The European Union has a parliament which has two homes, Brussels and Strasbourg. When weighing all the resources required and practical costs for maintaining this tradition, many have called into question why there isn’t one European Parliament. My guest today is Anders Ekberg, a key player in the OneSeat.eu campaign and part of the Liberal Party of Sweden, he explains the history of the campaign and we discuss the details.
We Discuss:
– How the Parliament juggles the two places
– The history of the situation
– Luxembourg, the third seat.
– Who pays for what
– The process
– France
– What to do with Strasbourg
– The campaign and its future
I was at the EU parliament this weekend. Got me thinking about what this building represents.
And then I remembered there are two of them, and lots of wasted resources to cart MEP’s back and forth. Hence this vlog and this link.
The region of Kosovo seems to have fallen out of the international media conversation. It has lost the sexiness it had in the 90’s. Yet thousands of troops and international workers are there, not to mention the Kosovars themselves. But what can the future hold for them?
To discuss this and related themes, I went to visit Vlidi at his home in Belgrade. He has been to Kosovo several times for different reasons, and has much to say about what is going on there.
We discuss:
– His visits to Kosovo in 04 and 05
– The interviews he conducted there.
– Background, why has all this happenned in Kosovo
– The territory during Yugoslavia
– Population, politics, and quality of life
– The economic significance of Kosovo
– Dependency
– Lessons not learned
– Drawing Borders to Remove Borders
– Meaning for Serbia
As the year turned 07, Romania and Bulgaria became part of the EU. What does this mean to people living in the country? What are their hopes and fears after joining the Union?
To help better understand the reality in Romania and address the many questions about joining the EU, Andy H of Csíkszereda Musings joins me.
We talk about:
-the first week of being in the EU
-the symbolism, and national importance of this development
-the campaign, propaganda, and all the buzz leading to the 1st of January
-how the media frames the EU and joining the union.
-the circumstances for Romanian workers in the rest of the EU
-the restrictions that countries have threatened to put on romanians.
and more……
En route from Amsterdam to Lisbon via Porto, I had ample time to read through the French, British, and Portuguese papers. I ran into many articles on Turkey and the decision by the EU to slow down or what many call “freeze” the process of expansion to include them. While it is certainly not under-reported news, it is an issue that I have a seperate or somewhat different concern about, and therefore voila: a podcast on this topic, including some other EU related concerns and criticisms from me. No podjournalism today, just me in this chilly Lisbon apartment, trying to huddle around a electric-space-heater.
Over the past few weeks, the focus and criticism on the Bush administrations Wire Tapping Practices has been widespread and intense. First and foremost for being illegal, but also for its ineffectiveness, its intrusiveness, and more. Meanwhile in the EU, it is quite difficult to find any recent information on the data retention law passed last December. What did this law involve? Who is effected? And what about the reactions and responses to this legislation? Listen in as I give it a go.
