How can we tackle global inequality?

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inequality-speaks

On 16-17 October, the European Commission will be hosting EU Development Days, a two-day forum on international affairs and development cooperation that will see Heads of State, Nobel Prize laureates, business leaders, and development professionals meet to discuss some of the global issue that are …

Britain in Europe #5: Could UKIP boycott an EU referendum?

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ukip-speaks

As part of our ongoing series of posts looking at the UK’s (increasingly precarious) place within the EU, we recently put some of your questions to Nigel Farage MEP, leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP). Parts one, two, three and four of …

Should the European Union be a federation?

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USE

During his “State of the Union Address” last week, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso dropped the F-bomb in front of the European Parliament (we liveblogged his speech here). Despite being appointed to his position as the “most pragmatic” (i.e. least federalist) candidate, President Barroso argued for the …

How can we ensure global food security?

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food-speaks

Ultimately, what matters most is “bread and butter” politics. It’s easy to obsess about the current state of Europe’s economy, but there’s no shortage of other challenges facing the world right now; issues like energy security, resource shortages and climate change haven’t gone away. …

LIVEBLOG: Barroso’s State of the Union

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barroso-speaks

Good morning, and welcome to Debating Europe’s liveblog of European Commission President José Manuel Barroso’s “State of the Union Address”! This is Barroso’s third State of the Union, so we all know the routine by now: he will deliver his speech …

Should the EU be studied in schools?

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eu-schools-speaks

In the past, we’ve asked you how we can improve European education to make it more competitive. Recently, though, we took a video question from Karsten from Germany who suggested that a “European” dimension should be added to national curriculums to strengthen the feeling …

Britain in Europe #4: Could the UK be a ‘Greater Switzerland’ outside the EU?

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alphon-speaks

British Prime Minister David Cameron recently argued that the UK leaving the EU would be a “denial of our national interest… [unless] your vision of Britain was that we should just withdraw and become a sort of greater Switzerland“. For some, of course, the …

Has ‘Super Mario’ saved the euro?

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super-mario-speaks

Earlier today, ECB President Mario Draghi presented his plan for ‘unlimited’ bond purchases to help rescue struggling eurozone members. The move comes as the ECB revised its economic outlook for the eurozone in 2012 downwards, predicting that the monetary area’s economy …

Should Romania’s president have been impeached?

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referendum-speaks

On 29 July, a referendum was held in Romania on whether or not Traian Băsescu, the country’s president, should be impeached for abuse of powers (including allegations of wire-tapping and deploying the intelligence services against his political rivals). Băsescu and his supporters …

Is this the end of the EU model?

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euro-break-up-speaks

Back in January of this year, Croatia held a referendum on whether or not they should join the European Union (with a majority ultimately backing membership). We used the occasion to ask whether you thought the crisis had made EU membership less …