort but tourists will wait, Politico.eu, 10 October 2020: Ghost town reopening in Northern Cyprus sparks fears of Turkish election interference, DW, 13 October 2020: Germany warns Turkey against ‘provocation’ in Mediterranean over gas exploration, BBC, 13 October 2020: Cyprus to suspend ‘EU golden passports’ scheme (Al Jazeera, 23 August 2020: Exclusive: Cyprus sold passports to criminals and fugitives, Al Jazeera, 23 August 2020: Explainer: What are The Cyprus Papers?), The Guardian, 13 October 2020: Country scraps ‘golden passport’ scheme after politicians caught in undercover sting, Arab News, 13 October 2020: US demands Turkey end ‘calculated provocation’ of ship, Al Jazeera, 15 October 2020: Cypriot parliament speaker quits after passport scheme scandal, DW, 18 October 2020: Turkish Cypriot hardliner ousts incumbent president in northern Cyprus vote, France24, 18 October 2020: Turkey-backed hardliner beats left-wing incumbent in Turkish Cypriot runoff, The Guardian, 18 October 2020: Rightwing hardliner wins Turkish Cypriot presidential runoff, Politico.eu, 20 October 2020: EU launches legal action against Malta, Cyprus over ‘golden passports’, The Guardian, 20 October 2020: ‘Golden passports’: EU launches legal action against Cyprus and Malta, Arab News, 21 October 2020: Egyptian-Cypriot-Greece summit discusses Turkey’s provocations, Politico.eu, 3 November 2020: Peace activists see hopes for unified Cyprus fading, The Guardian, 15 November 2020: Erdoğan met by protests from Turkish Cypriots during visit, Politico.eu, 15 November 2020: Erdoğan calls for ‘two-state’ solution for Cyprus, Politico.eu, 28 November 2020: Greece blasts Berlin for shunning plea for Turkey arms embargo (and he has every reason to do so. Instead of delivering the submarines to Turkey, Federal Minister of Defense Kramp-Karrenbauer should take over the submarines for the German Navy, whose fleet is already weakened and are deploying them in the eastern Mediterranean, especially since Turkey is obviously less and less a NATO partner country), Al Arabiya, 4 December 2020: Greek FM: Turkey’s moves to ease tensions ‘unconvincing’, Al Jazeera, 4 December 2020: Erdogan hopes France ‘gets rid of Macron trouble’ (of course Erdogan knows at the same time that there are quite a number of people in the EU who would be very happy if the Muslim Brother and backer of radical and political Islam drops dead, but unfortunately not all wishes and hopes can be materialize), Al Jazeera, 7 December 2020: Turkey: Erdogan denounces ‘threats and blackmail’ over sea rights, The National, 8 December 2020: Jordan, Greece and Cyprus discuss ‘common approach’ to countering Turkish influence, France24, 11 December 2020: EU Summit: Turkey says European sanctions plan is ‘biased, unlawful’, The Guardian, 11 December 2020: EU leaders approve sanctions on Turkish officials over gas drilling, Politico.eu, 11 December 2020: EU leaders move toward sanctioning Turkey, Al Jazeera, 11 December 2020: Europe’s stance on Turkey toughens with sanctions, weapons talk, The National, 11 December 2020: EU agrees to map out sanctions on Turkey over Mediterranean drilling, Arab News, 12 December 2020: Facing US, EU sanctions, Erdogan calls for dialogue and cooperation). The country ranks 17th among the largest EU net beneficiary countries.
- Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia (Visegrád Group – France24, 16 December 2019: Central European mayors sign ‘pact of free cities’, DW, 12 August 2020: Pompeo warns against Chinese, Russian influence on European tour): Even though especially Poland and Hungary are very problematic from a political, democratic and rule of law point of view, and within the EU only Bulgaria is even more corrupt than Hungary (The Guardian, 17 March 2019: Viktor Orbán: showdown with EU’s centre-right looms for ‘mini-Trump’, Die Zeit, 9 April 2019: European Union: Hungary Is Lost, The Guardian, 20 June 2019: Europe must stop this disgrace: Viktor Orbán is dismantling democracy, Arab News, 25 August 2019: Merkel’s missed chance to bring Orban into line, Gulf Times, 29 September 2019: Hungary will remain part of the European Union, PM Orban says, DW, 7 November 2019: Turkey’s Erdogan finds ally on Syria plan in visit with Hungary’s Orban, Politico.com, 28 February 2020: Orbán’s next move: Overpowering the courts, France24, 13 March 2020: Hungary’s Orban blames foreigners, migration for coronavirus spread, The Guardian, 29 March 2020: The Guardian view on Hungary’s coronavirus law: Orbán’s power grab, France24, 30 March 2020: Hungary’s Orban handed open-ended powers to fight coronavirus, alarming rights groups, Politico.eu, 30 March 2020: Hungary’s Viktor Orbán wins vote to rule by decree, The National, 30 March 2020: Hungary’s Orban gets sweeping new powers in coronavirus fight, Al Jazeera, 31 March 2020: Hungary’s PM Orban gets sweeping powers to tackle coronavirus, The Guardian, 31 March 2020: Hungary’s emergency law ‘incompatible with being in EU’, say MEPs group, Politico.com, 31 March 2020: Orbán’s rule by decree reopens wounds on European center right, Al Jazeera, 1 April 2020: EU warns Hungary not to flout democracy with coronavirus laws, Politico.eu, 3 April 2020: Orbán to political family: It’s time to fight pandemic, not deal with ‘fantasies’, Politico.eu, 13 April 2020: Jean-Claude Juncker urges ‘plain language’ on Hungary’s state power grab, Politico.eu, 14 April 2020: What should the EU do about Hungary?, Politico.eu, 6 May 2020: Hungary no longer a democracy: report, Politico.eu, 12 May 2020: EU Parliament denies Hungarian request to speak at debate on Orbán’s corona law, Politico.eu, 13 May 2020: EU top court’s authority challenged by Poland and Hungary, Politico.eu, 15 May 2020: EU court involved in ‘coordinated assault’ against Hungary, Orbán says, Politico.eu, 24 July 2020: Hungarian newsroom quits over independence fears, France24, 25 July 2020: Thousands of Hungarians protest against sackings at news website, The Guardian, 25 July 2020: Hungarian journalists resign en masse after claims of political interference, Politico.eu, 25 July 2020: Viktor Orbán bent on muzzling independent press, Hungarian media mogul warns, Politico.eu, 5 August 2020: The future of Hungary’s free media depends on EU money, Reuters, 23 August 2020: Hungary summons German ambassador over EU minister’s anti-Semitism criticism (the Soviet propaganda is still having an effect, according to which there were or would not have been fascists and / or anti-Semites in the Eastern bloc. Against their better judgment, the governments of Hungary and Poland still claim that today. Freedom House has also recently made clear that Hungary is no longer a democracy, but is developing back into an autocracy, so that what the regime has to say on a wide range of topics is certainly not relevant. Poland is on the same path), Politico.eu, 24 September 2020: How Orbán broke the EU — and got away with it, DW, 29 September 2020: Hungary’s Orban calls for removal of EU Commissioner Vera Jourova, DW, 6 October 2020: ECJ rules against Hungary’s higher education law, Haaretz, 30 October 2020: The Case for Nationalism, by the Israeli Credited With Shaping Trump’s Foreign Policy, France24, 17 November 2020: Hungary’s ‘Trump before Trump’ PM Orban faces US reset, Politico.eu, 20 November 2020: EU will eventually resolve budget deadlock, Hungary’s Orbán says, Politico.eu, 25 November 2020: EU’s foreign policy gender plan faces resistance from Poland and Hungary, DW, 26 November 2020: Hungary, Poland vow to veto EU COVID recovery fund mechanism, Politico.eu, 26 November 2020: Hungary and Poland escalate budget fight over rule of law, The Guardian, 1 December 2020: Von der Leyen Hungary and Poland should take EU budget row to court, DW, 1 December 2020: Hungarian politician admits attending lockdown party in Brussels, Politico.eu, 1 December 2020: Hungarian MEP admits he was at lockdown ‘orgy’, The Guardian, 2 December 2020: Rightwing rulers downplay MEP ‘gay orgy’ scandal amid hypocrisy accusations, Politico.eu, 2 December 2020: How Europe can bypass Poland and Hungary’s vetoes, DW, 2 December 2020: Poland and Hungary gamble on funding with EU budget veto, Politico.eu, 2 December 2020: Von der Leyen threatens EU recovery fund without Hungary and Poland (very good approach. The EU should even go further and organize the budget until 2027 without Poland and Hungary. This would mean that both countries could think about whether they want to continue to belong to the EU by 2027 – of course without receiving the previous, lavish support from Brussels, which in Hungary alone finances 50% of all infrastructure measures. Poland and Hungary