A long weekend in Amsterdam

Sunset in Amsterdam © Marta Pacheco

A nighty-night ride through the canals of Amsterdam

Mushrooms in the local market, Amsterdam

Boat terraces with creative decorations

Cute corner shop, Amsterdam

Immigration, Huntington and the EU

Article published in Cafebabel

Jamaica airport immigration desk. rickpilot_2000 © Flickr

A serious debate on immigration is still going on in the EU after the recent tragic events in the Mediterranean. How should Europe respond to immigration? History has been shaped by migration and the EU must learn from the past to win the challenges of the future. 

 Leave or die 

Back in the XIX century, between 1845 and 1852, the Great Famine happened in Ireland, leading to the death of around 1 million of Irish people who suddenly were deprived of food, specifically potatoes, which by that time represented 80% of their food supply, specially for the poorest segment of the population. One of the biggest social consequences of this disaster was, naturally, immigration. 

The first wave of massive immigration to the United States defines this period in History, when nearly one million of famine Irish immigrants searched for hope and took their traditions and religions with them. Fifty years later, during the 1900’s, the United States was home for 8.8 million people who had arrived from a little bit everywhere in the world, increasing the total population every single year. By 1970, immigrants represented 4.7 percent of the US population and it grew to 6.2 percent in 1980. As of 2010, 25% of US population under the age of 18 were first or second generation immigrants. Eight percent of all babies born in the U.S. in 2008 were from illegal immigrant parents, according to an analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data by the Pew Hispanic Center. 

Immigration is still going on 

This complex demographic phenomenon keeps on growing and contemporary immigrants account, nowadays, for around 44% of the US population as a whole! In the XIX century, people were coming mainly from Europe, but since the United States admitted more legal immigrants, between 1991-2000, there was an abrupt movement of people coming from Mexico, China, India, Philippines, Dominican Republic, and other countries. 

Furthermore, a survey from the Census Bureau showed that by 2050, one quarter of the American population will be of Hispanic descent. Also, the same research centre estimated the US’ population to be around 319.000.000. The United States is the third most populous nation in the world, after China and India, and the world’s largest national economy fuelled by high productivity. 

Where does all this lead us? If we think of immigration as an engine development rather than a colossal attack against our principles and traditions, we would see the other side of the coin and stop making such a big problem over it. 

Samuel Huntington. © World Economic Forum 

A cultural problem 

As Samuel Huntington wisely defended on his work, The Clash of Civilizations, 1992, the age of ideology would end and the world would only revert to a normal state of affairs characterized by cultural conflict. In his anthropological and social thesis, he argued that the principal axis of conflict in the future would be along cultural and religious lines. 

Multiculturalism is good for the development of a society and also for the Human progress. What is happening nowadays across the European Union is purely not acceptable. First and foremost, because we are speaking about people in need: migrants trying to reach our continent, fleeing from war, poverty and diseases. 

The circus in the British media as well as France, Hungary and many other countries, is based on internal political fears, and second, they are not true. Evidence shows that immigrants in Britain have been creating wealth to the UK, having contributed with £20 billion to UK public finances between 2000 and 2011, according to a research led by two migration economists at University College. The most outrageous of all of this condemnation is the fact that immigrants pay out far more taxes than they receive benefits. Let us congratulate, for once, Merkel’s stance towards Mr. Cameron, regarding his attempt to free movement of people to the UK. Why forbid people to cross one’s territory but still make free way for their national products? Should European leaders be barred of drinking coffee coming from Africa? What about the petrol coming from the Middle East? Should it also be denied entry in the EU?

If History can teach us something, is to make us look back and see the retreats and the progresses from the past and learn with them. In a quick overview over the past century, immigration has made the world move forward as many of the immigrants from yesterday made the world we are living today. Unfortunately, we are living in an era where the pursuit of power is the norm and the respect for the human being as a person it appears to be fading away.

