News features

Concerns about the dumbing down and politicisation of the media have begun to surface in the European Parliament.

The newly formed "media intergroup" met yesterday (Feb 2) to discuss, amongst other issues, the lack of independent reporting, and the closing down of many national and regional newspapers and journals.

MEPs and journalists vigorously debated the issues, in what promises to become one of the more controversial of the parliament's intergroups.

One issue that never seems to go off the boil in the European Parliament is that of the labelling of food products. Today, the issue was debated in the EP's internal market committee, where MEPs chewed over the question of how much information should be put onto food packaging.

Speaking to journalists last week in Brussels, Edward McMillan-Scott pledged to "work alongside" the EPP group in the European parliament. He also reaffirmed his committment to human rights issues, highlighting his concerns about China in particular.

He left the conservative ECR group in protest at alleged far-right backgrounds of some of that group's members, and currently sits as a non-attached MEP, having lost the Tory whip.

This journal has been mildly critical of two of the smaller groups in the European Parliament, the European Conservatives & Reformists (ECR) and the Europe of Freedom & Democracy (EFD), mainly because they have effectively marginalised the two centre-right British delegations by placing them on the periphery of EU politics. There has also been some speculation concerning the far-right backgrounds of certain members of both groups.

December 2009 saw EU staff members striking in anticipation of a coming pay battle. The European Commission is seeking an inflation-busting rise for staff and commissioners alike of 3.7%. Member states would like to limit the rise to 1.8%, mindful as they are of how such a rise would be perceived in countries suffering under the economic crisis.

The United States is absolutely right to reject Vladimir Putin's criticism of the proposed missile defence shield. Talk of "maintaining the balance" is misleading: Putin simply does not want his country to lose the one playable card it holds.

However, the city has warmed to the project, with the environmental bene

"This draft agreement cannot be called fair, as it lacks balance between developed and developing countries," Japanese representatives stated.

Whilst the EU political elites struggle with the concept and processes of integration, at domestic level our communities are far from integrated. Politician and human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell writes of a situation where political extremism not only creates tensions between communities, but also leads to domestic abuse within families. His words are shocking, but in the context of recently disturbing events in a number of EU states such as France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, they place the lofty aspirations of the EU into an altogether different context. The following article not only demonstrates the dangers that face a society that fails to grasp the importance of integration, but also highlights the absurdity of unchecked "political correctness".