Questions related to the politics of countries within Europe (i.e. comparing aspects of policy regarding various European countries).
2
votes
1answer
127 views
What is Pro-Europeanism?
I was reading a list of some political parties and one of them supports the idea of "Pro-Europeanism". What is that and is it supported by a lot of people?
101
votes
19answers
36k views
Why do European cities have so many homeless and beggars despite its high-tax welfare system?
Any European cities I have ever visited had homeless or beggars on the street. Or these people may not necessarily be homeless but it is clear enough that they are extremely poor and need help from ...
34
votes
7answers
8k views
Why would Putin or Russia benefit from a weak EU or weak EU countries?
Various (western) commentators and politicians state that "the only one happy with/benefiting from [insert bad scenario here] is Putin/Russia" (I'm not sure which one(s) of the two they mean). ...
3
votes
1answer
141 views
Is there any European that apologized to people in jail for a certain law?
According to this article an important Romanian politician has apologized to people in jail after being sentenced for office misconduct:
The leader of Romania’s ruling Social Democratic Party vowed ...
8
votes
2answers
378 views
Is there a date (before 29 Mar 2019) when a hard Brexit is inevitable?
Obviously, if there is no agreement between the UK and the EU on 29 Mar 2019 then a no deal Brexit will occur.
It is my understanding that any agreement (or article 50 withdrawal) that is negotiated ...
1
vote
1answer
93 views
US out of Iran nuclear deal, possible reaction from European countries [closed]
Trump newly announced the US will be pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal, and that he will soon reimpose sanctions on Iran. This goes right against the recommendations from several European countries ...
5
votes
1answer
623 views
Are European countries' politics less democratic than in the US? [closed]
Source: Richard A. Posner, How Judges Think (2008), p. 351 Bottom.
Furthermore, foreign decisions emerge from a complex social, political, historical, and institutional background of which most of ...
0
votes
2answers
77 views
Are checks for heavy metals, asbestos and such mandatory when certifying for “EU Organic?”
I wonder what kind of checks they have to make when testing products for organic certification. Does it include testing for heavy metals, asbestos, arsenic, etc.?
P.S. I apologize if this is the ...
0
votes
2answers
425 views
Has any Catholic been knighted in the UK in recent history? [closed]
In the past 50-100 years, has a British monarch knighted anyone of self-professed Catholic persuation?
This question is about English Church influence on English establishment. Has anyone of the ...
4
votes
3answers
360 views
How binding is the two degree temperature limit agreement really?
The context for this question, is the recent court ruling about the nitrogen dioxide limits in German cities (An english article I found about it). Or
this one written before the ruling, but arguably ...
3
votes
3answers
786 views
Why are there so many nations that have still not ratified the Istanbul Convention?
Context: In December 2008, the Council of Europe set up an expert committee, the Ad Hoc Committee for preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (CAHVIO). In December 2010, ...
0
votes
0answers
80 views
Are there any official records supporting the idea that an European king/queen could have helped a country being admitted in NATO or EU?
According to this article the last Romanian King supported Romania's efforts for joining NATO and EU after the fall of the communism:
After the Romanian revolution in 1989, he had a difficult ...
3
votes
0answers
67 views
Is there any recent example (post 1990) of European high officials giving up special protection?
According to this article, virtually all Romanian cabinet members have given up the protection services offered by the Protection and Guard Service (SPP), which is designated for providing protection ...
5
votes
1answer
251 views
Are there examples of “guerrilla politics” being effective in an European country?
At the end of 2017, Romanian Parliament tried to make controversial changes to criminal laws and other laws that might severely influence justice independence, leading to protests and external ...
2
votes
0answers
136 views
Why are the EU and Media so against Poland's court reforms, when other countries have similar systems [duplicate]
Following on from this this question - There is a lot of resistance from the EU and the mainstream media to Poland's proposed changes to the way Judges are selected.
As I understand it, the current ...
1
vote
0answers
145 views
Why neutral countries do not reject declarations of OIC? [closed]
While Trump's decision to recognize (or to stop postponing it) the Jerusalem (western part) as the capital of Israel could be described as controversial or not, EU countries, which position themselves ...
9
votes
4answers
3k views
What other European countries are experiencing independence movements?