Libya : European Union's 'hot potato'

Article published in Cafebabel

Libya: EU's hot potato. UK Ministry of Defence © Flickr

As time passes, the situation in Libya seems to be worsening. Between oil, power, migration and refugees, how the EU is going to tackle this crisis which is literally at its doors? 

It is official. The EU has decided to move forward with the use of military force against alleged smugglers in the Mediterranean. After a EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels, Foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said it is time to move along with logistics in order to prepare the operation known as EUNAVFOR Med. On the ground, the EU intends to step into Libya – partially the root of the problem - but its actions must comply with international law. Thus approval from the United Nations is still needed, as Mogherini remains confident of its legal authorisation. After visiting China, the EU’s foreign affairs leader believes that Beijing will not veto the plans in the Security Council. As for Russia, it says it is willing to cooperate but would only support a naval operation.

EU Foreign Policy chief Federica Mogherini. Casa de América © Flickr

The UN’s endorsement represents extreme importance to the EU, as it is the only legitimate way of entering Libyan waters or airspace. According to our European leaders, and given the avid reluctance from several Member States such as the UK, France, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, among others, to resort to the use of force is better than a quota system to address the migration crisis. This joint position reflects our not so united European Union’s decision-making process and consequent actions in times of catastrophe.

I am convinced that the vast majority of people around the world constantly and unreservedly have condemned the dictatorial regime of Muammar Gaddafi, while they were against the expected invasion of Libya. We continue to think that this invasion was unjust, immoral and even tyrannical. It is a crime against Humanity, against the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and against interference in the internal affairs of other sovereign states. Déjà vu. 

Iraq. Libya. Syria. We must understand the main reasons behind these bloody wars and understand why they keep on going. We must understand the irony of seeing the European Union preparing an invasion in a country that is in ruins due to a previous invasion, four years ago, by European counterparts. 

Money is the sinews of war. Images Money © Flickr

The Petrodollar 

To simplify the story, let us introduce the petrodollar. The petrodollar is a currency solidified by former US President Nixon, in 1973, to quantify all the earnings made in United States dollars through exports of petroleum. A deal was struck between Saudi Arabia and the United States in which every barrel of oil purchased from the Saudis would be denominated in U.S. dollars. In exchange, the United States offered weapons and protection of their oil fields from neighboring nations, including Israel. 

In 2001, Iraq began selling their oil in Euros. The US invaded. In 2010, Gaddafi proposed a new currency, the Gold Dinar, and the US invaded and caused a major political instability in the country that still remains to this day. Syria abandoned the petrodollar in 2006 and Iran followed in 2008. Is it a coincidence all the conflicts and tensions we witness today between the West and the Middle East?

Undoubtedly, everything is connected. From oil, to war, to power, to repression, to migration, to refugees, to epidemic diseases, to urgent decision-making... Now, the “hot potato” is literally at Europe’s door. And will the European Union invade Libya? Is this the correct way of acting? One should not forget what happened in the past. The decision of entering other countries’ territory moved by a military action will only generate more blood, suffering and death. Also, what was initially supposed to be a simple operation against the smugglers might well end up being a war with nefarious consequences. 

Waiting for the decisive Summit 

EU leaders will convene on the 25th of June in a Summit in Brussels where the asylum question will be addressed as a priority. Despite Mogherini saying that the military action does not require “boots on the ground,” some doubts still remain about this matter. The EU’s foreign policy leader also mentioned that the EU is establishing relations with some relevant authorities in Libya. From this, we ought to understand that an agreement is being sealed between the parties to move on with this operation. However, the audience is divided. 

Is military action really a good solution? Moyan Brenn © Flickr

Analysts, academics and politicians remain apprehensive about this matter. Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa director, said: “Introducing measures to tackle smugglers without providing safe alternative routes out for the people desperate to flee conflict in Libya, will not resolve the plight of migrants and refugees.” From the Parliament, German MEP Reinhard Bütikofer, co-chair of the European Green Party, has raised significant questions such as about casualties. “How would the EU differentiate between a smuggling boat and a fishing boat?” asked Bütikofer. “What would they do if they got attacked by one or the other side of the Libyan conflict?” added the German MEP. 

