Galaxy Europe

The EU is often viewed as some huge bureaucratic monster that has no or little appeal to the average person. It is difficult for most people to understand how important the settlement of a long-term European budget is to their own lives. Indeed, why should people care about some high-level technocratic political “hoo-ha” when the latest Quentin Tarantino movie is out on the blocks?

By Jan Nils Schubert

Have you ever wondered how in authoritarian States, people still have the Internet. Part of the answer lies in the hacktivist networks. Time to look behind the scenes and discover that a digital war is going on and that your computer is not as safe as you might think.

By Aris Kokkinos (live from the European Summit), translated by Danica Jorden

Even if the European Union paid any attention to the Mayan calendar, it seems the 13^th year of the 21^st century is as frightening as the online apocalypse. In 2013, the legislative framework for the banking union will be put in place, but 2014 is the year European leaders have chosen for its launch -- in the hope that the present financial morass will have cleared up between now and then, and that German electors will have confirmed Angela Merkel to lead the EU.

By Jan Nils Schubert.

Calling your grandmother in Italy, texting your girlfriend in Romania or watching news on your Belgian mobile phone while on vacation in Sweden...Thanks to the newly launched ‘One Single Tariff’ act, all this might be soon possible without costing the earth. As part of the European Citizens Initiative, two young French citizens are on a mission to tackle the challenge of roaming charges.

"There is no need to be feminist in my generation”, that is what the French former First Lady Carla Bruni lately declared. These words set off many reactions from the feminist movement; she ended up rectifying them and saying: “I personally never felt the need to be a feminist activist”. That little controversy reminds us that feminism is still alive, even though it sometimes takes new shapes.

By Pauline Maroy, translated by Danica Jorden
They’re called lobbies, these private interest, pressure groups… But who are they?  What do they do?  And why are they a problem?  Five public figures concerned with the subject shared their points of view on 6 November at a conference at the Free University of Brussels (ULB).  A common thread emerged during the discussion:  lobbying should be more transparent and subject to more regulations.

By Mircea Cuziac

The EU Commission launched on the 8^th of November an investigation into alleged Chinese government subsidies in solar panels and components imported into the EU from China. This latest EU decision follows a complaint by EU ProSun, a coalition of 25 solar companies whose chief backer is German company SolarWorld. The aforementioned action is just the latest in a series of scuffles relating to solar power. Accordingly, a probe was opened by the EU Commission at the beginning of September into allegations that Chinese solar power companies were dumping (selling below cost) solar panels on the EU market.

By Aris Kokkinos

The long awaited Burson-Marsteller report is an event. Given the success of the 2011 edition, reviewing the first year of Barroso II, B-M has issued a second survey. On November 13th, three panelists have delivered the primacy of their analysis: David Earnshaw, CEO of B-M Brussels, David Harley, senior advisor and John Wyles, journalist at the European Voice.

By Marnix de Witte

“I am blue, da be di da be da”. Brings back happy memories? On Friday the 16^th of November, the 6^th edition of the popular party God Save the 90’s is organised in Tour & Taxi’s. Already sold out, this edition once again promises to relive the youth of its 5000 visitors!