tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22851885781169649832011-12-05T23:00:24.673+01:00I came from Poland to work and live in Brussels. I observe the changing world around and try to make sense of the unfolding XXI century.my Polish pseudonim was ORKANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16619359485247740471noreply@blogger.comBlogger481100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2285188578116964983.post-33008585436920195472011-12-05T22:49:00.001+01:002011-12-05T23:00:24.684+01:00

So it looks like France and Germany agreed for a new treaty change. Yet this time the logic of change is different. It is enough if some 17 plus countries ratify the new treaty for it to come into force. This looks like a situation experienced by the States of America when they were ratifying the US Constitution in 1787... So this is a historical moment: change from a confederal rule of unanimity

my Polish pseudonim was ORKANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16619359485247740471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2285188578116964983.post-46067328648500632032011-05-11T03:50:00.005+02:002011-05-11T04:23:21.811+02:00

Dear readers,I have been silent for a while, almost 9 months. This is a suicide for a blogger. In the world of twitter, on-line news, Arab spring and euro zone fighting for credibility this is an inexcusable absence. But what means 9 months in our lives?I was struggling to stay on top of the news. What is really important? What should we concentrate our attention on?I participate in the Brussels

my Polish pseudonim was ORKANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16619359485247740471noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2285188578116964983.post-17792086609413534732010-11-11T17:09:00.005+01:002010-11-11T23:27:00.973+01:00

Very good article from Bruno Waterfield (here). I can hardly imagine people going to jail because wearing wrong clothes.Europe has a problem facing islam. And it even fails to admit that there is an issue. Banning is not the best basis for a dialogue...

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I have recently attended a Brussels Citizen University. An event organised by the team of Eric Corijn. We have discussed in English, French and ... Flemish the future of this city. The biggest discussion was of course about financing of the investments.If you look for complex topics then you cannot get a better one that the history, population and government of this city. Yet still it is part of

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I think my blog will change a bit its nature. During the first year it was mostly about my thinking about Europe and the world at large. But time has come to come back to the basics of a weblog: to assist the author in his daily activities.I have an important meeting today. Around 15 people from different services will discuss how to improve the usability and interface of an IT application that

my Polish pseudonim was ORKANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16619359485247740471noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2285188578116964983.post-733271421139549352010-07-21T19:05:00.010+02:002010-07-21T19:58:13.930+02:00

I have decided to join the Green movement. It took me 13 years to take this decision. Decision to join a political party. If you are born in a Communist party lead country party does not necessarily mean something good. Now I am ready.Back in 1997 I have joined the young movement called 'Young democrats' (Mlodzi Democraci) which was a kind of youth assaciation affiliated to one of the key Polish

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Having spent 4 years in Brussels I begin to look at Poland with a mix of nostalgia and criticism. Nostalgia is self-explanatory. I spent the first 30 years of my life predominantly in this country; I come from a family where both parents spoke Polish; I was attending schools and universities in Gliwice and Krakow. So what I am right now is predominantly made in Poland.On the other hand since the

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I read a couple days ago that Balkan states launch 'mini-Schengen'. Euobserver.com revealed that'Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro and Kosovo have created a passport-free zone, called a "mini-Schengen" by Kosovo president Fatmir Sejdiu, in order to show their readines to join the EU's borderless, so-called Schengen area. Macedonia and Montenegro began EU visa-free travel last year'.I think from

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Like with the financial crisis people will say that nobody had seen it coming. And then you find some guys who actually did and they become famous, get invited to newspapers and become celebrities. That is my goal too :) but let's go back to the facts and my reading of them:Nationalism is an ideology which puts the nation as the most important psychological link to the world. Nationalism is a

my Polish pseudonim was ORKANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16619359485247740471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2285188578116964983.post-30900716403418065342010-06-15T22:05:00.003+02:002010-06-15T22:12:09.410+02:00

If anybody is looking for ideas how to improve the world we live he should go to Copenhagen to the Danish Design Centre. It is impressive and I mean it. I spent 3 hours in altogether 4 rooms watching films, listening to interviews and discovering what it means to design our environment and tools in a way which is pleasant, intuitive and useful.The concept of design is not as easy as it seems. It

my Polish pseudonim was ORKANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16619359485247740471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2285188578116964983.post-47095274921584995352010-05-28T15:43:00.002+02:002010-06-07T07:06:21.459+02:00

We have recently forgotten that Turkey has not only a Muslem but also a secular political force. Maybe the struggle of the Kemalist party to survive should be more a barometer of the future of Islamic states. Please read for details The Economist.

