LIVEBLOG: Five ideas for a younger Europe!

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Good afternoon, and welcome to Debating Europe’s liveblog of the “5 Ideas for a Younger Europe” final event! Debating Europe is the official debating partner of today’s festivities, which are part of a cooperation between the First Vice-President of the …

Do you trust EU product safety standards?

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Yesterday, if you cared to celebrate it, was officially “European Consumer Day on product safety and market surveillance“. Hardly the kind of event that stops the traffic in Paris or Warsaw, but most people would agree that effective standards (whether government …

Should religions modernise to stay relevant?

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On Wednesday evening, tens of thousands of people stood waiting patiently in the rain in Saint Peter’s square, hoping to catch a glimpse of white smoke billowing forth from a special chimney on top of the Sistine Chapel. When the smoke signal …

Could more immigration compensate for Europe’s low birthrate?

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Last year, the European Commission issued its 2012 Ageing Report (PDF), warning that Europe needs to start preparing now for a demographic shift towards an older population supported by a shrinking share of people of working age. The report predicts that nearly one …

Would these five ideas help build a better Europe?

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Since Autumn 2011, two senior representatives of EU institutions have been visiting universities across Europe to meet with young people and listen to their ideas for a younger and better Europe. The top five ideas have now been selected and …

Do Europeans have the right work / family balance?

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Happy International Women’s Day! Since its origins in the North American and European labour movements in the early twentieth century, International Women’s Day has been celebrated on 8 March in many countries around the world. Here at Debating Europe, we’ve decided to mark the occassion …

Should governments close the gender pay gap?

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In Europe, men will earn on average 16.2% more than women for doing exactly the same job. There is, of course, a great deal of variety in the pay gap from country to country: Estonia, for example, has the largest pay gap, with …

Should the EU implement gender quotas?

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This Friday will be International Women’s Day! So, to mark the date, all this week Debating Europe will be publishing a themed series of posts looking at the issue of gender equality in Europe. The EU prides itself on having equality between women and men as one of it founding values …

Are the Italian elections the end of austerity?

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A majority of Italians have voted for political parties that oppose further austerity measures, it emerged today as the results from Sunday’s election became clear. Mario Monti, Italy’s former technocratic Prime Minister, was the clear loser with roughly 10% of …

Does it matter that Britain lost its AAA rating?

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On Friday, the UK became the latest country to lose its coveted AAA credit rating as Moody’s (one of the “Big Three” ratings agencies) issued a downgrade based on what it described as Britain’s “sluggish” economic growth. The UK now …