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Humbeeck, Hubert van
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3 articles of this author have been cited in the European Press Review so far.
Hubert van Humbeeck on Europe's dwindling importance
Since the fall of the Berlin Wall 20 years ago, Europe has changed and lost influence in the world, writes Hubert van Humbeeck in his blog for the website of the weekly magazine Knack. He urges Europe to intensify its cooperation with other regions of the world if it wants to regain its former clout: "It was not just a dictatorship that fell, but an entire social system. At the same time the door opened to a world that was less stable politically. A world that needs to be better cared for. Twenty years on we still have to wait and see whether with the rise of Barack Obama a new, multi-polar world order can be established. And it's not clear what role Europe can play in this. For emerging powers like China and India, the Old Continent is no longer so important. … No one could have predicted 20 years ago that Germany would be led by a woman who grew up in the [former] German Democratic Republic. Or that the president of the European Parliament would come from Poland. But if the Old Continent isn't careful, it will end up merely trotting along on the sidelines. If it wants to continue counting for something it has no choice but to make an effort and cooperate."
» full article (external link, Dutch)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » EU Policy, » Europe, » Global
Established parties have tolerated the extreme right
The BBC invited Nick Griffin, head of the right-wing extremist British National Party (BNP) to appear last weekend on the talkshow Question Time. This led to heated discussion about whether the BBC should give Griffin a forum to air his views. The weekly magazine and news portal Knack writes that the real problem lies with the established parties: "Elderly and socially underprivileged people feel threatened and abandoned, and are hence receptive to parties that take advantage of their unease. The real drama is that they often end up supporting people like Griffin or [Dutch right-wing populist Geert] Wilders. [The former leader of the Bosnian Serbs] Radovan Karadžić is on trial in The Hague for putting the very sort of ideology into practice which both of these men stand for. For that reason the question is not whether the BBC should allow 'Nazi Nick' a say, but why the traditional parties have for so long neglected a problem that reeks to high heaven."
» full article (external link, Dutch)
More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Audiovisual Media, » United Kingdom, » Netherlands
Barroso has no project for Europe
The weekly paper and news portal for politics and opinion Knack doubts that a second term in office for the current EU Commission president would be good for Europe: "José Manuel Barroso has no project for Europe. Hence it's a pity that the Christian Democrats have no candidate who can make a better argument for the Union. Just try to convince the Belgians today of the positive aspects of European cooperation. On the one side the Dutch are doing everything they can to hinder the implementation of the agreement on excavating the Scheldt [allowing greater access to the Belgian port of Antwerp]. And on the other hand Germany is buying jobs at Opel at the expense of - among other things - the plant in Antwerp. More important than the trench war over cushy positions in Brussels is the referendum in Ireland scheduled for the start of October. ... The Treaty of Lisbon must make Europe more functional. Stronger. Even if many European politicians don't give the impression that it's really important to them. And Barroso is certainly not the man who's going to change their minds."
» full article (external link, Dutch)
More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Europe
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