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One more interesting article about Turkey; this time in the context of NATO. My personal and strictly personal view is beginning to firm up. 1. If we looked backwards at the history of European culture, Christian links and the affinity between nations Turkey with its Islamic majority, link to Middle East and difference in points of reference should be left outside the EU.2. But if we look at the

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Jeremy Rifkin has become one of the prothets of the XXIst century. He is appearing in all possible media spreading the gospel of climate change and the end of fossil fuels. So what is the catch?After reading couple of interviews with this guy I think he is right. We are on the bring of the third technological revolution. Internet and new energy sources will play a key role in the societal

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Recently I am lucky in finding interesting suggestions for the future of the EU policy. Here is an article that brings in some interesting comments. I quote the 6 points of Mr Abdulfattah Yaghi: ...'I propose six-point model to improve Europe-Arabs serious and lasting cooperation: (1) Historical reconciliation. Europe must officially admit that colonization of Arab nations was wrong, immoral,

my Polish pseudonim was ORKANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16619359485247740471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2285188578116964983.post-24295034036280296662010-05-20T15:10:00.002+02:002010-05-20T15:45:13.261+02:00

Another article I found really inspiring gives 4 recomendations about the development funds and how to improve our 'donor' performance:I quote:...'• Remove the disbursement pressure. I have worked with donors where it was in reality forbidden to discuss this – and most senior donor staff continue to pretend that the disbursement pressure is manageable. Yet I have never, over more than 20 years

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Very interesting article scatching the Belgian philosophy.EUobserver / Belgium outlines ideas on EU diplomatic appointmentsQuotes:Belgium's Mr De Ruyt aims to shift chairmanship of all EU Council working groups on foreign relations to the EAS by 2011, saying: "Our ambition is to make sure that the working presidency no longer has anything to do with external relations by the end of our term."

my Polish pseudonim was ORKANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16619359485247740471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2285188578116964983.post-42538147118494281142010-05-10T15:09:00.004+02:002010-05-10T15:22:03.572+02:00

You were wondering if this blog is still alive? Yeah... actually I was looking around trying to catch up with the recent developments on the global scene. I have an impression that the pace of global politics has accelerated since winter. And it was difficult to comment on the unfolding news:1. The creation of the European External Action Service is rapidly progressing.2. EUrozone at least has

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Having spent around 10 years studying European integration, witnessing the Convention process and elections of Ms Ashton I grew a bit disenchanted. EU does not seem to be an independant entity with its own political forces. It is rather like a big Titanic which is being pushed from all sides (mostly by nationally thinking politicians) and thus far it has escaped the biggest ice bergs. It is more

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It seemed so boring... Dozens of Commissioners appeared in front of the parliamentary committees and were repeating nice briefings prepared by the Commission staff. Some had even some charisma: I mean Mr Oettinger, Ms Hedegaard. But still after the nomination of Ms Ashton everything seemed set for a safe intronisation. And then we hear that the pressure from EP made one of the weakest abandon her

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For some time now I have been reading the British monthly: Prospect Magazine. It brings insightful articles written by interesting authors. Recently I came by an article about the new internet social gaming industry. The title of the piece is 'All the world is play' and it describes how the approach taken by game producers might show the pattern to be explored by politicians and reformers. I

my Polish pseudonim was ORKANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16619359485247740471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2285188578116964983.post-8189095584847377082009-12-01T06:49:00.005+01:002009-12-17T11:03:46.100+01:00

