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The Lion’s Claws, or Flemish Nationalism in a European Perspective

“So this is how liberty dies, with thunderous applause.” It is a sad time indeed. Flanders fell to the claws of populist nationalism, and if Belgian politicians continue their current strategy, so will Belgium in a ...
by Gilles Pittoors
2
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Clearing the Smoke, Part II: Federalists and Europhiles

In the first article of this series, I explained how the lack of conceptual clarity surrounding today’s political discourse is thoroughly annoying. For that reason, these contributions aims to clear some smoke and clarify som...
by Gilles Pittoors
2
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Europe: More Centralisation, More Flexibility

Recently, the Spinelli Group – a group of federalist MEPs – published a text on a new ‘Fundamental Law’ for the EU. In a recent blog, MEPs Guy Verhofstadt and Andrew Duff called for a more federal Europe, with the Commi...
by Gilles Pittoors
1
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Clearing the Smoke, Part I: Confederwhat?

Belgian political life is currently embroiled in a debate on the concept of confederalism, which the Flemish nationalists pose as a solution to the ‘Belgian problem’ – which seems to me as as merely a badly disguised st...
by Gilles Pittoors
1
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Yoga and the Quest for a European Future

On April 18th 1951, six European nations signed the Treaty of Paris establishing the European Coal and Steel Community in order to resolve the thorny German Question. By putting the European coal and steel production under a si...
by Gilles Pittoors
0
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In Search of a European Idea

If you listen to European leaders today, one would think that the EU and European integration is all about money. How are we going to arrange the Multiannual Financial Framework in a way that everybody is happy, how will we sav...
by Gilles Pittoors
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Disciplined Growth: a new Franco-German engine for Europe?

From the very beginning of the European integration project, France and Germany have been at the core of the whole enterprise. It was German Chancellor Willy Brandt who joined French President Georges Pompidou at the very first...
by Gilles Pittoors
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Vomiting Values, or What Is European?

The European Union (EU) has expanded quickly over the last decade, with its latest enlargement welcoming Bulgaria and Romania in 2007. The EU’s enlargement process however, is not as straightforward as it would appear nor doe...
by Gilles Pittoors
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The Game of Europe’s Shortcomings

Let’s get straight to the point using someone else’s words: “We have construction mistakes of Economic and Monetary Union and it is time to correct them. It is clear that the core of the current debate has a name: further...
by Gilles Pittoors
0
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