are the largest net recipients of Brussels development aid payments. Their populations will certainly react enthusiastically to the complete failures of their national leaderships if they are missing several 100 billion euros in their budget over the period), Irish Times, 3 December 2020: The gay orgy that exposes the hypocrisy of Hungary’s illiberals, Politico.eu, 3 December 2020: From Orbán ally to orgy scandal: Downfall of a Fidesz founder, DW, 4 December 2020: Viktor Orban: Hungary will stick by EU budget veto threat (hopefully it stays that way. The money that Brussels doesn’t spent on Hungary and Poland can be spent on meaningful projects in other EU states instead), Politico.eu, 4 December 2020: Viktor Orbán rejects rule of law compromise idea, Politico.eu, 7 December 2020: Orbán’s MEPs face fresh anger in European Parliament group, DW, 8 December 2020: Poland, Hungary face growing calls to drop EU budget veto, DW, 9 December 2020: Hungary’s budget veto leaves Orban isolated, France24, 9 December 2020: Poland, Hungary accept German EU budget offer as ‘D-Day’ approaches, DW, 10 December 2020: EU breaks deadlock on budget, coronavirus recovery fund, France24, 11 December 2020: EU reaches landmark budget deal with Hungary and Poland, NPR, 11 December 2020: EU Ends Standoff, Moves Forward With Budget And Coronavirus Relief Fund, DW, 15 December 2020: LGBT rights: Hungary passes law banning same-sex adoption, France24, 15 December 2020: Hungarian lawmakers approve anti-LGBT adoption law and constitutional amendments, The Guardian, 17 December 2020: Unlike Trump, Europe’s far-right leaders haven’t been damaged by the pandemic), the economic development is quite good, with anual growth rates between 4 and 4.6%, especially because of the billion-euro EU subsidy programs. In addition to the billions of euros in EU funding, the substantial wage increases of recent years have created strong domestic demands and the expansion of investments, which are developing into an upward leap. On the negative side is the further emigration of qualified and highly qualified employees to the west, which causes a shortage of skilled workers, which is why in the meantime even some large projects had to be canceled. Overall, the Eastern European countries continue to grow faster than the western countries, which, of course, is due to the high catching up demands which will still be given for the coming decades. Regardless of the attitude of the Visegrád Group towards the EU and its values, especially with regard to the rule of law, democracy and the freedom of the press, it becomes clear how important the EU support programs are to lead countries out of poverty in a relatively short time. (Poland is the largest EU net beneficiary country, Hungary ranks 4th, the Czech Republic 5th, Slovakia 9th and Slovenia 15th). Slovenia and the Czech Republic (CNN, 24 June 2019: The ‘biggest protest since the fall of Communism’ in Prague called for the resignation of the ‘Czech Trump’, Politico.eu, 23 June 2019: Czechs march in biggest anti-government protest since communism, Al Jazeera, 30 October 2019: Czech-China love affair hits the rocks, CNN, 16 November 2019: 30 years after the Velvet Revolution, the Czechs are back on the streets, The Guardian, 14 March 2020: Czech village razed by Hitler at heart of row on truth and history, The Guardian, 27 April 2020: Prague mayor under police protection amid reports of Russian plot, Politico.eu, 30 April 2020: MEPs to Czech PM: Bow out of EU budget talks over conflicts of interest, Jerusalem Post, 26 April 2020: Czech parliament Speaker questions two-state paradigm as cabinet quarrels, DW, 22 June 2020: Czech self-sufficiency push exposes political links to farming, Politico.eu, 26 November 2020: Beijing’s influence in European Parliament draws fresh scrutiny, Politico.eu, 1 December 2020: Commission confirms conflict of interest finding against Czech PM Babiš, DW, 17 December 2020: Slovenia’s national press agency at risk after funding slashed) do better than Poland (Bloomberg, 24 September 2018: EU Takes Poland to Court Over Rule of Law in Historic First, DW, 3 April 2019: EU takes legal action against Poland to protect judges, The Guardian, 29 June 2019: Europe learned from its mistakes in Hungary. It’s protecting the law in Poland, Haaretz, 4 October 2019: The Fake Nazi Death Camp: Wikipedia’s Longest Hoax, Exposed, Arab News, 28 February 2020: Polish actions threaten future of EU’s judicial integration) and Hungary on per capita income. The growth rates are between 4 and 4.6% per year (The Washington Post, 8 December 2018: Europe: The new autocrats and Politico.eu, 17 January 2019: European Parliament backs plan to link EU funds to rule of law, Federal Foreign Office, 31 July 2019: Statement by Foreign Minister Maas prior to his departure for Warsaw, Times of Israel, 31 July 2019: German FM in Poland for talks, WWII Warsaw revolt’s 75th anniversary, The Washington Post, 31 July 2019: Official: Germany has moral not monetary war debt to Poland, dpa international, 31 July 2019: Germany’s Maas expresses ‘deep shame’ for Nazi atrocities in Poland, DW, 1 August 2019: Germany expresses ‘deep shame’ for Nazi destruction of Poland, Times of Israel, 2 August 2019: Poles mark 75 years since Warsaw Uprising against Nazis, DW, 30 August 2019: Poland demands WWII reparations from Germany (sure, PiS need the money (although the country has been the undisputed number one recipient of EU development aid for many years), because they obviously can’t build up a successful economy on their own, not to speak about a functioning democracy, but that’s their problem and not that of the German taxpayer’s. But of course there are also those who see it differently and therefore demand an additional memorial to the one already given (Memorial to Polish Soldiers and German Anti-Fascists/a>) in Berlin. If Berlin would become more interesting for World War II tourism can be questioned, especially as the relevant memorials are others – DW, 3 July 2019: Germany debates World War II memorial for Poland/a>), DW, 30 August 2019: Poland: More aligned to US than to European partners?, The Guardian, 1 September 2019: German president asks Poland for forgiveness at WW2 ceremony, BBC, 1 September 2019: World War Two: German president asks Poland to forgive Nazi ‘tyranny’, France24, 1 September 2019: Germany asks Poland’s forgiveness 80 years after WWII invasion, Times of Israel, 27 September 2019: Poland says claim president blamed Israel for anti-Semitism ‘plainly not true’, France24, 9 October 2019: Poland’s LGBT community targeted in run-up to elections, Politico.eu, 10 October 2019: How to watch the Polish election like a pro, The Guardian, 10 October 2019: Rightwing populists are on course to win Poland’s election. But resistance is stirring, The Washington Post, 13.10.2019: Poland’s right-wing populists expected to emerge ahead in elections, DW, 13.10.2019: Poland’s ruling PiS party wins most votes, according to exit polls, France24, 13 October 2019: Poland’s ruling right-wing populists win general election, Saudi Gazette, 13 October 2019: Populists eye victory in deeply divided Poland, The Guardian, 14 October 2019: Poland’s populist Law and Justice party voted back in, Times of Israel, 14 October 2019: Poland’s conservative ruling party declares victory in divided nation, Al Jazeera, 15 October 2019: As populists hold on to power in Poland, press freedom fears rise, The Guardian, 21 October 2019: Poland’s rightwing populist win should be a wake-up call for democrats worldwide, DW, 17 December 2019: Poland’s judicial reforms put EU membership at risk, warns top court). For a while, the Polish right-wing government and some of its supporters have spread the equally absurd and amusing assertion that Germany would still have to pay reparations as a result of World War II to Poland, which has no basis whatsoever and at least since the Two Plus Four Agreement is finally settled (DW, 18 April 2019: Greek parliament demands Berlin pays WWII reparations and Reuters, 18 April 2019: Polish MP calls for new push for WW2 reparations from Germany, Reuters, 26 April 2019: Germany owes Poland over $850 billion in WW2 reparations: senior lawmaker, Times of Israel, 26 April 2019: Poles look to charge Germans $850 billion to mark 80 years since Nazi invasion (so, the negotiations between Germany and Russia on the partition of Poland can now begin and, of course, as a precautionary measure, travel and investment warnings for Greece and Poland must be increased significantly), The Guardian, 17 September 2019: The populist rewriting of Polish history is a warning to us all, Politico.eu, 18 