20 years ago the Berlin wall fell. Or actually the citizens of GDR heard in the radio that they can now cross the border and claimed their right. Was it a revolution? In the European sense it was the high point of a wave started in Poland and Hungary, under the wind of change blowing from the East.So where are we 20 years later? I just read a short interview with the Polish new Commissioner -

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By reading a provoking article about the state of Polish Universities I came across a very interesting University: The New School of Social Research which is located in New York. I looked at the type of classes they have and I realised how heterogenity of students and their interests make a vibrant community.I am afraid that most of those studying the EU fall back to finding a single history of

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The last 2 months made me quite fed up with the European politics. Don't you have an impression that everything falls on one piece of hair? Barroso nomination, Irish referendum, the psyche of Mr Kaczynski and Klaus, Constitutional Courts. I had an impression of a soap opera when everyday the life of the main character is hanging desperately on a piece of information or the right set of street

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I have read today an article in a Polish newspaper under a significant title 'Waiting for the Barbarians'. The author talks about a recent book of Christopher Caldwell „Reflections on the Revolution in Europe". And a very interesting notion is about the Europe whose main reason of political action is the sense of guilt. Guilt for Holocaust (Jews), colonialism (Third World), discrimination (women,

my Polish pseudonim was ORKANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16619359485247740471noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2285188578116964983.post-8849522673944237022009-09-23T20:19:00.004+02:002009-09-23T20:51:06.629+02:00

There is so much going on in the world. G20 shall meet in USA. Ireland is discussing about Lisbon treaty. Commission has lost a case for exceeding its rights in emission trading. China is buying energy sources around the world... they want to get rid of the dollars they gathered, before they lose value.Still there is something missing in all these equations. All this noise about Lisbon, G20,

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Thanks to EUObserver I came across the leaflet distributed in Ireland by Freedom and Democracy Group of the EP. I must say this is the first time that I see a clear message about the European Union and what stands behind it.I do not want to say that I would sign to this message and the information behind. Especially the data showing the loss of 'relative voting power in the EU Council' is

my Polish pseudonim was ORKANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16619359485247740471noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2285188578116964983.post-5283079847273872102009-09-13T13:21:00.006+02:002009-09-13T14:05:48.336+02:00

So the Barroso renomination saga is getting to the end. All the signs seem to show that the Greens, Liberals, Socialists and Communist did not manage to agree how to block Mr Nicy. They forced him to have a Commissioner for human rights, split the Justice, Security and Home affairs dossier and put a single person for financial markets supervision. But they failed to sink him. He is like a big

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I read today an article in le Soir about the different dates of the beginning of the WWII. For some it was 1 September 1939, for others December 1941. I started thinking, how can we write about the origins of our world if we cannot agree on a single date. Did our epoch start with the beginning of IIWW or with its end? And even the end is different in Europe 8/9 May and in Asia.In 2007 Commission

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"You in the West have watches, we in the East have time" - this is what I heard in Ukraine. I keep on thinking about our civilisation which makes people stressed and depressed. The Economist published a short article about the depression. It says feeling law/depressed is a signal of the same kind as feeling pain. Feeling law is a signal from your brain that you are aiming for too much; that you

my Polish pseudonim was ORKANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16619359485247740471noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2285188578116964983.post-82071437006522345892009-08-19T06:55:00.005+02:002009-08-19T08:04:11.845+02:00

There are 40 something days till the referendum in Ireland. The opinion polls are positive for the Lisbon Treaty. All commentators seem convinced that Ireland will not risk saying no to the EU in the times of crisis. The government and the oppossition seem engaged to convince the citizens to say yes. The institutions and media are already speculating about the new President of the European

my Polish pseudonim was ORKANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16619359485247740471noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2285188578116964983.post-25743667873697230112009-08-17T22:25:00.007+02:002010-06-15T22:13:15.634+02:00

