JamesPCross

EU’s rich north benefits from the Eurocrisis

Various studies confirm that public and even official debate about “bailouts” has been badly mis-framed as a question of whether the better-off northern member states are willing to contribute their taxpayers’ money to aid their struggling Eurozone partners. In fact, as reported today by Reuters, the richer countries have benefitted massively from the huge decline inContinue reading “EU’s rich north benefits from the Eurocrisis”

EU shares responsibility for the mistreatment of migrants in Greece

Media coverage of the mistreatment of migrants and asylum-seekers in Greece has focused, quite rightfully, on the responsibilities of the Greek government — both its duty to ensure that all individuals are processed according to legal guidelines and its duty to ensure their protection from violent abuse by vigilante gangs and even by public officials.Continue reading “EU shares responsibility for the mistreatment of migrants in Greece”

Armaments, corruption and debt

A recent report found that “the governments of countries of lending countries – like Germany and France – are emphatic on the priority of [Greece] settling outstanding bills with arms suppliers…, while at the same time insisting on swingeing cuts in public spending and other austerity measures”, despite the fact that there is evidence of corruptionContinue reading “Armaments, corruption and debt”

Enough is enough — it’s time to sanction Hungary

The challenge of managing the EU’s on-going economic crisis has distracted the Union from worrisome political developments within some of its member states. The worst offender here is Hungary, where the government has initiated legislative and constitutional changes and used political rhetoric and symbolic actions that are clearly incompatible with its obligations as an EU member toContinue reading “Enough is enough — it’s time to sanction Hungary”

The Europeanization of Military Training and Education

This guest post by Dr. Tamir Libel, currently a Non-Resident Fellow at the UCD Centre for War Studies, reports on research he conducted as a Marie Curie Fellow at the UCD School of Politics and International Relations in 2012-2013: In the aftermath of the Cold War, European militaries have drastically transformed national systems of officerContinue reading “The Europeanization of Military Training and Education”

The perils of leaving the politics out of politics – the Italian elections

I have some thoughts about the Italian elections on Crooked Timber today, here.

Does the European Union need to become a community?

Analysts of European integration often contend that the European Union must build not only institutions but also an identity. Assuming that the Union cannot get by on (at any rate uncertain) popular perceptions that it is economically beneﬁcial, they argue that only a shared sense of belonging to an overarching European communal unit could helpContinue reading “Does the European Union need to become a community?”

Will the Irish EU presidency get serious about political extremism in Europe?

We’ve all heard of Silvio Berlusconi’s recent praise for Benito Mussolini on Holocaust Memorial Day. But he’s not alone. The European Commission observes that political parties across Europe are seeking to win voters from extremist movements by borrowing their hate-filled language and imagery. And we know that these movements are growing. Have a look atContinue reading “Will the Irish EU presidency get serious about political extremism in Europe?”

Austerity in the Eurozone periphery

The latest issue of the online journal Intereconomics features articles about Greece, Ireland, Italy, Spain, and Portugal. Aidan Regan and I wrote the article on Ireland. As we know well here in Ireland, they’re an oddly-sorted bunch, because each faces a rather different set of domestic policy challenges. Each also has problems that need to be addressed inContinue reading “Austerity in the Eurozone periphery”