December 2019: Poland risks EU membership with legal reforms, court warns, Politico.eu, 20 December 2019: Polish lawmakers ignore warnings and race through legal reforms, Politico.eu, 16 January 2020: Poland’s autocratic government is at it again, Politico.eu, 23 January 2020: Poland’s Supreme Court slams PiS’s judicial changes, Politico.eu, 18 March 2020: Polish PM slams EU funding response to coronavirus (since when does the beggars make the rules? Poland should not get a single cent from the EU as long as the country doesn’t abide to the agreed rules), Irish Times, 25 June 2020: The Irish Times view on Poland’s election: Europe watches anxiously, The Guardian, 25 June 2020: For a bitter taste of Polish populism, just watch the evening news, BBC, 28 June 2020: Poland’s clash of values in presidential election, The Washington Post, 28 June 2020: Polish president battles for reelection just days after White House visit, The Guardian, 29 June 2020: Poland should get less from Covid-19 fund due to rights record, claim EU member states (rightly so. As the Poles claim that they are a Christian nation (according to their reactions on the migratin crsis, they don’t even have the slightest idea what Christian values are), they should know the biblical “eye for an eye” concept pretty well), Politico.eu, 7 July 2020: Poland’s Duda goes to war against foreign media, The Guardian, 9 July 2020: Poland Future of ‘Third Republic’ defines run-off vote, Politico.eu, 10 July 2020: Poland’s presidential campaign ends on an anti-Semitic note, Politico.eu, 10 July 2020: European commissioner backs Polish president ahead of election (a clear case of illegal political interference that must be clearly condemned), DW, 11 July 2020: Anti-German sentiment colors Polish president’s election campaign (someone should explain to them the term “freedom of the press” in simple terms that are understandable even for simple-minded Polish nationalists), France24, 11 July 2020: LGBT rights at heart of Poland presidential-election fight, DW, 13 July 2020: Poland’s Andrzej Duda wins 2nd term by narrow majority, France, 13 July 2020: Polish President Andrzej Duda wins re-election, DW, 13 July 2020: Duda’s reelection in Poland will deepen divisions, CNN, 13 July 2020: Trump ally Duda declared winner of Poland’s closely-run presidential race, Politico.eu, 13 July 2020: What Poland tells us about the fight against populism, The Guardian, 13 July 2020: Andrzej Duda victory hands populists free rein, Politico.eu, 13 July 2020: 4 takeaways from Duda’s reelection as Polish president, Politico.eu, 14 July 2020: How the EU can manage Poland’s authoritarian government, Jerusalem Post, 22 July 2020: Poland has antisemitism problem. Trump administration could fight it., BBC, 25 July 2020: Istanbul Convention: Poland to leave European treaty on violence against women, Politico.eu, 30 July 2020: Commission to Poland: Respect fundamental rights or lose funds, CNN, 31 July 2020: EU blocks funding for six towns that declared themselves ‘LGBT-Free Zones’, Politico.eu, 3 August 2020: Polish towns are losing EU funds and being shunned by West European counterparts., The Guardian, 18 August 2020: In Poland we’ve become spectators at the dismantling of democracy, Politico.eu, 17 September 2020: Poland blasts von der Leyen, EU Parliament over rights criticism, Politico.eu, 29 September 2020: Poland, Hungary to set up rule of law institute to counter Brussels (of course, no extreme right-winger worldwide ever lived a law abiding life ever, even though they expect it from everyone else. The autocrats from the “new eastern block” are a bunch of weirdos and, on top, using the term “double standard” shows the full scale antisemitism in the east, by trying to equate themselves to the persecution of the Jews – typical brownshirt BS), Politico.eu, 30 September 2020: Poland and Commission clash over official accused of harassment at EU body, Politico.eu, 8 October 2020: Germany overcame its history. Why can’t Poland?, Politico.eu, 13 October 2020: Poland threatens to veto EU budget over rule of law (no problem. As a countermeasure, Brussels can stop all payments of development aid to Poland. As a result, the Polish economy will collapse within two years. Congrats, Kaczynski. Well done), DW, 22 October 2020: Poland’s top court rules against abortions due to fetal defects, BBC, 22 October 2020: Poland abortion: Top court bans almost all terminations (back to the middle ages: Welcome to “modern” Poland), The Guardian, 22 October 2020: Country rules abortion due to foetal defects unconstitutional, Politico.eu, 22 October 2020: Polish court outlaws almost all abortions, France24, 23 October 2020: Poles take to streets against near-total abortion ban, The Guardian, 23 October 2020: Pro-choice protesters march on cities amid abortion ban anger, DW, 30 October 2020: Poland: Protesters stage biggest abortion rights rally yet, The Guardian, 30 October 2020: Pro-choice supporters hold biggest-ever protest against government, Politico.eu, 30 October 2020: Protests shake Poland as government looks for a retreat on abortion ruling, The Guardian, 6 November 2020: ‘A backlash against a patriarchal culture’: How Polish protests go beyond abortion rights, Politico.eu, 25 November 2020: Europe’s alliance with the US is the foundation of its security, Politico.eu, 25 November 2020: EU’s foreign policy gender plan faces resistance from Poland and Hungary, DW, 26 November 2020: Hungary, Poland vow to veto EU COVID recovery fund mechanism, Politico.eu, 26 November 2020: Hungary and Poland escalate budget fight over rule of law, Politico.eu, 30 November 2020: Polexit: 3 reasons why Poland will quit the EU and 3 why it won’t, The Guardian, 1 December 2020: Von der Leyen Hungary and Poland should take EU budget row to court, Politico.eu, 2 December 2020: How Europe can bypass Poland and Hungary’s vetoes, Politico.eu, 2 December 2020: Von der Leyen threatens EU recovery fund without Hungary and Poland (very good approach. The EU should even go further and organize the budget until 2027 without Poland and Hungary. This would mean that both countries could think about whether they want to continue to belong to the EU by 2027 – of course without receiving the previous, lavish support from Brussels, which in Hungary alone finances 50% of all infrastructure measures. Poland and Hungary are the largest net recipients of Brussels development aid payments. Their populations will certainly react enthusiastically to the complete failures of their national leaderships if they are missing several 100 billion euros in their budget over the period), DW, 2 December 2020: Poland and Hungary gamble on funding with EU budget veto, Politico.eu, 3 December 2020: Poland blinks first ahead of showdown at the EU budget corral, DW, 6 December 2020: Poland and Germany: 50 years since Willy Brandt’s historic gesture, DW, 7 December 2020: Is Warsaw facing de facto Polexit?, DW, 8 December 2020: Poland, Hungary face growing calls to drop EU budget veto, France24, 9 December 2020: Poland, Hungary accept German EU budget offer as ‘D-Day’ approaches, DW, 10 December 2020: EU breaks deadlock on budget, coronavirus recovery fund, France24, 11 December 2020: EU reaches landmark budget deal with Hungary and Poland, The Guardian, 11 December 2020: Poland Rule of law fears remain despite EU compromise, NPR, 11 December 2020: EU Ends Standoff, Moves Forward With Budget And Coronavirus Relief Fund, DW, 13 December 2020: Poland: Protesters march to PiS leader’s home after abortion ruling, Politico.eu, 14 December 2020: Polish reporters worry about newspapers turning into ‘hard-line propaganda’ outlets, The Guardian, 17 December 2020: Unlike Trump, Europe’s far-right leaders haven’t been damaged by the pandemic, DW, 31 December 2020: Anti-vaccine sentiment rife in Poland). Now, the Polish government wants to renegotiate, Berlin, however, doesn’t, because everything is already finally regulated, so that Poland would have to terminate all agreements, which are build up on each other, and thus virtually dissolve Poland as a country in order to pave the way for renegotiations. If that were so, it would be at least questionable whether Russia and Germany would agree to new agreements, instead of just growing their countries by including parts of the then former Poland without own contributions. Not only would that be extremely amusing, it would even be a European precedent that a right-wing national government would dissolve itself and the country just to negotiate about imaginary claims. With regard to the facts, the claims made little sense, because if Berlin would offset the previous