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Strasbourg week round-up. Il Principe. When the wind was green . EU Paradise Beach. Dancing queen.

Strasbourg week round-up 

Last week was Strasbourg week for the European Parliament. With a handful of adopted regulations AND speeches by the British and Czech Prime Ministers, the agenda was filled, to say the least. Amongst others, MEPs agreed on improved safety of cosmetics, lower roaming costs for phones, new safety rules for European aviation and more taxes on cigarettes. In his speech, Prime Minister Topolanek´s called the US recovery plan “a road to hell”, provided the icing on the Czech diplomatic cake. 

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/public/story_page/008-52262-082-03-13-901-20090320STO52243-2009-23-03-2009/default_en.htm 

Il Principe 

Self-proclaimed Jesus Christ and puppet master of Italian politics, Silvio Berlusconi, has done it again. Italy´s richest man and Prime Minister last week created a powerful new centre-right party called “People of freedom”. By merging with the post-fascist National Alliance, he intends to increase Italy´s weight in European and global politics. The xenophobic Lega Nord party remains the missing piece of puzzle in Berlusconi´s right-wing master plan. It wouldn´t surprise me, however, if he soon finds the strings to pull them in, though. 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7967932.stm 

When the wind was green  

With the worsening of the economic situation, many feared that green research and development would be shelved. However, at the European Business Summit, held last week, business leaders reaffirmed their commitment to green investments. The European Commission called for more public-private partnerships to provide the necessary funds. It´s good to hear that, even in the midst of a crisis, the EU´s favourite colour remains green. 

http://euractiv.com/en/climate-change/green-tech-rd-remain-strong-spite-crisis/article-180761 

EU Paradise Beach 

Recently, the EU announced its plans to revamp the European Quarter in Brussels. The architecture competition, launched by the European Commission, was won by Jamaican architect Razhel Rastapowell. In line with the wishes of European bureaucrats, he designed a hyper futuristic tropical paradise! To counter the cold and rainy weather in Brussels, the Jamaican architect designed a glass dome to cover the entire city! Street heating, massive UV lamps, palm trees and artificial beaches should improve the working environment of 10´s of thousands of Eurocrats. 

Dancing queen 

And last, but certainly not least, a little cultural conclusion. From 5 to 28 June, the picturesque Spanish city of Ribarroja del Turia, close to Valencia, is hosting the 8th International Dancing Days. During this three week festival, you can enjoy shows and workshops by famous professionals of both classic and contemporary Spanish dance. So, put on your dancing shoes and book your flight to sensual and sunny Spain now. 

http://www.ayto-ribarroja.es/contenidos.item.action?id=5121071&menuId=4115951

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