It is clear that the EU is before a very sensitive subject. There is no clear union to move forward with all the options that are on the table – the quota system and military action. Legally speaking, the EU Dublin asylum system has been a subject of concerns and critics. German MEP Ska Keller, from the Greens, has recently defended during a plenary in the Parliament that “Dublin needs to be thoroughly reformed. Governments should work to create a climate of solidarity and should not send the army against refugees.” Like many others, Keller believes in a structural reform of the Common European Asylum System (ECAS), aiming to improve Member States’ capacity to provide effective first-line reception.

Energy Security: a Top Priority in the EU agenda

Article published in Cafebabel

Energy dependance is a great threat for Europe. David Blackwell © Flickr

Energy dependence is currently one of the hottest topics on the European Union's agenda. Does Europe have the means to remedy this situation? 

Eight months ago, the European Commission saw its structure totally renovated. With the appointment of new Commissioners and the new President of the European Council, along came new priorities and a new way of working. Priorities have been identified and if we look deeper into the Commission’s programme we can immediately see top priorities are Internal Market, Economic and Monetary Union and Trade. The hot topic now is Energy Union and Climate. 

In Europe, we import more than half of our energy and one of the biggest goals for the EU is to significantly reduce our dependence on imports. According to the Commission, diversification is the key word when it comes to energy sources and suppliers. If we diversify, we will have more security and stability in the future. The South Stream pipeline project was already up for discussion between the European Union and its partners, namely Russia. Nevertheless, due to the instability amongst the parts as well as to legal matters, the project was halted. 

Europe has relied on Russia’s gas for many years. A report conducted by Deloitte in 2014 has shown that 57% of Russia’s natural gas exports are destined to Western Europe. The EU, the Balkan countries, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey remain reliant on Russia for 30% of their nearly 19 trillion cubic feet of annual gas needs. As for Ukraine, it receives 60% of its gas from Russia, and over half of the Russian gas suppliers bound for Europe run through this nation in current conflict. Likewise, the EU depends on Russia for oil as the totality of European OECD countries import 36% of their crude from Putin’s country (44% with liquids and refined products). Consequently, the Russian economy is highly dependent on the oil and gas industry as their main source of revenue. 

Europe imports more than half of its energy. Dan © Flickr

As the political relations between Russia and the EU became hostile due to the conflict in Ukraine, Europe has to manage itself in the pursuit of new distributors. But is this an easy task? Given Europe’s vulnerability, the EU’s energy chiefs have been in official visits to states in the Caspian region and North Africa. As a matter of fact, countries like Turkmenistan, Algeria, Iran and Iraq are plausible options as future exporters to the EU. However, its political and economic instability does not allow great future prospects. Experts continue to defend the liquefied natural gas (LNG) as the better option to meet Europe’s necessities. 

In the Pursuit of Gas 

Maroš Šefčovič, the Commissioner in charge of the Energy Union, traveled to Ashgabat, Turkmenistan in order to discuss energy cooperation along with delegates from Turkey and Azerbaijan. The whole project would start by 2019 and Europe would have to ensure the Southern pipeline, intended to carry gas from Azerbaijan through Turkey and Greece into Italy. 

Miguel Arias Cañete, the controversial Commissioner for Energy and Climate, went to North Africa to meet with representatives from Algeria, Morocco and Egypt and launch the Euro-Mediterranean energy platform, aimed at increasing cooperation amongst the two regions on gas, electricity and renewables energies as well as to incite a more efficient use of energy. 

