European dailies and periodicals” “

A comment signed by G.H. and published in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (16/3) analyses the results of a new survey on demographic trends in Germany, which confirms that the regions that are most economically disadvantaged are those most badly affected by the decline in the birth rate. This especially involves the Länder of the former […]

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European Consumers Day” “

With the contribution of the Austrian Presidency of the EU and the Economic and Social Committee, the eighth European Consumers Day was celebrated throughout Europe on 15 March. Ever since 1999 – on the initiative of the said Committee – the Day has been the European corollary of the World Consumers Day promoted by the […]

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Humanitarian aid: closer coordination with the UNO” “

The European Commission and the European Office for Humanitarian Aid (ECHO) have allocated 3 million euros to support and reinforce systems of information essential for the coordination of humanitarian aid within the UN Office for the coordination of humanitarian aid (OCHA). The funding is aimed at the Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) run by OCHA, […]

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Fresh funds for refugees” “

The European Commission approved last week a further allocation of 4 million euros to support and reinforce programmes for the protection of refugees run by the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). The sum will be primarily used to improve rapid reaction capacity in response to emergencies: it is estimated that some 500,000 refugees – […]

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"Lorenzo Natali" Prize” “

This year’s “Lorenzo Natali” Prizes for journalism (named after the former Vice-President of the EU Executive) have been awarded by the European Commission. The aim of the event, now a fixed date on the calendar, is to commend not only European articles and reportage devoted to the cause of human rights and democratization. This year […]

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From challenges to opportunities” “

It was supposed to be the week of the European tour of Mamhoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority. But the assault of the Israeli army on the prison in Jericho and the violent popular reactions in the Gaza Strip forced the Palestinian leader to interrupt his trip. Nor were “tough issues” lacking in Strasbourg, […]

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Constantinople: message for Lent” “

Although the Churches are discussing the possibility of celebrating Easter on the same day, differences in the liturgical calendar still persist. Thus, while Catholics and Angelicans began Lent with the celebration of Ash Wednesday on 1st March, the Orthodox did so a week later, on 6 March. As a consequence the dates for Easter also […]

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Serbia: the Churches on the death of Milosevic” “

The Russian Orthodox Church has issued no official communiqué on the death of the Serb leader Slobodan Milosevic, although prayers were said for his soul in several of its churches. The point was made by a source of the Patriarchate of Moscow in a briefing to the Russian press agency Interfax adding that not even […]

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ecumenism" "

France: Protestant Federation expanded” “

Five new Evangelical Churches – including the Seventh Day Adventists – have become effective members of the Protestant Federation of France (FPF). It was the general assembly of the FPF (11-12 March) that voted to accept their final membership after a process begun in 2000. The last church to join the Federation was in 2003: […]

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Political commitment: rediscovering bonds” “

Measured by the yardstick of party membership, political commitment in France seems doubly fragile: weaker than its European equivalents, they too in decline, and weaker than other forms of collective engagement. Between 1970 and the end of the 1990s, France was the European country that experienced the highest number of those abandoning membership of the […]

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