http://blogs.tol.org/eu Brussels in a blog-shaped nutshell Sat, 20 Oct 2007 00:33:08 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Come back soon, this site will be working twice as hard as Brussels. http://blogs.tol.org/eu/2007/10/15/working-soon/ My friend ideoblogue asked me yesterday whether I thought The Netherlands would have another referendum on the new European treaty, and if so, what the outcome would be. Here, for all those interested, my two pennies’ worth. So, both of you, be warned. This is going to be an exercise ... http://blogs.tol.org/eu/2007/07/10/new-no-for-netherlands/ It’s common knowledge that Russia is rife with corruption and cronyism. Rare is the Western tourist who returns from St Petersburg without a dinner-party tale about ‘The Terrible Traffic Policeman’ or some other familiar Russian character. Surveys such as Transparency International’s Corruptions Perceptions Index support this image - Russia ranks 127 out of 142 countries, ... http://blogs.tol.org/eu/2007/07/06/is-russia-less-corrupt-than-people-think/ If it is true that beauty hides in the small details, Bulgarians are the quintessential history hedonists. Did you know that Bulgaria is the only country in Europe which managed to keep its original name for more than 13 centuries? Yes, and the constitution we adopted in 1878 ... http://blogs.tol.org/eu/2007/07/01/bulgarians-in-search-of-history/ An unusual event happened in Brussels over last weekend. I am talking about the launch of the first European Wind Day, a Europe-wide campaign to promote wind energy and bring it closer to people. It was a fancy act - first, a spectacular exhibition took place right on the Schuman roundabout, ... http://blogs.tol.org/eu/2007/06/18/wind-wind-and-more-wind-in-brussels/ Judging from the evidence on YouTube, French President Nicolas Sarkozy got a lesson in vodka-drinking from Russia’s President Putin at the G8 meeting last week. But has Putin also been teaching new-boy Sarko a thing or two about ‘press management’? The French press has barely reported the infamous press conference; even ... http://blogs.tol.org/eu/2007/06/18/what-putin-taught-sarko/ Last week 24 EU countries announced an easing of the visa regime for Russian citizens travelling to the EU. Whilst this is a step in the right direction, the reforms should go much further. The EU should abandon the principle of reciprocity (the protocol by which visa regimes are ... http://blogs.tol.org/eu/2007/06/13/eu-should-go-further-on-visas-for-russians/ I was on the bus the other day on the way home from uni. Driving through a residential area, one of the babushkas called out to ask the driver if he could take a different route to drop her at her door (apparently her leg hurt). A couple of other ... http://blogs.tol.org/eu/2007/06/07/bus-democracy/ Budapest, “the pearl on the Danube”, is famous for its great architecture, the bridges, gulyas soup, the royal palace and many other things which make Japanese tourists anxiously reach for their cameras. As an insider here, I offer an alternative view of the specifics of the city. Who ... http://blogs.tol.org/eu/2007/05/30/a-guide-to-budapest/ Summer has definitely arrived in Moscow, and it seems to have scared all the bras indoors. I can’t walk 200 metres to the metro without encountering bosoms bouncing without a care under some flimsy top. Let’s be clear – I am not a bra fascist, but Moscow seems to have ... http://blogs.tol.org/eu/2007/05/29/where-have-all-the-bras-gone/