Interview with Antonio Tajani, President of the European Parliament, Brussels/Strasbourg The interview was led by Hartmut Bühl and Nannette Cazaubon “I believe that the next great achievement for the European Parliament will be to obtain true power of legislative initiative.” The European: President Tajani, you have served within the European Union for a long…
by Ioan Mircea Pașcu, Vice-President, European Parliament, Brussels /Strasbourg The deterioration of the security situation around Europe has accompanied the international financial and economic crisis of 2008. The EU has become inward looking, being gradually absorbed by internal problems (the sovereign debt, the euro etc.) The result has been the neglect of the conflicts around…
by Manfred Weber MEP, Chairman of the EEP Group, European Parliament, Brussels/ Strasbourg “We must create a European army by 2030, not to replace national armed forces, but to unite them under a common European roof.” (Manfred Weber) Our freedom and democracy is facing the biggest threat since the end of the Cold War. On…
by Ana Gomes, MEP (S&D, Portugal), European Parliament, Brussels/Strasbourg After 15 years and three mandates fulfilled as a MEP in the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, I will leave the European Parliament completely convinced that, more than ever, we need more Europe and a stronger European Union (EU). Needless to say…
Interview with Henriette Geiger, Director, DG DEVCO, EU Commission, Brussels “Our work is driven by the promotion and respect of EU values and principles, such as democracy, the rule of law, the universality and indivisibility of human rights and fundamental freedoms.” The European: Ms Geiger, in the Directorate General (DG) for International Cooperation and Development…
Interview with Jean Asselborn, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs/Minister of Immigration and Asylum, Luxembourg The interview was conducted by Editor-in-Chief Hartmut Bühl. ”The instrumentalisation of the debate about migration is the most visible sign of a wider rift among EU Member States, which is mostly about the values the EU is based on.” The…
There is a historic opportunity to strengthen our partnership “For too long, the relationship between Europe and Africa was one of dependency, charity or cooperation on an ad-hoc basis.” by Dimitris Avramopoulos, Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, European Commission, Brussels Europe and Africa are at an important crossroads today, with a historic opportunity…
Interview with Verena Papke, Director General, SOS MEDITERRANEE Germany, Berlin The interview was conducted by Nannette Cazaubon “We have to understand that people do not run towards something or a particular place, but that they flee from something.” – Verena Papke In the last 4 years at least 15,000 people have died crossing the Mediterranean…
by Wolfgang Hellmich MdB, Chairman of the Defence Committee, German Bundestag, Berlin Beyond differences and geographical boundaries there is a common interest – how Jean Monnet characterised Europe’s diversity. While this view has become largely accepted in economic terms, military cooperation and integration of EU Member States still have a long way to go. The…
Interview with Martin Konertz, Director Capabilities, Armament & Technology, EDA, Brussels “PESCO will be successful if it can strike the right security and defence balance between the European and the various national perspectives.” The Bratislava European Summit, in September 2016, brought a new impetus and awareness that Europe must revitalise defence cooperation against the backdrop…