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Faithful readers of PolSciEU will know that I’ve blogged about EU open data, useful EU websites and the proper use of sources in the past. And so faithful readers will understand that EU Commissioner Neelie Kroes was kind of at the heart of this blogger yesterday with her delicate balance act between greatness and failure – and […]
The story about the EU allegedly going after professional nannies considering them “food business operators” in the meaning of the EU foodstuff hygiene regulation is heatedly discussed in Germany, in particular around Berlin – in fora (also here), in private blogs and in politicians’ blogs. Even the German Federal Association of Day Nannies has covered the […]
Earlier this week I blogged about Berlin authorities claiming that day nannies would be considered “food business operators” under EU law and had to follow detailed reporting duties under this law. Mr Vincent, the spokesperson of the Commission Directorate General for Health & Consumers whose response I was still awaiting on Tuesday now has made […]
On Thursday, 1 December, I contacted Commissioner Dalli’s spokesman Frederic Vincent via email with the following request: “Dear Mr Vincent, according to German press reports, day nannies in Berlin have been contacted by the local youth welfare offices asking them to follow detailed reporting rules as they are to be considered food entrepreneurs under the […]
On 23 November 2011, the EU Commission published its plans for “ERASMUS for All“. And what was the most important thing for Commissioner Lewandowski – and the only substantive point of discussion at the level of EU Commissioners on 23 November – regarding this proposal? To change the name of the “Marie Curie Program actions” […]
The EU Court in spring requested to be reformed (financial implications) as quick as possible, including the creation of the office of a Vice President of the Court, the enlargement of the Court and the change of certain procedures (see link above for details), in order to be able to deal with the current demands […]
After having telephoned with the official responsible at the EU Ombudsman for my complaint against the EU Commission, today I have received the following confirmation from the Ombudsman’s office: “Dear Mr Patz, On 9 November 2011, you submitted a complaint to the European Ombudsman against the Commission concerning its handling of your request for access […]
Last week, the EU Parliament Civil Liberties committee – with the exception of the EPP group – voted in favour of a draft report which in essence supports more access to EU documents (see my blog post). Here is how the EU Council sees the report: “This draft report substantially restricts the possibility to refuse […]
Using social media can be so simple for EU institutions and those working in these institutions if they understand that all that is needed is to listen and to (inter)act. An example: Today, a patent law blogger complained about dysfunctional parts of the relaunched EU Parliament website. With a tweet, I shared this complaint with […]
How does the EU do politics? You can best see it in a speech that Maritime Affairs Commissioner Damanaki held to today in Lisbon. The speech starts with a big announcement: “… the Atlantic plays a critical role in Europe’s history and identity. It is of vital importance for EU trade and contains tremendous potentials for […]
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