Category Archives: Europe
Is Albania already in the EU?
Not yet. Only in June 2014 Albania received the official status as a candidate for accession to the EU. Now the negotiations will start for real, and this process usually takes years. Travelling through Albania, one might however gain a different … Continue reading
Going West
17 July 2014. In the Albanian port city of Vlora (in which Albanian is merely a geographical description because Vlora is such a typical Mediterranean tourism and port city that it might as well be in Italy or in Turkey) I … Continue reading
Sad Things (11) David Cameron
Being Prime Minister of a quickly disintegrating country which has been a member state of the European Union since 1973, but who still doesn’t understand how the Union works.
Two Comedians in Parliament
No surprise that the Five-Star Movement (Movimento Cinque Stelle) from Italy and the UK Independence Party are getting together for an alliance in the newly elected European Parliament. After all, they are both led by comedians: Although Beppe Grillo is … Continue reading
Why UKIP did so well
My appeal seems to have worked.
“Italia dei Valori” explain anti-German election campaign
“Europeans, not Germans,” the posters of the Italian party Italia dei Valori (“Italy of Values”) are screaming out in an effort to gain votes in the upcoming elections to the European Parliament. As I have pointed out already, I find that a … Continue reading
Easily Confused (33) Erasmus students
Young Europeans wasting their lives in 1914: Young Europeans wasting their lives in 1944: Young Europeans wasting their lives in 2014: As much as I question what Erasmus students do during their time abroad, in light of the above comparison even I have … Continue reading
Anti-German election campaign in Italy
Finally I know what it feels like to be part of a group of foreigners used as scapegoats in an election campaign. It feels weird. Despite being aware that they are not targeted against me personally, I always feel affected by … Continue reading
There are more important things than territorial integrity
Democracy and self-determination are great. But nobody should believe that a referendum hastily pulled out of a hat, with limited choices and without a proper prior public debate about the question posed at the polls is a good example of direct … Continue reading
We don’t need Oil or Gas. We have Vinegar.
At the Lithuania Tribune, someone apparently had too much trust in the automatic spell-check recommendations. The Visegrád Group is a cooperation between Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. It was not inspired by any plan to produce more vinegar.
The Happy Hermit 