During these holidays I had a short spell in Lviv, Ukraine - where my ancestors come from. Some of you will be puzzled - what is the link between Poles and a Ukrainian town. Hmmm.... how to explain it. This is a longer lecture so I give only a few facts.1. Do you know that between 1386 and 1795 the Kingdom of Poland (Korona) had an 'ever closer union' with the Princedom of Lithuania? The official

my Polish pseudonim was ORKANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16619359485247740471noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2285188578116964983.post-65022413086940914142009-08-16T09:00:00.002+02:002009-08-16T09:05:16.313+02:00

Have you heard about the Reflection Group? I was hoping for a more interactive way of thinking about the future of Europe. I tried to post a comment but even this feature did not work... So I put my comment here... maybe it will reached the addressees one day.Hello,I must say that the website is really poor in content. I was hoping that after the experience of the Convention on the Future of

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During my holidays in Poland I came up with a startling observation: when we have a lot of young people of similar age and experience when they get around 20 years old, they rebel. Nothing new you would say? Maybe. Look at the examples I have found:1. Of course 1968 - the sexual revolution of Woodstock, Western Europe with parallel student protests in Poland. Where do you find the origins. Just

my Polish pseudonim was ORKANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16619359485247740471noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2285188578116964983.post-30313532252354087532009-08-15T08:17:00.005+02:002009-08-15T09:08:12.013+02:00

Did you know who invented the notion of subsidiarity which is essential for the concept of federalism? I have just found out it was a German Calvinist lawyer and philosopher - Jahannes Althusius who published his book Politica in 1603. Having read on Wikipedia the biogram of Althusius I can only say that you cannot understand the history of Europe without knowing what Reformation was and what the

my Polish pseudonim was ORKANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16619359485247740471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2285188578116964983.post-14341587138220120862009-08-11T02:31:00.005+02:002009-08-11T03:06:41.469+02:00

We are living in interesting times and not only 'financial times'. The European debate reaches its peak without being noticed. Four very important issues dominate the agenda and they are all linked one to another1. Ratification of a Reform treaty that took already 7 years of preparation (since the Declaration of Laeken in December 2001). The Irish will make it or break it and thus will shape the

my Polish pseudonim was ORKANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16619359485247740471noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2285188578116964983.post-23135859167069842472009-07-27T07:20:00.007+02:002010-06-07T07:10:56.959+02:00

My 'study' trip to my home town - Gliwice brings everyday something new. The most important message is that the crisis has not struck as hard as in other countries. The GDP in the second quarter of 2009 should still remain positive (around 0.8).This is probably thanks to still strong consumption (might still go down) and huge public investments sponsored mainly from the EU funds. If somebody

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I think that I should start seeing my interest in Europe as an obsession. I went on holidays to my home country and am reading articles in Euractiv and Euobserver. I am thinking more and more that it is time for me to engage in the large scale debate on Europe.I have been thinking a lot about the issue of enlargement and 2 big chunks on the way to be swallowed by the EU: Turkey and Ukraine. The

my Polish pseudonim was ORKANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16619359485247740471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2285188578116964983.post-58100464852177095492009-07-15T22:15:00.002+02:002009-07-15T23:41:05.316+02:00

I have not written for a while but am following closely the recent events on the European stage. I am happy about the choice of Jerzy Buzek. Suddenly all the foreigners get interested in Poland... It is funny how power attracts and raises interests.There is a lot of speculation about Barroso. I must say I like this speculation. I have nothing personal with this guy but somehow he has not

my Polish pseudonim was ORKANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16619359485247740471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2285188578116964983.post-53737873924074160592009-07-01T07:03:00.000+02:002009-07-01T07:40:29.592+02:00

Many years ago I read an article comparing the prevailing visions of Europe in France, Germany and UK (divided among their respective political parties). The main conclusion was that French tend to think about Intergovernmental Confederation (which guarantees respect of their nation-etat and is a vehicle of their interests), Germans about a Federal State (with clear delineation of power between

my Polish pseudonim was ORKANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16619359485247740471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2285188578116964983.post-79571263875037660772009-06-28T04:39:00.001+02:002009-08-15T09:16:47.547+02:00