payments to Poland, whether directly or indirectly via the EU development aid, Warsaw would have to arrange money re-transfers to Berlin. It is more likely that the Polish government would like to entertain the local audience without the claims actually being pursued. After all, the country wants to remain the largest recipient of EU development aid in the future and to score points with its voters with the resulting growth rates instead of having to justify itself for the otherwise clearly visible structural weaknesses and a noticeably sagging economy. Overall, this nonsense weighs on German-Polish diplomacy, friendship and reconciliation. So far, German companies haven’t let their spirits off because of this, along with other unpleasant developments in Poland, and are still investing heavily, but it’s only a matter of time before the tensions will show effects here as well (Economy of the Czech Republic, Economy of Hungary, Economy of Poland, Economy of Slovakia (BBC, 30 March 2019: Zuzana Caputova becomes Slovakia’s first female president, Politico.eu, 20 December 2019: In Slovakia, a corrupt state goes on trial, Der Spiegel, 25 February 2020: Neo-Nazis in Plain View: Right-Wing Extremists Could Win Big in Slovak Election, Politico.eu, 29 February 2020: Anti-corruption opposition wins Slovakia election, France24, 29 February 2020: Slovakia’s anti-graft opposition party wins parliamentary elections by wide margin, The Guardian, 1 March 2020: Slovakia election: seismic shift as public anger ousts dominant Smer-SD party), Economy of Slovenia, Cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries).
- Denmark, Finland and Sweden (Scandinavia): Denmark has a developed mixed economy that is classed as a high-income economy by the World Bank. It ranks 16th in the world in terms of gross national income (PPP) per capita and 10th in nominal GNI per capita. Denmark’s economy stands out as one of the most free in the Index of Economic Freedom and the Economic Freedom of the World. It is the 10th most competitive economy in the world, and 6th in Europe, according to the World Economic Forum in its Global Competitiveness Report 2018 (Economy of Denmark, Economy of the Faroe Islands and Economy of Greenland). The economy of Finland has a per capita output equal to that of other European economies such as those of France, Germany, Belgium, or the UK. The largest sector of the economy is the service sector at 66% of GDP, followed by manufacturing and refining at 31%. Primary production represents 2.9%. With respect to foreign trade, the key economic sector is manufacturing. The largest industries in 2007 were electronics (22%); machinery, vehicles, and other engineered metal products (21.1%); forest industry (13%); and chemicals (11%). The gross domestic product peaked in 2008. As of 2015, the country’s economy is at the 2006 level (Reuters, 3 December 2019: Finland’s PM resigns after losing trust of coalition partner). Sweden is the seventh-richest country in the world in terms of GDP (gross domestic product) per capita and a high standard of living is experienced by its citizens. Sweden is an export-oriented mixed economy. Timber, hydropower and iron ore constitute the resource base of an economy with a heavy emphasis on foreign trade. Sweden’s engineering sector accounts for 50% of output and exports, while telecommunications, the automotive industry and the pharmaceutical industries are also of great importance. Sweden is the ninth-largest arms exporter in the world. Agriculture accounts for 2% of GDP and employment. The country ranks among the highest for telephone and Internet access penetration (DW, 22 May 2019: Biker gang raid: What do we know about Al-Salam-313?, Bloomberg, 26 September 2019: Rising Crime Is a Threat to Swedish Businesses, Group Warns, The Spectator, 26 October 2019: Bomb attacks are now a normal part of Swedish life, CNN, 9 December 2019: Finland’s Sanna Marin to become world’s youngest prime minister at 34, NPR, 9 December 2019: At 34, Finland’s Sanna Marin Set To Become World’s Youngest Sitting Prime Minister, Politico.eu, 9 December 2019: EU gets another female leader with 34-year-old Finnish PM, The Guardian, 23 January 2020: Bombs and blood feuds: the wave of explosions rocking Sweden’s cities, The Guardian, 29 May 2020: Norway and Denmark drop mutual border controls – but exclude Sweden, The Guardian, 26 June 2020: Swedes rapidly losing trust in Covid-19 strategy, poll finds, BBC, 26 June 2020: Coronavirus: Sweden says WHO made ‘total mistake’ by including it in warning, The Guardian, 26 June 2020: Swedish exceptionalism has been ended by coronavirus, Politico.eu, 9 July 2020: Sweden’s ex-ambassador to China awaits verdict in historic trial, DW, 19 August 2020: Coronavirus digest: Sweden records most deaths in 150 years in first 6 months of 2020, BBC, 4 December 2020: Denmark set to end all new oil and gas exploration). Sweden, Denmark and Finland are ranking 5th, 9th und 10th among the largest EU net payer countries.
- Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania (Baltic States): Estonia (Politico.eu, 2 December 2020: Estonia’s techies fear the far right (Conservative People’s Party of Estonia, Startup Estonia), DW, 13 January 2021: Estonian prime minister quits over corruption probe) is considered a high-income economy by the World Bank. The GDP (PPP) per capita of the country was $29,312 in 2016 according to the International Monetary Fund. Because of its rapid growth, Estonia has often been described as a Baltic Tiger beside Lithuania and Latvia. Beginning 1 January 2011, Estonia adopted the euro and became the 17th eurozone member state. Latvia is a member of the World Trade Organization (1999) and the European Union (2004). On 1 January 2014, the Euro became the country’s currency, superseding the Lats (Al Arabiya, 30 November 2020: US welcomes Latvia’s decision to designate Lebanon’s Hezbollah as terrorist group). According to statistics in late 2013, 45% of the population supported the introduction of the euro, while 52% opposed it. Following the introduction of the Euro, Eurobarometer surveys in January 2014 showed support for the Euro to be around 53%, close to the European average. Lithuania has open and mixed economy that is classified as high-income economy by the World Bank. According to data from 2016, the three largest sectors in Lithuanian economy are – services (68.3% of GDP), industry (28.5%) and agriculture (3.3%). World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report ranks Lithuania 41st (of 137 ranked countries). Lithuania joined NATO in 2004, EU in 2004, Schengen in 2007 and OECD in 2018. Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are ranking 8th, 11th and 12th among the largest EU net beneficiary countries.
- France: The economy has had a long struggle to gain momentum and has created some uncertainty because necessary reforms have been delayed for a long time. Since 2016, however, the economy has been growing steadily (The New York Times, 1 December 2018: Macron Inspects Damage After ‘Yellow Vest’ Protests as France Weighs State of Emergency, France24, 2 December 2018: Shock at attack on Paris’ Arc de Triomphe during ‘Yellow Vest’ protest, The New York Times, 2 December 2018: ‘Yellow Vests’ Riot in Paris, but Their Anger Is Rooted Deep in France, France24, 2 December 2018: The elusive face of the Paris rioters, The Guardian, 2 December 2018: Warnings of latest crisis facing Macron were in plain sight, France24, 2 December 2018: Hundreds arrested as police clash with ‘Yellow Vest’ protesters in Paris, The Guardian, 3 December 2018: Who are the gilets jaunes and what do they want?, The Washington Post, 3 December 2018: The Latest: Macron cancels Serbia trip after clashes, The Guardian, 3 December 2018: Never before have I seen blind anger like this on the streets of Paris, The Guardian, 6 December 2018: Gilets jaunes protests: stay shut, police tell shopkeepers on Champs-Élysées, The Guardian, 7 December 2018: ‘Macron’s arrogance unites us’ – on the barricades with France’s gilets jaunes, France24, 9 December 2018: All eyes on Macron after fresh Yellow Vest protests hit Paris, France24, 9 December 2018: Yellow Vests: Erdogan and Trump pile in on Macron, The Washington Post, 8 December 2018: Why are the ‘yellow vests’ still protesting in France? His name is Macron., France24, 10 December 2018: Macron raises minimum wage to appease Yellow Vest protesters, The Guardian, 10 December 2018: Macron bows to protesters’ demands and says: I know I have hurt some of you, The New York Times, 10 December 2018: Macron, Confronting Violence and Anger, Promises Tax Cuts and Wage Increases for