European Capital of Culture 2012: Guimarães and Maribor

15 February 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, European Union, European Capital of Culture, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  6 minutes

© guimaraes2012.pt

© guimaraes2012.pt


GUIMARÃES

Guimarães is a northern Portuguese city located in the district of Braga, in the Ave Subregion, with a population of 52 181 inhabitants, distributed throughout 20 parishes (freguesias in Portuguese), in an urban area of 23,5 km² with a population density of 2 223,9/km².   read more…

The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP)

28 January 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, EU blog post series, European Union Reading Time:  11 minutes

© Datastat/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Datastat/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is a proposed free trade agreement between the European Union (EU) and the United States of America (USA). Proponents say the agreement would result in multilateral economic growth. The American government considers the TTIP a companion agreement to the Trans-Pacific Partnership. After a proposed draft was leaked in March 2014, the European Commission launched a public consultation on a limited set of clauses. The US and European Union together represent 60% of global GDP, 33% of world trade in goods and 42% of world trade in services. Negotiations are held in week-long cycles alternating between Brussels and Washington. The negotiators hope to conclude their work in 2015. The 28 governments will then have to approve or reject the negotiated agreement in the EU Council of Ministers, at which point the European Parliament will also be asked for its endorsement. The EU Parliament is empowered to approve or reject the agreement. The TTIP Agreement texts are being developed by 24 joint EU-US working groups, each considering a separate aspect of the agreement.   read more…

Theme Week Brussels – House of European History

31 December 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, EU blog post series, Museums, Exhibitions Reading Time:  13 minutes

Eastman Building in 2012 © Agapolulu/cc-by-sa-3.0

Eastman Building in 2012 © Agapolulu/cc-by-sa-3.0

The House of European History is an initiative of the European Parliament. As a cultural institution and exhibition centre, the House of European History plans to marshal all available means to promote a better understanding of European history and European integration, through a permanent exhibition and temporary and travelling exhibitions, a collection of objects and documents representative of European history, educational programs, cultural events and publications, as well as a wide range of online content. It will be located in Brussels, close to the European institutions. The opening is scheduled for autumn 2015. The House of European History will give visitors the opportunity to learn about European historical processes and events, and engage in critical reflection about the implication of the processes on the present day. It will be a centre for exhibitions, documentation and information which will place processes and events within a wider historical and critical context, bringing together and juxtaposing the contrasting historical experiences of European people. With a surface area of approximately 4 000 m2 at its disposal, the permanent exhibition will be the centrepiece of the House of European History. Using objects and documents and an extensive range of media, it will provide a journey through the history of Europe, principally that of the 20th century, with retrospectives on developments and events in earlier periods which were of particular significance for the whole continent. In this context, the history of European integration will be exhibited in all its uniqueness and with all its complexity.   read more…

Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations in the Old Port of Marseille

5 July 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, EU blog post series, European Union, Museums, Exhibitions Reading Time:  7 minutes

MuCEM © SiefkinDR/cc-by-sa-3.0

MuCEM © SiefkinDR/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations (MuCEM) (French: Musée des Civilisations de l’Europe et de la Méditerranée) is a national museum located in the Old Port of Marseille, in the South of France. It was inaugurated on the 7th of June 2013 as part of the special year designating Marseille as the European Capital of Culture.   read more…

The Turks and Caicos Islands

29 May 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Grand Turk southwestern beach © Jersyko

Grand Turk southwestern beach © Jersyko

The Turks and Caicos Islands are a British Overseas Territory and overseas territory of the European Union consisting of two groups of tropical islands in the Caribbean, the larger Caicos Islands and the smaller Turks Islands, known for tourism and as an offshore financial centre.   read more…

The European Garden Heritage Network

5 April 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, EU blog post series, European Union, Living, Working, Building, Palaces, Castles, Manors, Parks Reading Time:  7 minutes

Dyck Castle © Klaus Littmann/cc-by-sa-3.0

Dyck Castle © Klaus Littmann/cc-by-sa-3.0

The European Garden Heritage Network is a nonprofit organization established in 2003 within the EU-Programme INTERREG IIIB NWE to foster transnational co-operation in regional development and cultural heritage. It brings together garden experts, government services, foundations, and tourism agencies to preserve, develop, and promote gardens of historic interest within northwestern Europe.   read more…

The European Union

4 January 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Editorial, EU blog post series, European Union Reading Time:  8 minutes

© naturalearthdata.com - Alexrk2/cc-by-sa-3.0

© naturalearthdata.com – Alexrk2/cc-by-sa-3.0

The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and the European Economic Community (EEC), formed by the Inner Six countries in 1951 and 1958, respectively. In the intervening years the community and its successors have grown in size by the accession of new member states and in power by the addition of policy areas to its remit. The Maastricht Treaty established the European Union under its current name in 1993. The latest major amendment to the constitutional basis of the EU, the Treaty of Lisbon, came into force in 2009.   read more…

The Industrial Heritage Trail

18 September 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon voyage, Museums, Exhibitions Reading Time:  4 minutes

Route der Industriekultur © NatiSythen/cc-by-sa-3.0

Route der Industriekultur © NatiSythen/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Industrial Heritage Trail (German: Route der Industriekultur) links tourist attractions related to the industrial heritage in the Ruhr area in Germany. It is a part of the European Route of Industrial Heritage.   read more…

Croatia: A new family member for the European Union

26 June 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, EU blog post series, European Union Reading Time:  7 minutes

Split © DIREKTOR

Split © DIREKTOR

Croatia is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of Central Europe, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers 56,594 square kilometres (21,851 square miles) and has diverse, mostly continental and Mediterranean climates. Croatia’s Adriatic Sea coast contains more than a thousand islands. The country’s population is 4.28 million, most of whom are Croats, with the most common religious denomination being Roman Catholicism.From July 1th, 2013 on Croatia will be the 28th member country of the European Union.   read more…

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