Articles archive
Seven days - a week in the life of Malcolm Harbour
In a busy working week, the Conservative MEP travels to Geneva for the motor show, takes lunch with the head of the Church of Scotland and meets constituents in Birmingham
Northern Ireland economy faces 'unprecedented' challenge
Northern Ireland's small regional economy faces a long and difficult road to recovery, and its executive needs access to the full range of policy levers if it is to successfully rebuild in the wake of the downturn, writes Sammy Wilson
'Kafkaesque' UK lobbying register should learn from EU
British plans for a statutory lobbying register are 'half-baked' and ignore the evidence built up by the EU voluntary model – claims public affairs consultant Chris Whitehouse
Artificial intelligence: time to 'invest in soft robotics'
Soft robotics is set to have an enormous impact on the service and manufacturing industries; and there is no need to be concerned that automation will put people out of work – the reverse is true as jobs that would otherwise be outsourced to China can be protected, writes Professor Rolf Pfeifer
Getting to grips with the EU's 'babbling of presidents'
The European Union and its institutions boast an impressive array of presidents and vice-presidents, but the end result is a power vacuum filled by France and Germany, writes our secret columnist
Europe faces 'more, not fewer' security threats
From terrorism to cyber-attacks and climate change, the number of threats to Europe's security is on the up – and meeting these challenges is a test of European solidarity and responsibility, writes Mart Laar
OECD: Europe reaches 'potential turning point'
Europe has reached a "potential turning point" that could see an upturn in its economic fortunes, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development said today
Protecting environment 'inextricably linked' to global growth
It is easy to overlook the environment in a period of financial crisis – but the challenge also represents an opportunity to pursue economic growth, writes Janez Potocnik
Time for Putin to become an 'impeccable democrat'
The recent presidential elections raised concerns about Russia's commitment to democracy that its leadership must address, writes Elmar Brok
On free trade, EU is no closed door
Even the case-hardened cynic has to recognise that not everything is en route to perdition in a handcart. So it is with the European Union's external trade policy, writes our secret columnist
Authoritarian Russia among top global threats
It is vital to identify global risks as they emerge – and the threat of Russia taking an authoritarian turn is among those that must be monitored closely, writes Sarah Michaels
Agricultural patents 'threat' to Europe's farmers
The trend towards protecting breeding methods and agricultural food products with patents is a major threat to farmers, breeders and food producers in Europe, writes Christoph Then
The European Union penumbra, now consisting of 41 'agencies'
In these straitened economic times, it could well be time to take a hard look at what added value would be lost if some of the EU's agencies were wound up - as many are unnoticed, unknown, unappreciated and unsung - says our secret columnist
Citizens' initiative marks 'fresh chapter' in EU democracy
The introduction of the citizens' initiative will enable the voices of ordinary people to be heard in Brussels and foster true cross border political debates – writes European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic
European public services must follow Iceland's open-source lead
To many in the private sector, the idea of super-size contracts that are expensive to run and almost impossible to break free from seems ludicrous - insists Jim Shaw