France’s Working Class, The Guardian, 17 February 2019: Macron condemns antisemitic abuse during gilets jaunes Paris protest, France24, 17 February 2019: Politicians condemn anti-Semitic abuse and anti-police attacks at Yellow Vest protests, The Guardian, 19 February 2019: Thousands take to streets of France after antisemitic attacks, France24, 19 February 2019: French politicians unite to march against anti-Semitism, France24, 20 February 2019: Bill equating anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism sparks debate in France, Times of Israel, 21 February 2019: Anti-Semitism worst since WWII, Macron tells French Jewish group, The Guardian, 22 February 2019: France has an antisemitism problem – and not just from the gilets jaunes, France24, 16 March 2019: Looting, clashes as Yellow Vests seek new momentum, Washington Post, 17 March 2019: Macron hoped a ‘grand debate’ would curb the yellow vests. It may or may not have worked., France, 25 March 2019: France, China sign multibillion trade deals as Xi Jinping meets Macron, France24, 30 March 2019: French Yellow Vests stage ‘Act 20’ of protest despite bans, injuries, France24, 25 April 2019: Macron promises ‘significant’ tax cuts, reforms after months of Yellow Vest protests, BBC, 25 April 2019: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-48059063, France24, 26 April 2019: Key points of Macron’s plans after ‘Great National Debate’, France24, 27 April 2019: Unconvinced by Macron’s promises, Yellow Vests keep up the pressure, France24, 25 June 2019: France’s rising debt level ‘worrying’, says govt auditor, France24, 28 June 2019: France sinks deeper into debt, France24, 30 July 2019: French growth stagnates in second quarter, Arab News, 6 September 2019: Macron bounces back following G7 summit, Politico.eu, 17 October 2019: The Macron method, Politico.eu, 4 November 2019: Macron, Europe’s wannabe president, The Guardian, 15 November 2019: France braces for gilets jaunes anniversary marches, Der Spiegel, 15 November 2019: Paris Soloist: Macron Plays Fox in the EU Hen House, The Guardian, 16 November 2019: Paris police fire teargas on anniversary of gilets jaunes protests, France24, 16 November 2019: France’s Yellow Vests set for nationwide protests to mark anniversary, The Guardian, 16 November 2019: Black-clad youths clash with police as gilets jaunes mark anniversary, France24, 23 November 2019: France’s Yellow Vest protests have reached Reunion Island, France24, 5 December 2019: Strike snarls France in showdown over pension reforms, BBC, 5 December 2019: Macron pension reform: France paralysed by biggest strike in years, CNN, 5 December 2019: Strikes set to paralyze France as protesters take to streets, Politico.eu, 5 December 2019: France’s existential pension-reform battle, France24, 5 December 2019: ‘Where is everyone?’ Paris’s Gare du Nord eerily empty as travellers avoid national strike, France24, 7 December 2019: Turmoil continues in France as nationwide strike extends through weekend, France24, 7 December 2019: ‘Everyone is very worried’: Paris shops hit by ongoing strike, Politico.eu, 9 December 2019: Face-off with unions spells trouble for France’s reformer-in-chief, Gulf Times, 15 December 2019: Tensions mount over French transport strike, France24, 17 December 2019: France braces for mass protests on 13th day of pension-reform strike, France24, 17 December 2019: French crowds march as government stands firm on pension reform, BBC, 24 December 2019: France strike: Families face Christmas travel misery, France24, 24 December 2019: France national strike and travel chaos continue, as no christmas truce to be declared, The Guardian, 1 January 2020: Macron’s new year address falls flat as pension row deepens, France24, 1 January 2020: Divide and conquer: Macron’s plan to defeat French pension strikes, Politico.eu, 2 January 2020: Why detached Macron thinks he’s winning, France24, 2 January 2020: French union leader calls for strikes against pension reform to continue, The Guardian, 5 January 2020: Macron was the great hope for centrists. Despite his struggles, the hope is not lost, France24, 11 January 2020: French PM ‘willing’ to temporarily shelve plans to raise age for full pension benefits, The Guardian, 11 January 2020: French PM makes major concession to unions over pension age, France24, 13 January 2020: France, Sahel nations pledge to bolster anti-jihadist fight, urge US to maintain support, Al Jazeera, 14 January 2020: France, Sahel nations to bolster military cooperation, France24, 14 January 2020: France’s pension reform compromise: The light at the end of the metro tunnel?, The Guardian, 14 January 2020: The Guardian view on Macron’s pensions retreat: one step forward, two steps back, France24, 16 January 2020: France’s central bank says historic pension reform strike has stunted growth, The Washington Post, 17 January 2020: In France, an iconic restaurant loses its third Michelin star — pushing national strikes and Iran off the front page, France24, 18 January 2020: Paris protesters try to enter theatre attended by Macron, France24, 18 January 2020: Louvre reopens after being blocked by strikers, France24, 21 January 2020: France’s Macron aiming to avoid predecessors’ mishaps in first visit to Israel, The Guardian, 22 January 2020: Emmanuel Macron in row with Israel security in Jerusalem, France24, 24 January 2020: Thousands protest as Macron’s government adopts pension reform plan, France24, 25 January 2020: ‘They’re killing Paris’: Restaurants count the cost of ‘catastrophic’ strikes, Politico.eu, 27 January 2020: Macron wins a battle, but faces long war over reforms, The New York Times, 25 February 2020: As Emmanuel Macron’s Impact Grows, So Does French Disdain, France24, 11 March 2020: Macron presides over ceremony to honour victims of terrorism (European Commission, 11 March 2019: European Remembrance Day for Victims of Terrorism: European Commission statement), France24, 12 March 2020: Coronavirus is France’s ‘greatest health crisis in a century’, says Macron, France24, 17 March 2020: France’s coronavirus lockdown: What you can and can’t do, The Guardian, 17 March 2020: France ‘at war’: how Parisians are coping with life under lockdown, Arab News, 17 March 2020: French city-dwellers flee for countryside in virus lockdown, France24, 19 March 2020: France’s Cannes Film Festival postponed due to coronavirus outbreak, The Guardian, 19 March 2020: Cannes film festival postpones 2020 edition over coronavirus restrictions, The New York Times, 19 March 2020: Cannes Film Festival Postponed Over Coronavirus Concerns, France24, 21 March 2020: EU backs France’s €300 billion in aid to businesses hurt by virus, France24, 8 April 2020: French economy enters recession with 6% drop in first quarter, its worst since 1945, The National, 11 April 2020: Germany condemns anti-French virus insults in border zone (sometimes you just can’t believe what kind of idiots are allowed to hold a German passport), France24, 20 April 2020: Police and residents clash over heavy-handed lockdown enforcement in Paris suburbs, France24, 23 April 2020: New Caledonia: The French island where lockdown is already over, Politico.com, 30 April 2020: Berlin tries to cool coronavirus tensions near French border, The Washington Post, 30 April 2020: France is blaming the poor for their own deaths. But look at how it treats them., France24, 1 May 2020: In May Day address, Macron warns that life won’t return to ‘normal’ after lockdown ends, CNN, 1 May 2020: French resident: Covid-19 has suspended our rights, France24, 3 May 2020: Eiffel Tower lights up in ‘Heroes Shine Bright’ tribute to healthcare workers, France24, 5 May 2020: France to limit international travel this summer, Macron says, Politico.com, 5 May 2020: French farmers sound alarm in cheese market meltdown amid pandemic. France24, 6 May 2020: Macron announces extra aid for French arts sector battered by Covid-19 crisis, France24, 9 May 2020: France prepares to ease Covid-19 lockdown: What you need to know, Politico.com, 9 May 2020: France’s ‘strange defeat’, France24, 10 May 2020: Commemorating the abolition of slavery in France: “This is our history”, France24, 10 May 2020: No ‘Silence, s’il vous plaît’? French Open could take place without fans, France24, 11 May 2020: ‘Everyone needs to meet to talk’: Parisians enjoy coffee, company and haircuts as lockdown lifted, France24, 12 May 2020: Paris police bans alcohol along Seine river as crowds revel in new-found freedom, France24, 12 May 2020: ‘Shop till you drop?’ Luxury stores back in business as France eases lockdown, Politico.eu, 13 May 2020: France gives final green light to law cracking down on hate speech online, France24, 13 May 2020: French pharma giant Sanofi to give US preference on future Covid-19 vaccine, Politico.eu, 14 May 2020: Sanofi faces more heat in France after CEO’s vaccine comments, France24, 17 May 2020: France’s medieval chateaus reopen to tourists after two months of lockdown, France24, 17 May 2020: Covid-19: French toll exceeds 28,000, with 483 new deaths reported, CNN, 18 May 2020: Germany and France try to break deadlock over how to rescue the EU, France24, 18 May 2020: Covid-19: France and Germany propose €500 billion EU recovery fund (in the end, the Federal Constitutional Court’s political judgment, which was influenced by lobbyists, did something good by strengthening the EU and financing the corona recovery funds through the EU budget instead of the ECB, which gives full democratic legitimacy. Some nationalists will now suffer heart attacks (a classic win-win situation. With Corona, they have already found the next field in which they can and will lose in the future), especially since their whining, complaining and howling of the past few years has only led to one thing, namely to an even stronger integration of the EU and especially the Eurozone and that is a good thing), BBC, 18 May 2020: Coronavirus: France and Germany propose €500bn recovery fund, The Guardian, 18 May 2020: Merkel and Macron propose €500bn EU rescue fund, The New York Times, 18 May 2020: Germany and France Propose $545 Billion Coronavirus Fund for Europe: Live Coverage (Merkel and Macron have now delivered a very respectable, solidary and future-oriented solution. Now the 25 others are about to do the same. It was also a tactical highlight: if the plan works as suggested, Merkel and Macron are the saviors of the euro. If it doesn’t work, the others have screwed it up. It remains exciting and interesting), Politico.eu, 18 May 2020: Berlin buckles on bonds in €500B Franco-German recovery plan, France24, 19 May 2020: Macron deprived of outright majority as party defectors form new parliamentary group, BBC, 19 May 2020: France’s Macron loses majority as defectors form new party, The Washington Post, 19 May 2020: Macron’s party loses absolute majority in French Parliament, Politico, 20 May 2020: Italian PM: Franco-German recovery deal is not enough, France, 26 May 2020: Macron announces plan to rescue French auto industry, BBC, 26 May 2020: France announces €8bn rescue plan for car industry, France24, 2 June 2020: French economy to shrink record 11% this year after ‘brutal’ coronavirus shock, The Guardian, 3 June 2020: ‘We will survive’: life after lockdown in resilient Marseille, France24, 10 June 2020: ‘Black and treated as such’: France’s anti-racism protests expose myth of colour-blind Republic, France24, 13 June 2020: Thousands rally in fresh Paris protest against racism and police brutality, France24, 14 June 2020: France’s Macron accelerates lifting of lockdown after ‘first victory’ against Covid-19, The Guardian, 15 June 2020: Germany and France reopen borders as Europe emerges from lockdown, France24, 17 June 2020: ‘Victory’ at what cost? How Covid-19 exposed cracks in France’s cherished healthcare system, CNN, 23 June 2020: This major European economy is growing again, Politico.eu, 3 July 2020: 5 things to know about France’s new PM Jean Castex, France24, 4 July 2020: Paris’s Louvre reopens on Monday after lockdown losses of ‘over €40 million’, France24, 4 July 2020: ‘Our pride is political’: Thousands march in Paris for LGBT rights, France24, 6 July 2020: Second Act: Will Macron reshuffle set a new course?, France24, 9 July 2020: Warning of possible virus resurgence, France rules out another ‘total lockdown’, France, 13 July 2020: Bastille Day: Muted celebrations in France under shadow of Covid-19, France24, 14 July 2020: France honours military and heroes of Covid-19 response at Bastille Day parade, Politico.eu, 14 July 2020: Macron needs an economic miracle to save his presidency, DW, 18 July 2020: Arson suspected in major fire at Nantes Cathedral, France24, 18 July 2020: French authorities open criminal investigation into Nantes cathedral fire, The Guardian, 18 July 2020: Arson suspected in blaze at 15th-century Nantes cathedral, Reuters, 22 July 2020: Exclusive: French limits on Huawei 5G equipment amount to de facto ban by 2028, DW, 24 July 2020: France: The long shadow of the Saint-Michel terrorist attacks, DW, 26 July 2020: Suspect in Nantes Cathedral arson attack confesses, lawyer says, France24, 31 July 2020: French economy sees record drop in wake of coronavirus lockdowns, France24, 3 August 2020: A strange August in Paris: How the city is adapting to keep visitors safe during the pandemic, DW, 5 August 2020: Thousands evacuated in France as forest fires rage near Marseille, France24, 5 August 2020: France to splash out €250 million on struggling wine sector, France24, 6 August 2020: ‘Closed for vacation’: France faces new Covid-19 testing woes, France24, 8 August 2020: France offers aid as Mauritius declares emergency over oil leak from grounded ship, CNN, 8 August 2020: A stricken ship is leaking tonnes of fuel into the ‘pristine lagoons’ of the Indian Ocean, Politico.eu, 10 August 2020: Emmanuel Macron’s French language lessons, BBC, 12 August 2020: France’s champagne industry goes flat amid pandemic, The National, 12 August 2020: France to boost Mediterranean military presence as standoff with Turkey deepens, Al Arabiya, 12 August 2020: Macron hits out at Turkey, says France to increase military presence in Mediterranean, Al Jazeera, 13 August 2020: France to boost military presence in eastern Mediterranean, Arab News, 13 August 2020: Destabilization in eastern Med continues amid tension between France and Turkey, France24, 13 August 2020: France to bolster Mediterranean military presence over Turkish gas exploration in disputed waters, Politico.eu, 13 August 2020: Mask rebels, no tourists and a heatwave: Paris’ coronavirus summer, France24, 14 August 2020: Covid-19: French government declares Paris, Marseille high-risk zones, BBC, 17 August 2020: The two students who took on Coke and Pepsi, France24, 18 August 2020: French Covid-19 infections dip but hospital admissions still rising, Politico.eu, 18 August 2020: France makes masks compulsory at work, France24, 19 August 2020: France daily Covid-19 cases hit new post-lockdown high, Politico.eu, 19 August 2020: Why the Mali coup matters to Europe and the world, France, 27 August 2020: Covid-19: Face masks set to be compulsory outdoors in Paris, French PM says, BBC, 27 August 2020: France Covid-19: Mask rule for Parisians amid ‘undeniable surge’, France, 27 August 2020: France records more than 6,000 new Covid-19 cases, highest figure since March, France24, 1 September 2020: France’s Charlie Hebdo reprints Mohammed cartoons for trial, The Guardian, 2 September 2020: Charlie Hebdo reprints cartoons of prophet ahead of terror trial, CNN, 2 September 2020: Charlie Hebdo terror trial begins in Paris, five years after deadly attacks, The New York Times, 2 September 2020: Trial Over January 2015 Attacks Opens in Paris, France24, 3 September 2020: Charlie Hebdo terror trial: Widow of cartoonist Wolinski speaks to FRANCE 24, The National, 12 September 2020: Erdogan warns Macron not to ‘mess with Turkey’ over eastern Mediterranean, France24, 12 September 2020: Erdogan warns Macron ‘not to mess with Turkey’ amid Mediterranean tensions, The Guardian, 12 September 2020: Erdoğan warns Macron: ‘Don’t mess with Turkey’, France24, 23 September 2020: Covid-19: France to shut bars and restaurants in hard-hit Marseille, France24, 24 September 2020: ‘Paris thinks we’re small fry’: Marseille seething over order to shut bars and restaurants, Jerusalem Post, 25 September 2020: French trial of 2015 terror attacks in Paris: Testimonies of survivors, France24, 25 September 2020: Coronavirus cases pass 500,000 in France, restaurant owners in Marseille protest closures, The Guardian, 25 September 2020: Two injured in knife attack near Charlie Hebdo’s former offices in Paris, France24, 25 September 2020: Knife attack outside Charlie Hebdo’s former offices: A Paris district resigned to violence, DW, 25 September 2020: Paris: Knife attack near former Charlie Hebdo office ‘clearly’ act of terrorism, France24, 25 September 2020: Journalist Paul Moreira witnesses knife attack outside Charlie Hebdo’s former building, BBC, 25 September 2020: Paris attack: Stabbing near Charlie Hebdo office ‘an act of terror’, Politico.eu, 25 September 2020: Two injured in knife attack near Charlie Hebdo’s old offices, The National, 25 September 2020: Stabbings outside former offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris, France24, 