Articles about our multicultural, multinational society, how to reconcile local and cultural identities with the idea of a common humanity, supranational federalism, how to foster a cultural process that works towards world unification while respecting national, cultural and local diversity.
“… ensuring that the ‘power of rules’ prevail over the ‘rules of power’…” Tanja Fajon, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia, Bled Strategic Forum, 26-30 August 2022 Introduction As suggested by Tanja Fajon, ensuring that the power of rules prevails is the main challenge concerning the relationship between the Balkans and the EU. This challenge must be...
The Middle East exploded once more this spring, around the crucial issue that fuels an interminable conflict: the Palestine question. Wars have been fought over it, and terrorist operations of various types have been conducted. All in a setting that sees the great powers (the US and Russia) engaged in flexing their muscles, and exploiting states, political and terrorist movements...
POLICY PAPER …Perhaps it is from Europe that the message for coexistence and cooperation between different peoples, religions, cultures and ideas can come, for a more united world…. A symbolic event Should the measures to contain the Coronavirus pandemic allow it, the foundation stone for a temple that will combine a synagogue, a mosque and a Christian church in...
Jaap Hoeksma (1948) studied philosophy of law at the Free University of Amsterdam. He worked with the Office of the High Commissioner of the United Nations for Refugees and published on asylum and refugee law. In 1992 he focussed his attention on the newly established European Union, turned the EU into a board game about European democracy and developed the...
In his memorable speech at the Sorbonne on 26 September 2017, the French President Emmanuel Macron presented a well-structured and convincing plan for relaunching the project of European unification, which has basically been on hold since the 2008 financial crisis. In this article I do not intend to discuss all of his proposals, which I myself agree with, but rather...
The economic crisis of 2008 has demonstrated the naïve simplicity of the view that, if the economic policies of individual economies are geared towards domestic economic stability, and private actors are allowed to operate freely in such an environment, the global economy would work well. On the contrary, the said event has clearly demonstrated, on the one hand, how the...
Did it go as we wanted, what are the benefits and how to continue? CHARTER OF FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS OF THE EUROPEAN UNION[1]: “The peoples of Europe, in creating an ever closer union among them, are resolved to share a peaceful future based on common values.” What do you think, in pursuing an association treaty with Ukraine, has Europe respected this...
POLICY PAPER – Abstract – This paper addresses two questions:
1. What is the European Union?
2. Did European Philosophy shape the creation of EU? If so, how?
Despite the paradoxical status of a polity still floating between the ideal status of a Political Union, in the form of a Parliamentary Super-National Democracy, as stated by the Lisbon Treaty now in force, and the present reality of an inter-governmental organism which has been governed most of the time by national prevailing interests, the EU disposes of all the institutional means to stop the process of dissolution which has gone on for the last fifteen years or so, and to start a new phase of political integration. After the Covid19 Crisis we are witnessing rejoicing signals of a turn in the right direction: an opportunity which should definitely not be wasted, but accompanied and supported by all European citizen of good will. The two levers of this process are the constitutional principles embedded in the Treaty of Lisbon and the principle of participatory democracy, allowing new and compelling forms of citizens’ legislative initiative.
Other
Funding the Corona Recovery by curbing tax dumping and money laundering – Petition
Funding the Corona Recovery by curbing tax dumping and money laundering
European Solidarity Now! – Petition