UK, Spain, and now Italy have regions that have held referendums on independence or autonomy after the leaders of Italy's two wealthiest northern regions have claimed victory in a non-binding ...
3
votes
3answers
91 views
How often do voters actually change the ranking of candidates in European countries with open-list proportional representation?
From Wikipedia:
Open list describes any variant of party-list proportional representation where voters have at least some influence on the order in which a party's candidates are elected. This as ...
6
votes
1answer
321 views
What is the significance of Macron's proposed status change to the European Flag, and what steps would be needed to make this a reality?
President Macron said he wants to officially recognize the status of flag of Europe (my translation).
Does this mean that the flag has been decorative only up until now? What would officially ...
4
votes
4answers
587 views
What could Spain do legally if Cataluña proclaims independence?
It seems there will be a unilateral proclamation. I don’t think Spain will accept this. Can Spain avoid this politically?
Stating the referendum was illegal seems to have been ineffective. Is it ...
9
votes
3answers
484 views
To what degree do Americans think of Europe as a singular political and cultural entity?
Often when I read questions here, people often used the word "Europe", and ask what politics are like "in Europe", and how voters are like "in Europe", and how cultural differences influence politics "...
8
votes
1answer
337 views
What were the effects of the UK entering the EEC (“Brenter”)?
So, Britain is in a process of negotiating its exit from the EU. I'm trying to understand what the effect of leaving the EU is likely to be, irrespective of the negotiations process, but supposing it ...
8
votes
9answers
1k views
What are the Realpolitik benefits in taking in refugees from the perspective of Europe?
The principal argument, to my knowledge, that Europe ought to take in refugees from Syria (and other war torn countries) is a moral one. The refugees are innocent victims of brutal wars, the ...
5
votes
1answer
285 views
Is Austria breaking State Treaty?
Austrian State Treaty from 1955:
Article 4
PROHIBITION OF ANSCHLUSS
The Allied and Associated Powers declare that political or economic
union between Austria and Germany is prohibited. Austria ...
94
votes
9answers
34k views
Why is Greece's debt considered a problem but not US debt, which is much larger?
Greece's and other southern European countries' debt has been considered a problem since the 2008 crash, and austerity measures have been forced to the people.
However the United States also have a ...
19
votes
3answers
5k views
Why are face covering ban policies being proposed?
There have been plenty of instances in recent history across Europe where parties want to ban covering of the face:
Norway Proposes Ban on Face Covering in Schools, Kindergartens
Ukip pledge to ban ...
0
votes
1answer
146 views
French election - what does this opinion say? [closed]
In this opinion, I am really confused. Is the author trying to say:
(i) The eurocrats are ignorant, as they believe all their actions are correct?
(ii) If Macron wins, it makes the eurocrats even ...
3
votes
1answer
123 views
Is UK's incomes test on non european spouses discriminatory?
The UK government instituted a rule that prohibited immigrants who don't earn more than a certain amount to bring their non european spouses over
Q1. Is the income test a form of discrimination ...
0
votes
1answer
244 views
What are the international and country-based court decisions that make Northern Cyprus legal, and what are the reasoning behind them?
European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) made various decisions on Northern Cyprus.
These decisions included "validity of laws of Northern Cyprus in the north of Cyprus island" and "the independence/...
4
votes
1answer
217 views
Are there artists in Canada, USA or Europe who also claim to have been punished for going against government, corporate, media or military objectives?
South Korean artists file a class-action lawsuit against their government over blacklisting, as stated by CNN here: (http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/08/asia/south-korea-ex-culture-minister-indicted/) ...
62
votes
11answers
17k views
Why don't the other countries of Europe maintain as massive a military as Russia does?
The countries that are in my inquiry list are:
--------+----------+-------------+-----------+---------
SN | Country | Population | GDP | DefExp
--------+----------+-------------+---------...
27
votes
5answers
5k views
Why is recent international (Europe, N-America, …) Islamist terrorism exclusively perpetrated by Sunnis?
According to the Global Terrorism Database, the number of terrorist attacks with fatalities in Western Europe has recently started to rise for the first time since the 1970s:
Source: Global Terrorism ...
5
votes
3answers
634 views
Was Turkey’s intervention on Cyprus in 1974 legal based on the general principles?
From 1571 until its renting to UK in 1878, Turks owned and governed the Cyprus island.