Hurdles in the Way 

Despite Turkmenistan possessing the third largest gas reserves (after Russia and Iran) among exporter countries, there is still a pipeline to be built, which requires approval from legal status of the Caspian Sea after the fall of the Soviet Union as well Russia and Iran. Following the EU sanctions imposed on both Russia and Iran, does Europe expect to have a deal? Hardly. Not to mention that this deal doesn’t really go towards Putin’s interests. On the other hand, the question of whether Turkmenistan really wants to sell its gas to Europe when China is on the buyer side of the deal, remains. China is known by its ability and ingenious way of producing and even when it comes to gas they can be one step forward as they offer themselves to build the pipeline. 

Conclusions 

Looking at the world we are living in, it is alarming to be so dependent on essential basic needs such as gas and oil. The best example I can think of is Moldova. Though the last year elections gave way to a pro-EU government, the Russian predominance in the country is high. Entirely dependent on Russian energy, Moldova is under a pro European administration but being sanctioned over and over by Russia. Imports of Moldavian wine and goods were banned rendering the country even poorer. 

As citizens, we look at energy as a necessity to be able to live, and we do not give it the proper value. We don’t know what it is like to live without energy. At international scale, energy is a business rather than a necessity. It is a struggle for power and dominance. The years have passed but the international players on this game remain the same. Still, the big question remains: until when will we have oil and gas at our doors?

UK After the Elections: Stagnation or a Country Rising Up?

Article published in Cafebabel

Unexpected elections. secretlondon123 © Flickr

After the turbulent general elections of May 7, United Kingdom has now to focus on the future. There is no need to tell you that next months won't be exactly a walk in the park for the new government.

After the excitement of the general elections in the UK peaked with a weighted victory for the Conservatives (51%), the battle will now take place in a different field. Following Ed Miliband’s resignation after a disastrous election night (36%), Labour is paving the way for its future leader. Chuka Umunna, Andy Burnham and Yvette Cooper are the strongest names in this race. Also, former shadow cabinet minister Angela Eagle has said she is considering joining the contest. Despite all the candidates, Chuka Umunna has been labeled as Miliband's most likely successor; however, dues to his ethnic roots along with a very ideologically backward Britain, Chuka might face some troubles. 

Battle for 10 Downing Street Battle for 10 Downing Street. Visit Britain © Flickr 

As for David Cameron, he has been busy appointing his new government, where Boris Johnson was given an important role in the political cabinet. Iain Duncan Smith is to remain in charge of the Government's controversial welfare reforms as Work and Pensions Secretary. Also keeping their jobs are Chancellor George Osborne, Home Secretary Theresa May, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, Education Secretary Nicky Morgan and Defence Secretary Michael Fallon. Michael Gove is returning to the government's top - moving from chief whip to Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary at the expense of Chris Grayling, who becomes Leader of the House of Commons. However some of Cameron’s new appointments are a bit controversial such as the anti gay-marriage deputy Caroline Dinenage as Minister of Equalities, and Priti Patel, the new employment minister who wants to bring back the death penalty. 

Nicola Sturgeon, SNP leader and Prime Minister of Scotland was, along with Cameron, the biggest winner of the electoral night. Sturgeon, after a vigorous and restless campaign was able to win 56 seats out of 59. Scotland's independence is now looming again. 

With no coalition to hang on anymore, Nick Clegg has quit his post as Lib Dem leader, opening the way to future candidates. MP Norman Lamb has already shown his will to rebuild the trust within the party, confirming that he will run for the leadership. In UKIP’s land, after the show created by Nigel Farage, abandoning the governance and making up his mind after a couple of days, a row has erupted between UKIP's only MP Douglas Carswell and party officials, after Carswell had rejected £650,000 in public money. 

What’s next for Britain? 

