VAN who?
So after all the hype; after all the disappointment of the botched European Constitution; and the elation following the arduous ratification of the Lisbon Treaty, European leaders have yet again revealed their inability - or unwillingness - to seize the moment and make a leap of faith towards further effective European integration.Whilst on paper the Treaty of Lisbon, and its creation of the dual roles of European Union President and High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy (effectively, the EU's Foreign Minister), might have given the illusion that the European Union could be moving ahead towards becoming a more cohesive entity, thus becoming a s

Opportunity Cost
A fundamental premise upon which the study of economics is based is that there is no such thing as a free lunch. Everything has a price and consequently everything comes at a cost.In simple terms, the concept of opportunity cost is based on the premise that for every choice one makes, there are a multitude of forgone opportunities. Consequently, the true cost of one's choice in effect should be determined by the sum total of lost opportunities incurred.This basic premise holds true not just in the study of economics but permeates every other aspect of life. The bottom line being that choices are necessary and just because the resources upon whi

But is the European Left really in a state of crisis?
Following the not too ecstatic electoral results obtained by the parties of the left in the European Parliamentary election, throughout Europe a debate as to the supposed ill-health of social democracy has flared up.The general line of argument seems to be that in the face of an unprecedented economic melt-down, one would have expected left-wing, socialist, and social-democratic parties to attract increasing number of supporters, thereby consenting the left of centre European parties to garner the majority support. The fact that by and large this has not materialised has left many political observers of the left dumbfounded.Respectfully, I disagr

FEPS
Last September, the Fondazzjoni IDEAT, a left-of centre think thank with a progressive agenda, has been launched.This Maltese initiative, about which I have already had opportunity to comment from these blogs, is taking shape in parallel with a similar initiative being adopted at a European Union level with the setting up of the Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS), which has been created by a modification of the European Council and Parliament Regulation related to the statutes and the f

On Lisbon
Europe has breathed a sigh of relief. The much awaited second Irish referendum on the Lisbon Treaty has has a successful outcome for the 'yes' camp. Ireland can now proceed with the ratification of the Treaty, thus leaving only Poland and the Czech Republic to complete the full round of ratifications necessary for the Treaty to become law.In Poland there seem to be no real problems with the ratification process, and in the Czech Republic despite a last minute legal measure before the Constitutional Court, in the face of the Irish Yes vote, it looks likely that euro-skeptic President Vaclav Klaus will have a change of heart and formally sign the ratification