In 1955, EOKA (the National Union of Cypriot Fighters; a terrorist Greek Cypriot guerrilla organisation) ...
4
votes
1answer
193 views
How would the PVV choose the people to sit in the seats they win?
I was reading this article (http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-38253122), and the following points don't seem to fit together.
Dutch voters choose a new government in March 2017 and if the polls ...
15
votes
1answer
226 views
What authority does the Benelux parliament have?
Today I discovered there is such a thing as a Benelux Parliament.
However, neither the Wikipedia page nor the official website (Dutch and French only) give a whole lot of information on what it ...
4
votes
3answers
241 views
Why are some wage taxes officially paid by the employer, even though they're really paid by the employee?
My current salary is taxed at two levels: first, the employer has to pay a certain number of taxes on my wages. The rest of the money is then considered to be my salary and I pay other taxes (social ...
1
vote
0answers
140 views
How should one address concerns to a parliamentary representative?
I am concerned that politicians are not addressing some issues I see as having imminent impacts in the overall health of Europe. I would like to communicate this effectively with a representative in ...
4
votes
1answer
3k views
Percentage of European terrorists who are refugees
What percentage of terrorists in the recent attacks in Europe have ever held the refugee immigration status in any EU country?
I am primarily interested in the data for the last 3 years or so. Any ...
3
votes
1answer
135 views
Where can I find information on the Troika? [closed]
I am particularly interested in information on the Troika which may be useful to a UK politician (they are running on a platform that's explicitly anti-Troika, but I want them to present them with ...
3
votes
1answer
150 views
What is the reason that so many countries left EFTA to join the EU and very few (none?) went the other way?
What is the reason that so many countries left EFTA to join the EU and very few (none?) went the other way?
13
votes
1answer
808 views
Are there any other countries besides Great Britain that have movements to leave the EU?
Are there any other countries that have movements to leave the EU? If so how popular is the movement in that country?
32
votes
6answers
6k views
What political motivations were provided by Brexit proponents besides these?
I first heard of "Brexit" from John Oliver on Last Week Tonight, where he urged UK voters not to leave the EU, citing false motivations used to promote the Brexit. Proponents of a Brexit claimed that:
...
3
votes
2answers
808 views
Explanation of John Oliver's jokes about countries?
John Oliver had a very funny show about Brexit: https://youtu.be/iAgKHSNqxa8?t=699
He made 4 jokes near the end about Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium, and Denmark that I don't think I understood. What ...
9
votes
3answers
848 views
Will it be harder to emigrate to a European country (e.g. Denmark) if Britain leaves the EU?
The current figures look as if Britain will vote to leave the EU:
UK Politics Blog: EU Polling Data
I am a British Citizen and would like to move to Denmark in around a year or so anyway, but if ...
3
votes
2answers
257 views
What is the second largest European economic organization after the EU?
There used to be a lot of customs unions, currency unions and so on in Europe. Many of those were absorbed by the EU, but surely there are others that still exist. Another way of looking at this is, ...
2
votes
3answers
727 views
Why is there no rise of extreme-left in present-day Europe?
Back in the early 1930s, the economical crisis lead to huge increase of extreme-right and extreme-left parties all over countries which were victims of the crisis.
Today following the 2008 crisis a ...
6
votes
2answers
584 views
How can countries close their borders to refugees when they have a legal obligation of non-refoulement?
Many countries in Europe are closing their borders to refugees after a spur of right-winged political movements. However, the principle of non-refoulement states that a state must accept someone who ...
5
votes
1answer
216 views
How can I realistically fund a political movement against Summer Time in western Europe?
As the time of writing this, we are a few days after switching to Daylight Saving Time, a.k.a Summer Time, that is setting clocks one hour too early.
This particular clock regime is effective in ...
2
votes
1answer
116 views
Does the EU frequently review their members to see if they consistently meet the initial criteria?
Does the EU conduct frequent reviews on the economic and political condition of their members to stay? If a current member of the European Union drastically changes economically or politically, and no ...
44
votes
7answers
12k views
Why did the Islamic State target Brussels when Belgium isn't bombing them?
This Freakonomics podcast says the number one reason for terrorism is military occupation.
Robert Pape says that the overwhelming reason for 'suicide' (homicide) bombers is occupation by a foreign ...