I have read an interesting interview with George Soros. For those who do not know he is a Hungarian financial invester who earned a lot of money on currency speculation (British pound in the 1990) and parallely started giving a lot of money to the developement of democracy in Central Europe (Open Institute). He warns that we still do not know the real magnitude of the economic crisis and that he

my Polish pseudonim was ORKANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16619359485247740471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2285188578116964983.post-38014868685239915192009-06-23T21:48:00.000+02:002009-06-23T22:17:22.247+02:00

Read today a very interesting aricle about Solana's views on the future of the external action service foreseen in the Lisbon treaty (http://euobserver.com/9/28355). It is funny how sometimes a simple truth can escape our political intuition. Solana is right! There should not be a revolution in merging national embassies with the Commission Delegations. It should be really a gradual process. We

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I was yesterday at the concert of Depeche Mode in Werchter. I want to comment not only on their music but on the visual aspect - the pictures, films showed in the background.I must say this was really inspiring. One that struck me most was the photos of different armies, vehicles, planes symbolising the war and the attitude of people towards strength and power. I think we keep on forgetting about

my Polish pseudonim was ORKANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16619359485247740471noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2285188578116964983.post-88054781358105654602009-06-14T18:09:00.000+02:002009-06-14T18:31:27.080+02:00

I have come across an interesting book written by Julian Priestley, aormer Secretary General of the European Parliament. '7 battles that shaped the European Parliament'. I read the chapter about the growing power of MEPs in the process of nomination of the European Commission.I know that theory gets boring after a moment. But when you see the internal 'cuisine', the battle between personalities,

my Polish pseudonim was ORKANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16619359485247740471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2285188578116964983.post-7390518137280284562009-06-08T19:10:00.000+02:002009-06-08T19:49:14.361+02:00

So finally we have a European discussion. Who gets how many votes, who wins, who loses. The demise of Labour in GB is really estonishing. It really shows that there is not such thing as a party that can rule forever. Maybe this is the best aspect of democracy that it forces people to compete? Ok, they not always compete with ideas. There is also marketing, negative campaigns and so on. But still

my Polish pseudonim was ORKANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16619359485247740471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2285188578116964983.post-81447078673502606432009-06-05T18:22:00.000+02:002009-06-05T18:54:31.777+02:00

I hope that the choice of the next Commission's president and the college will not go smoothly. Why? Because Europe needs open conflicts and there is not a more stimulating conflictual situation as fighting for the jobs and portfolios.Ideally Jerzy Buzek should become the President of next Parliament only after a tough battle with the Italian Mario Mauro. Jose Barroso should get a grilling during

my Polish pseudonim was ORKANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16619359485247740471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2285188578116964983.post-11478776182347455312009-05-31T12:52:00.000+02:002009-05-31T13:45:03.264+02:00

I keep on repeating myself. It still bothers me why the European project does not have a clear acceptable description of what it is. Why almost 60 years after the Declaration of Robert Schuman we did not agree where we want to go and how we want to do it.Ok, we are learning by doing. Who would ever say that these poor, post-communist Poles with many complexes and fighting style will ever steer

my Polish pseudonim was ORKANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16619359485247740471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2285188578116964983.post-2928673402005746242009-05-29T18:07:00.000+02:002009-05-29T18:38:16.715+02:00

I am following the elections in the EU. I use this term on purpose. These are not European elections. Timothy Garton Ash said this. That actually we selecting our candidates to seat in the European Chamber of Deputies (this is me). The name Parliament is misleading too. This is only the 'House of Commons' while the Council of Ministers is 'House of Lords'. Or the other way round.The problem with

my Polish pseudonim was ORKANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16619359485247740471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2285188578116964983.post-91316451729155958182009-05-21T11:34:00.000+02:002009-05-21T12:04:54.328+02:00

As you will see quickly English is not my mother tongue. I work for the EU institutions. 3 years right now. But the official policy of EU institutions is that I cannot speak to the press, unless authorised by my superiors and communication Unit. I risk sanctions (actually did not check what type). In general terms I like my job and I would like to continue the career. Do I need to keep silent?On

my Polish pseudonim was ORKANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16619359485247740471noreply@blogger.com0