Step by step, the UK is rebuilding itself and preparing for the tough years about to come. At least one thing is certain; we can expect a referendum on EU membership in the coming years. However, Cameron will most likely try to negotiate terms in EU treaties rather than radically leave the Union. If the Prime Minister succeeds, we must ask ourselves whether this new United Kingdom (or perhaps a disunited one without Scotland) fits within Europe’s ideals. But what about the rest of the pledges made during the electoral campaign? We now have our eyes on Cameron and on his next moves as a Prime Minister who has promised a referendum on the devolution of powers to Scotland, raising the personal allowance for tax to £12,500, welfare cuts, NHS spending, tax-free childcare, no increase in income tax, VAT and National Insurance, freezing rail fare and a housing revolution for young families. Will we see this happening? 

Mediterranean Crisis 

Lampedusa's shame Lampedusa's shame. Noborder Network © Flickr 

The current dramatic situation involving the migrants in the Mediterranean is the hot topic of the week. Home Secretary Theresa May has already said that the UK will not participate in the EU resettlement proposals which aim to spread a certain number of migrants across the European territory. The plans, to be revealed by Brussels, could include proposals to distribute 20,000 refugees across all EU member states. The President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker is the main driving force behind the plans but Britain is against this international cooperation, arguing that nothing should be done to encourage more people to cross the Mediterranean. Apparently, May has followed Cameron’s train of thought.

An abnormal sunny day in Villers-la-Ville, Belgium

 The old abbey was founded in 1146 in Villers-la-Ville, the Walloon Brabant province of Wallonia, Belgium © Marta Pacheco

A picture of how the ancient abby used to look like

Ruins from the abby in Villers-la-Ville, Belgium

Window in the ruins from the abby in Villers-la-Ville, Belgium

 Dead nature on a sunny Sunday

 Inside the abby

A beautiful tiny city called Ghent

Ghent, Belgium, April 2015 © Marta Pacheco

Leie River, Ghent, Belgium

Urban Art is always appreciated. Ghent, Belgium

More Urban Art in Ghent

The sun was peaking behind the clouds in the city of Ghent, Belgium

UK General Election: The Game of Votes

Article published in Cafebabel

10 Downing Street. © Sergeant Tom Robinson RLC/MOD

Less than one month before the general elections in the UK, the politicians' agendas are crowded in a race against the clock. This is the time for sensitive speeches and promises, the time when words must be persuasive enough to make up people's minds. 

Through a Historical perspective and going back to the XIX century, when Queen Victoria was ruling the United Kingdom, the game of politics was already on, mostly played by both Labour and Tories just like currently. If we think of the House of Commons and the House of Lords as a regular place where friends meet for a coffee as a social gathering, we realise how banal politics can be. Misunderstanding, friction and mocking are the top ingredients in what is supposed to be a polite, respectful, solemn and fruitful dialogue between parties. Most often we hear screams and sarcastic laughs. This happens everywhere, not only in the United Kingdom. We have even witnessed a fight in the Ukrainian Parliament not so long ago. Politicians are just human beings who emanated from society to a privileged position. Some are gifted others are the worst nightmare of a whole country. 

The living environment in the UK has been one of extreme dispute and rows long before the campaigning period. Issues like immigration, economic recovery and the permanence of the UK in the European Union have been dominating the political spectrum for quite a while. Now, less than one month before the general elections, the political environment is burning. The latest poll by TNS ranks the Tories in first place with 34% of the electorate followed by Labour with 32%. UKIP was the great surprise with a decrease of 5%. Nick Clegg keeps struggling with 9% and the Greens with 5% of the constituency. 

Conservatives and Labour 

 David Cameron. Number 10 © Flickr 

What are UK politicians promising? On the Conservative side, economic recovery is one of the main issues to tackle, as well as immigration and the promised referendum about permanence in the EU. When interviewed about the recent defections to UKIP by the Daily Telegraph, David Cameron said "I would say to those people that I totally understand the frustration people have felt about issues like immigration where they want more done, and we will do more”. He warned of the risks of voting for UKIP, picturing the consequence of Ed Miliband’s victory. 

