Mark Mardell, the BBC’s Europe editor, said in his blog today that “For the European project’s enthusiasts 2008 has been a good year.” He focuses on foreign affairs, with the EU brokering the Georgia ceasefire, setting up its Kosovo mission and sending a joint fleet of warships to the Somalia coast to protect shipping from pirates. He also refers to the financial crisis and the fact that “the

Earlier this year I posted about Bruno van den Elshout, a young Dutch photographer and journalist who was spending a year of his own time and money travelling around all 27 EU Member States and writing about his daily experiences.  His blog made a fascinating read and his photos were great.  Recently I had the pleasure of meeting him in Paris.  Since I wrote about him last January Bruno has completed his project, having interviewed more than 2,500 Europeans while covering a distance of more than 40,000 kilometers (25 000 miles).

Even after his crosscontinental trip, Bruno remains involved in a number of Europe-focused activities. He writes columns and provides photo material to Europa Nu, a Dutch web portal dealing with European affairs. Bruno also serves on the management board of Indigo, a pan-European print magazine that appears in seven languages.

“For young people, Europe is mostly about doing!”, Bruno says. “The best way to enjoy Europe is not to talk about it too much. Talk about everything EXCEPT Europe. Just take the united Europe as a an opportunity and use it to your personal advantage in whichever way you can. I love the idea of living on a continent with so much diversity over such a small area. There’s lots of fun in discovering cultural differences and there’s plenty of ways to do that. Spend your holidays in another European country, find yourself a penpal, learn a foreign language, leave on an interrail trip. Fall in love with a city, a place, a person or even an entire country. It’s all out there, waiting to be discovered!”

Wise words indeed.  Bruno is currently putting together a photo exhibition that combines 366 portraits of young Europeans with excerpts of interview transcriptions. The exhibition is set to travel along different European capitals throughout 2009, giving young Europeans the opportunity to learn about their peers living in all corners of the European Union. Until then, all interviews and reports remain publicly available at the Us Europeans website.  Check it out, it’s worth it!

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I am very much looking forward to being back in Sweden for Christmas.  I wish all my readers the very best for the holiday period and for the New Year.  Have a good one!

Today´s quote : “No single snowflake feels responsible for the avalanche”(Nietzsche).

If Governments now have to inject a lot of taxpayers money into the car industry in the US and here in Europe  – AT LEAST they should ask some difficult questions about the management of these companies! As far as I understand, it is the same leaders that now ask for Government support  that have consistently complained about, opposed and resisted most of what legislators have proposed over the last decades (from catalysts to biofuel).  AT LEAST they should make sure that the culture of bonuses and fantasy-salaries come to an end and that the boards of these companies create full responsibility and accountability.

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At the moment there are 10 000 nuclear warheads in the US and Russia has 15 000. The oldest ones have a technical lifespan of around 30 years and that period is coming to an end. The UK decided in March 2007 to modernise their Trident nuclear submarines at a cost of £10-15 billion in a project over 17 years.

This is why we have seen the rise of a debate about replacement  and renewal of  nuclear weapons and a prolongation of what was meant to be “a parenthesis in military history” – according to the  1970 Non-proliferation Treaty…

We all know that public opinion can have an influence on big issues IF there is knowledge enough, an emotional angle and a sense of urgency. We witnessed  that in the debate on middle-range missiles beginning of 1980:s .

I support a global campaign for the elimination of nuclear weapons.

The only way to stop the spread of nuclear weapons and make sure they are never used is to get rid of them. To join the thousands of citizens “and to support the political leaders” committed to this effort, please click below:

http://www.globalzero.org/sign-declaration

So, the saga of working time will continue (see my blog of monday).Parliament today amended, instead of approved, Council’s position, which means no legislation has been adopted. Instead, negotiations continue to seek a solution acceptable to both Parliament and Council. In Britain, the trade unions, doctors, the BMA and others are happy with the amendments adopted by Parliament, while the

After years of campaigning the European Parliament has finally adopted a devastating verdict against directory scams like the European City Guide. Maltese MEP Simon Busutill’s report was adopted by a massive majority of 632 in favour and just 4 against, with only 12 abstentions.The report strongly condemns the methods of directory scams and called on all EU countries to follow Austria’s example