25 September 2020: French police detain main suspect in ‘symbolic’ attack outside Charlie Hebdo’s former office, Arab News, 25 September 2020: Man held on terror charges after two wounded in Paris cleaver attack, Al Jazeera, 25 September 2020: Parisians react to attack near Charlie Hebdo’s former offices, The National, 25 September 2020: Paris knife attack suspect says Charlie Hebdo intended target, DW, 26 September 2020: Charlie Hebdo: Suspect in Paris knife attack confesses, France24, 26 September 2020: Suspect in Paris knife attack confesses to stabbings, Al Jazeera, 26 September 2020: Paris stabbing suspect says he aimed to target Charlie Hebdo, Politico.eu, 29 September 2020: Emmanuel Macron: EU is ‘screwed’ if Parliament doesn’t meet in Strasbourg, DW, 2 October 2020: Emmanuel Macron’s plans to protect French values alienate Muslims, Politico.eu, 2 October 2020: Macron vows to fight radical Islam with crackdown on foreign influence, France24, 2 October 2020: Macron outlines plan to fight ‘Islamist separatism’ in France, BBC, 2 October 2020: France’s Macron vows to fight ‘Islamist separatism’, The Guardian, 2 October 2020: Macron outlines new law to prevent Islamic ‘separatism’, The Washington Post, 2 October 2020: Macron outlines new law to prevent Islamic ‘separatism’ in France, Times of Israel, 2 October 2020: Macron calls Islam a religion ‘in crisis,’ unveils plan to fight radicalism, Al Jazeera, 2 October 2020: Macron says Islam ‘in crisis’, prompting backlash from Muslims, France24, 3 October 2020: At least one dead, some 20 missing as storms lash southern France, Italy, DW, 3 October 2020: Floods sweep southeast France and northern Italy, several missing, BBC, 3 October 2020: Storm Alex: Heavy rains cause severe flooding in France, Italy, CNN, 3 October 2020: At least one dead, 19 missing in floods in France and Italy, The Guardian, 3 October 2020: Extreme weather Two dead and 24 missing after floods in France and Italy, DW, 4 October 2020: Flooding in France, Italy: Rescue crews step up search efforts, France24, 4 October 2020: France, Italy step up rescue efforts after deadly Storm Alex, DW, 4 October 2020: New Caledonia rejects independence from France, France24, 4 October 2020: New Caledonia rejects independence from France, France24, 6 October 2020: Turkey’s Erdogan slams Macron’s plan to defend France’s secular values, view of Islam ‘in crisis’ (so, Erdogan is uncomfortable with Macron’s plan to protect France against radical Islam and Islamic terrorists. Not that big of a surprise, as Muslim Brother Erdogan is a business partner of Daesh), France24, 9 October 2020: France’s anti-maskers: the faces behind the movement, France24, 10 October 2020: French health workers ‘traumatised’ as Covid-19 resurges, Arab News, 12 October 2020: Muslim World League chief denounces extremists in response to Macron’s ‘Islamist separatism’ speech, France24, 12 October 2020: France warns Turkey against redeploying research ship at heart of row with Greece, France24, 12 October 2020: French intensive care patients for coronavirus surpass May peak, DW, 14 October 2020: Coronavirus: France’s Macron announces curfew for Paris and Marseille, France24, 15 October 2020: France imposes curfew on Paris and other cities as Europe ramps up Covid-19 restrictions, DW, 16 October 2020: Teacher decapitated in gruesome ‘Islamist terror attack’ near Paris (sooner or later these terror acts will affect all Muslims in the EU by being collectively perceived and treated as potential terrorists. If that is the Islamists’ goal, then they are on the right track. The resulting exclusions they have to ascribe entirely to themselves. At the same time, question remains why these fundamentalist idiots ran away from their religious-dictatorial countries of origin in the first place, when they actually need precisely these environments to survive, especially since they are far too stupid to deal with all kinds of freedoms. As a countermeasure, the Muhammad cartoons should be placarded across Europe. If that doesn’t suit them, they have the freedom to leave Europe any time, to hide in some medieval Islamist cave #JeSuisProf ), France24, 17 October 2020: Police detain nine people over beheading of French teacher in Paris suburb, BBC, 17 October 2020: France teacher attack: Suspect ‘asked pupils to point Samuel Paty out’, The Guardian, 17 October 2020: Teacher decapitated in Paris named as Samuel Paty, France24, 17 October 2020: For a teacher in France, a lesson on freedom of expression was followed by death, Politico.eu, 17 October 2020: French authorities detain 9 in connection with teacher’s beheading, France24, 17 October 2020: French prosecutor says murdered teacher had been target of threats, The Guardian, 17 October 2020: Macron: President speaks of ‘existential’ fight against terrorism after teacher killed, Arab News, 17 October 2020: Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry strongly condemns Paris terrorist attack, NPR, 17 October 2020: 9 People Detained Over Beheading Of Teacher In Paris Suburb, Arab News, 17 October 2020: Muslim World League leader condemns ‘horrific terrorist attack’ in French suburb, Al Arabiya, 17 October 2020: France’s President Macron calls killing of teacher ‘Islamist terrorist attack’, DW, 18 October 2020: France holds defiant rallies after murder of teacher, France24, 18 October 2020: ‘We are all Samuel’: Thousands gather in Paris to pay respects to murdered teacher, BBC, 18 October 2020: France teacher attack: Rallies held to support beheaded Samuel Paty, DW, 18 October 2020: Tunisian MP probed for allegedly glorifying beheading of French teacher, CNN, 18 October 2020: Samuel Paty beheading: Teacher’s slaying spurs protests across France, The Guardian, 18 October 2020: France: Thousands rally across country in tribute to murdered schoolteacher, Arab News, 18 October 2020: French premier joins nationwide tributes to beheaded teacher, The National, 18 October 2020: Thousands rally to honour teacher killed in France terrorist attack, France24, 19 October 2020: Age of intolerance? Outrage in France after beheading of schoolteacher, France24, 20 October 2020: ‘Liberty, I teach your name’: French papers pay tribute to slain teacher, The Hill, 20 October 2020: French mosque closed in crackdown after teacher’s beheading, Politico.eu, 20 October 2020: French minister requests closure of mosque that denounced murdered teacher, Reuters, 20 October 2020: Beheaded teacher Paty will get France’s highest honour – minister, France24, 20 October 2020: The brutal murder of a history teacher and France’s ‘Islamist grey zone’, The Guardian, 20 October 2020: Police to close mosque in Paris in clampdown on extremism, Al Arabiya, 20 October 2020: After teacher beheading, France to dissolve pro-Hamas Muslim group: Macron, France24, 20 October 2020: France to ‘intensify’ actions against Islamist extremism after teacher beheaded, Al Arabiya, 20 October 2020: France, Russia to increase joint efforts against terrorism after teacher decapitated (it is amazing how often Putin’s terrorists are involved in terrorist attacks in Europe), Arab News, 20 October 2020: France closes Paris mosque in clampdown over teacher’s beheading, Al Jazeera, 20 October 2020: France closes mosque in crackdown following teacher’s killing, Politico.com, 21 October 2020: French government blocks U.S. LNG deal as too dirty, France24, 21 October 2020: France pays homage to slain teacher Samuel Paty at Sorbonne ceremony, DW, 21 October 2020: France awards Legion of Honor to slain schoolteacher, France24, 21 October 2020: Teacher’s killer paid students to identify him, French prosecutor says, CNN, 21 October 2020: A teacher is beheaded, and France’s war over secularism, freedom of speech and religious equality reignites, The Guardian, 21 October 2020: Samuel Paty posthumously awarded Légion d’Honneur, The National, 22 October 2020: Macron pays tribute to murdered French school teacher at memorial, France24, 22 October 2020: French prosecutors charge seven, including two teens, over teacher’s killing, DW, 22 October 2020: Opinion: France’s difficult struggle against Islamism, France24, 22 October 2020: Anger at beheading of French teacher ‘must not override rule of law’, France24, 23 October 2020: French PM seeks new law to improve protection of civil servants against threats, France24, 23 October 2020: After teacher’s murder, a hunt for appeasers who ‘disarmed’ French secularism, DW, 24 October 2020: As France mourns slain teacher Samuel Paty, some question secular values, Politico.eu, 24 October 2020: Killing darkens shadow over France’s teachers, Al Araby, 24 October 2020: Erdogan tells Macron to undergo ‘mental checks’ over his policies towards Muslims, France24, 24 October 2020: France recalls ambassador from Turkey after ‘unacceptable’ Erdogan comments, Al Araby, 24 October 2020: Palestinian Israelis protest against France’s Macron, CNN, 25 October 2020: France condemns ‘unacceptable’ comments from Turkey’s Erdogan and recalls ambassador, France24, 25 October 2020: France calls on Arab countries to stop boycott of French products (people, who boycott French products, actively promote Islamic terrorism and should be treated accordingly), Politico.eu, 25 October 2020: EU officials hit out at Ankara after Erdogan attacks Macron, Al Arabiya, 25 October 2020: French FM accuses Turkey of trying to ‘whip up hatred’ against France, Al Jazeera, 25 October 2020: ‘Boycott French products’ launched over Macron’s Islam comments (“He also described Islam as a religion “in crisis” worldwide” – and he is rightly pointing at the fact. Over the past centuries Muslims are fighting Muslimns. If this isn’t a crisis, what else is?), Al Arabiya, 25 October 2020: Macron tweets in Arabic that France ‘will never give in’ amid Prophet cartoon storm, Arab News, 25 October 2020: EU condemns Erdogan’s Macron comments as ‘unacceptable’, Al Arabiya, 25 October 2020: Saudi Arabia’s Council of Senior Scholars: Insulting prophets only serves extremists, France24, 26 October 2020: Erdogan calls for boycott of French goods, EU calls his comments ‘unacceptable’, Business Insider, 26 October 2020: France pulled its ambassador from Turkey, and Arab states are boycotting French products, after Macron said he wanted to regulate Islam, Qantara, 26 October 2020: Emmanuel Macron leads France in fight against Islamism, BBC, 26 October 2020: Turkey’s Erdogan urges French goods boycott amid Islam row, CNN, 26 October 2020: Calls to boycott French products grow in Muslim world after Macron backs Mohammed cartoons, France24, 26 October 2020: Muslims ‘not persecuted’ in France, says country’s Muslim council, The Guardian, 26 October 2020: Anger spreads in Islamic world after Macron’s backing for Muhammad cartoons, The Guardian, 26 October 2020: Analysis: Macron’s clash with Islam sends jolt through France’s long debate about secularism, Palestine Chronicle, 26 October 2020: Gaza Scholars Protest Macron’s Anti-Islam Provocation (PHOTOS) (that Hamas is actively promoting Islamic terrorism isn’t really news), Times of Israel, 26 October 2020: Turkey’s Erdogan invokes Holocaust to condemn French crackdown on radical Islam, Al Jazeera, 26 October 2020: Turkey’s Erdogan and French President Macron butt heads – again, The National, 26 October 2020: Jack Lang: end the boycotts to build trust with France, The National, 26 October 2020: Extremists seize on French boycott to promote terrorist attacks, DW, 27 October 2020: France Muhammad cartoon row: What you need to know, The Hill, 27 October 2020: Chechen leader: Macron’s stance on Muhammad cartoons ‘forcing people into terrorism’ (a Islamist terrorist isn’t becoming a Islamist terrorist because of free speech, but because of Islamist indoctrination), DW, 27 October 2020: Boycott call tests France-Turkey trade relations, The Observers, 27 October 2020: Cheese and cosmetics: Stores in Muslim countries boycott French products, DW, 27 October 2020: Anti-French sentiment grows in Muslim countries, France24, 27 October 2020: French firms urged to ‘resist blackmail’ as Turkey’s Erdogan joins calls for boycott, DW, 27 October 2020: Opinion: Erdogan and Khan are hypocritical about Macron’s France, France24, 27 October 2020: France encourages EU allies to take measures against Turkey after Erdogan’s boycott calls (the custom union Turkey should be put on hold and additonal 10% tariffs placed on all products from Turkey into the EU), Al Jazeera, 27 October 2020: Saudi Arabia condemns attempts to ‘link Islam with terrorism’ (does these guys understand that Islamic terrorism isn’t feed by free speech, but by Islamic indoctrination?), France24, 27 October 2020: France tightens security, facing ‘very high’ terror risk after teacher beheading, The Guardian, 28 October 2020: Anger towards Emmanuel Macron grows in Muslim world (pretty simple: You don’t like the free spirit of Europe? Than you better stay away or learn to live with it!), DW, 28 October 2020: Erdogan slams ‘scoundrels’ over Charlie Hebdo cartoon (the only thing that is more amusing than the caricature are the theatrical whining reactions of the Sultan and his courtiers to it – priceless :-D ), The Guardian, 28 October 2020: Charlie Hebdo: Turkey threatens legal action over caricature of president, France24, 29 Ocotober 2020: Stabbing attack in French city of Nice kills three people, wounds several, France24, 29 Ocotober 2020: LIVE: Three people killed, several hurt in knife attack at church in Nice, France24, 29 October 2020: Analysis: Nice attack hardens French resolve on freedom of expression, DW, 29 October 2020: Deadly knife attack near church in French city of Nice leaves three dead, Politico.eu, 28 October 2020: Why Erdogan’s attacks on France will backfire, France24, 28 October 2020: The ‘weaponisation’ of French secularism, BBC, 29 October 2020: France attack: Deadly stabbing in Nice ‘is terrorism’, says mayor, France24, 29 October 2020: Analysis: Deadly attack unlikely to change French stance on freedom of expression, France24, 29 October 2020: Saudi man arrested after stabbing guard at French consulate in Jeddah, DW, 29 October 2020: The French-Turkish spat that could ‘widen the civilizational divide’, Al Arabiya, 29 October 2020: Beheading in Nice church the latest in France’s recent history of attacks, France24, 29 October 2020: Saudi man arrested after stabbing guard at French consulate in Jeddah, Al Jazeera, 29 October 2020: Saudi wounds guard at French consulate in knife attack, The Guardian, 29 October 2020: Man arrested in Saudi Arabia after alleged knife attack at French consulate, Al Jazeera, 29 October 2020: French Muslims express ‘anger, sadness’ after Nice attack, DW, 30 October 2020: Muhammad cartoon row: Anti-France protests erupt across Muslim world, Times of Israel, 30 October 2020: ‘Death to France:’ Tens of thousands of Muslims protest against Macron, DW, 30 October 2020: German President Steinmeier cautions against ‘hate and xenophobia’ after Nice attack, Arab News, 30 October 2020: Security forces keep radical protesters away from French Embassy in Beirut, Al Jazeera, 30 October 2020: Shock, mourning and far-right protests after Nice church attack, France24, 30 October 2020: A day after the fatal church attack in Nice, here’s what we know so far, Arab News, 30 October 2020: Middle East leaders join world in condemnation of deadly France attack, France24, 30 October 2020: ‘Islam is being hyper-politicised in France, but Muslims are not part of the debate’, The National, 30 October 2020: Nice mourns after attack by ‘warped terrorist’, France24, 30 October 2020: France on maximum alert after deadly church stabbing in Nice, CNN, 30 October 2020: Terror in France reignites a national debate on the right to offend, Politico.eu, 30 October 2020: France beefs up security at diplomatic posts and schools abroad, Al Arabiya, 31 October 2020: Hezbollah chief: France dragged itself into battle with Muslims over Prophet cartoons (surprisingly, the chief of a Islamist terror organization threatens France with more Islamist terror attacks), France24, 31 October 2020: Macron says he understands Muslims might be ‘shocked’ by caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad, BBC, 31 October 2020: Macron ‘can understand’ Muslims’ Muhammad cartoons shock, Jerusalem Post, 1 November 2020: Muslim organizations of New York to protest in front of French consulate, France24, 31 October 2020: Suspect detained after Orthodox priest wounded in shooting in Lyon, French authorities say, Al Jazeera, 1 November 2020: Muslim groups urge Macron end ‘divisive rhetoric, reject hatred’, The Sunday Times, 1 November 2020: We lack Macron’s courage to call this savagery what it is: Islamist terrorism, France24, 2 November 2020: France to ban Turkish ‘Grey Wolves’ after defacement of Armenian memorial, Politico.eu, 2 November 2020: France’s secularism means freedom and protection for all, Al Jazeera, 2 November 2020: French minister’s comments on ‘separatism law’ spark backlash, France24, 2 November 2020: France’s schools reopen with national homage to slain teacher Samuel Paty, Al Arabiya, 2 November 2020: UAE’s Mohammed bin Zayed condemns violence, hate speech in call to France’s Macron, Haaretz, 2 November 2020: The Only Way France Can Defeat Islamic Extremism, Al Jazeera, 2 Novemb