Naturally, Tories’ defections to UKIP represent a clear decrease in the number of voters for the current prime minister. The Conservatives also promised the construction of 200,000 homes to young buyers by 2020. In fact, the coalition government has already announced plans in order to ease the access of British youth to their own property. However, Ed Miliband has also promised the construction of new homes for the British people. Labour promised to cut the tuition fees for young people in colleges, in order to guarantee them a better future with no debts or loans. 

As for the leader of the SNP, Nicola Sturgeon, she defends free access to University. “Access to education should be based on the ability to learn and never on the ability to pay,” said the SNP leader during the first broadcasted debate by BBC. 

 Ed Miliband. © Riots Panel 

When it comes to economic recovery, Miliband has squeezed Cameron against the wall, after promising not to increase the VAT rate if he is to be the next prime minister. Cameron did promise to eliminate the deficit without exactly specifying how, while Miliband advanced his intention of eliminating the deficit and an extra £2.5b for the NHS, mostly paid by a considerable tax on properties valued over £2 million. The Conservatives have promised an extra £8b for the NHS by 2020. Also, they vowed to keep people working 30 hours on minimum wage tax free; 30 hours of free childcare per week for working parents of 3 and4-year-olds, and the so-expected referendum on Britain’s EU membership. 

Liberal Democrats 

The LibDems, struggling not to lose any seats, but very likely to, have promised to balance the budget fairly through a mixture of cuts and taxes on higher earners; to increase the tax-free allowance to £12,500 and to guarantee education funding from nursery to 19 with an extra £2.5bn and qualified teachers in every class. As for the NHS, Nick Clegg vowed an investment of £8b both for mental and physical health. When it comes to environmental measures, we can naturally expect promised legislation from the Greens, but besides them, only the LibDems promise to create five new laws to protect nature and fight climate change. 

UKIP 

 Nigel Farage. Gage Skidmore © Flickr 

Nigel Farage’s party has had its ups and downs, and recently experts have said that the right-wing party might lose one of its more important constituencies, South Thanet. The anti-immigration party who believes in the possibility of gaining four or five seats might well win only one, experts have predicted. Apparently the huge donation to Farage’s party by the Daily Express owner might not have been enough for UKIP’s performance during the general elections. However, with the recent defections from the Tories to the United Kingdom Independent Party, Farage’s party has benefitted from a confident image in the mainstream media. UKIP pledges to give British citizens a referendum on whether they want to remain or withdraw from the EU; control immigration; an extra 3£b per year for the NHS in England; no taxes on minimum wage and spending 2% of the GDP in defence. 

Greens 

Natalie Bennett, the Greens’ leader, vows to end austerity and restore the public sector, creating jobs that pay at least a living wage; to end the privatisation of the National Health Service; to work with other countries to ensure global temperatures do not rise by more than 2C; an £85bn programme of home insulation, renewable electricity generation & flood defences; to provide 500,000 social homes for rent by 2020 and control rent levels, and to return the railways to public hands. 

The Game is On 

The battle for number 10 Downing Street is either for David Cameron or Ed Miliband. Nick Clegg is campaigning to remain part of the governmental coalition, afraid of Nigel Farage’s popularity. On the other hand, though a coalition between Labour and UKIP is absolutely ruled out, however, Farage and Cameron together might be one of the biggest nightmares Britain has ever experienced. The game is on, and not only in Britain but all over Europe attention is pointed to the 7th of May, the day we will find out whether a Brexit is looming or not.

Portugal, what else?

Torre de Belém, one of the most emblematic monuments from Lisbon, Portugal © Marta Pacheco

                                       

                                                                 View over the Tejo river and the April 25th bridge, Lisbon, Portugal

                                                                                    Shark and other fish in the Oceanário, in Lisbon, Portugal

                                               

                                                                                               Please, do not touch the glass! Lisbon Oceanário

Green park in the surroundings of the Museu Nacional do Traje, Lisbon

Taking off from Lisbon Airport with a view to the Vaso da Gama bridge and the Tejo river, Portugal