Demetris Christofias, the Greek Cypriot President, who is the only communist leader within the European Union, has taken over the EU Presidency for a term of six months. The EU presidency is a largely ceremonial role, but it is also a role that involves planning the blocs agenda and chairing many of its meetings at this pivotal time, especially with the Euro currency imploding rapidly. Are we to be... 

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman (L) speaks during a press conference alongside the Cypriot Foreign Affairs Minister Erato Kozakou-Marcoulis (C) at the EU Headquarters in Brussels, July 24, 2012. The European Union has flatly rejected an Israeli call to blacklist Hezbollah as a terrorist group, saying there is no such agreement among the bloc’s member states. “There is no consensus... 

Much has been said about the advantages of immigration and not much said about the disadvantges of it. At this particular time, Britain and Europe are, and have been, experiencing a surge of immigration that is unparalleled in their respective histories. Never in history have such a diverse and sometimes alien cultures migrated into other civilizations in such a way and this without the consent or... 

A majority of people in four European countries believe that the eurozone crisis will worsen after giving Greece the 130-billion-euro financing package. The respondents to the phone survey that was carried out by the French opinion poll institute Ifop from June 18 to 21 were asked if they thought the eurozone economic crisis will worsen or improve after giving Greece the loan. The results of the survey... 

Switzerland will continue to purchase Iranian oil in defiance of the European Union sanctions on the Islamic Republic that came into effect on July 1. The Swiss Federal Department of Economic Affairs stated that Switzerland will not join the oil embargo against Iran, despite pressure from the United States and the EU, IRNA reported on Friday. Switzerland says that any decision on the import, sale,... 

People wait in line at a government employment office at Santa Eugenia’s Madrid suburb on January 27, 2012. New data released by the European Union show that the unemployment rate in the eurozone hit a record high of 11.1 percent in May. According to EU’s statistics office Eurostat, more than 17.5 million Europeans were without a job in the single currency area in May. The figures indicated... 

The German parliament has voted in favor of the EU’s permanent bailout scheme and more lenient budget rules. Chancellor Merkel has been criticized with making a U turn in policy, easing borrowing costs on flagging banks without additional austerity. “Today Germany, with the approval of the fiscal pact and the ESM [European Stability Mechanism] by all parties in both houses of parliament, will... 

Most EU members are in favor of issuing eurobonds, but Germany opposes mutual debt obligations. Don Coxe, an investor and chairman of Coxe Advisors LLP, says Berlin cannot afford to hand out more bailouts when confidence in EU banks is crumbling. ­The talks are taking place in Brussels, where EU leaders are meeting for two days to agree on new growth measures for the union. RT: In a recent blog article... 

The Cypriot government has issued a statement confirming that it has officially made an EU bailout bid, citing heavy exposure to debt-stricken Greece. This makes it the fifth state within the currency union to ask for help. The request comes just days before a deadline to recapitalize one of the country’s largest banks. “The purpose of the required assistance is to contain the risks to the Cypriot... 

Officials from the United Nations and the European Union have launched a program in order to prevent future biological and nuclear disasters, Press TV reports. A press statement on Friday said that the Centers for Excellence (CoE) Initiative is designed to alleviate the risks of crimes related to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear disasters (CBRN) by “promoting cooperation, coordination,... 

Saying that Finland will surrender its right to act independently in the event it joins the western military alliance, Putin added that Moscow will respond to deployment of any NATO attack missiles based in the Nordic country. “The involvement of any country in a military bloc deprives it of a certain degree of sovereignty, and some decisions are made at a different level,” the Russian... 

Portuguese workers protest in a demonstration against the government’s austerity measures, Lisbon, June 16, 2012. People in Portugal have staged a protest rally against the government’s austerity measures imposed to help cap the country’s public debt. Thousands took to the streets of Lisbon on Saturday following a much larger rally in the northern city of Oporto last week. They condemned... 

EU countries have agreed that border control in the Schengen zone can be restored temporarily under “exceptional circumstances.” The measure is moved by the uncontrolled flow of migrants into the EU in the wake of the economic crisis. Under the proposal, which was approved at a meeting of EU home affairs ministers in Luxembourg, the control of national borders the Schengen Area would be... 

European Union apparatchiks are preparing to lockdown Europe following Greece’s exit. From the Associated Press today: Olivier Bailly said Tuesday that, legally, limits could be imposed on movement of people and money across national borders within the EU if it’s necessary to protect public order or public security — but not on economic grounds. “Some people are working on scenarios,” he... 

Fitch says the downgrade reflects negative economic and market environment in Spain. Fitch credit ratings agency has downgraded Spain’s rating by three notches citing the country’s banking crisis, mushrooming debt and recession as the main reasons for the downgrade. The international agency announced on Thursday that it has cut Spain’s long-term foreign and local currency to ‘BBB’...