August102010
Portugal Gets 45 Percent of Its Energy From Renewable Sources »
“’I’ve seen all the smiles — you know: It’s a good dream. It can’t compete. It’s too expensive,’ said Prime Minister José Sócrates, recalling the way Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister, mockingly offered to build him an electric Ferrari. Mr. Sócrates added, ‘The experience of Portugal shows that it is possible to make these changes in a very short time.’”
Tags: /Environment /sustainability /europe
July272010
First Black Politician Elected In Russia »
“People in this Russian town used to stare at Jean Gregoire Sagbo because they had never seen a black man. Now they say they see in him something equally rare – an honest politician.”
May202010
Clegg Turns Page in Britain »
“‘This will be a government that is proud when British citizens stand up against illegitimate advances of the state. That values debate, that is unafraid of dissent.’”
May182010
Portugal Legalizes Gay Marriage »
“Portuguese Socialist Party spokesman Vitalino Canas welcomed his president’s decision. ‘This is a memorable moment,’ he said. ‘This is a great step forward for us politically and as a society.’”
May82010
Lithuanian Court Clears Way for First Gay Pride Parade »
The ruling issued by the top Vilnius appeals court said: ‘The state has a duty to ensure the right to peaceful assembly, even of people whose opinions are not popular or represent minorities.’”
February272010
New Bridge Over the Danube Opens Up One of Europe's Poorest Regions »
“Boosters said the bridge would transform the region. Vidin now suffers from 14 percent unemployment, almost double the Bulgarian average. Calafat has a 10 percent jobless rate. Unemployment on the Serbian side of the border hovers around 20 percent.
‘The northwestern part of Bulgaria suffers from high joblessness and low investment even though it is the closest area to Western and Central Europe,’ said Stoyan Stalev, president of the government’s Invest Bulgaria Agency. ‘It’s a closed route.’”
Tags: /economic progress /Europe
February172010
Norway Announces Plan to Cut Emissions by 30% in 10 Years »
“But by taking these drastic measures, the nation is putting itself at the forefront of the incipient global clean energy economy—when the rest of the world’s nations catch up, it will have the relevant infrastructure and policies already in place. Talk about getting ahead. Norway, we salute you—you’re an inspiration at a time when the world needs one.”
Tags: /environment /Europe
January212010
A Giant Leap for British Salmon »
“The rivers of the South Wales coalfield once ran black with mining waste and were so polluted in places that no life could survive. But, in one of the most remarkable environmental turnarounds Britain has ever seen, a 20-year effort to clean them up has paid off – salmon have returned to all of them.”
Tags: /Europe /environment
December152009
Green and Prosperous? Denmark Leads the Way »
“Denmark awoke to the perils of foreign oil dependence when the 1973 Arab embargo delivered a body blow to its energy security….Denmark’s political leadership responded by setting the nation on a path toward energy independence, with dramatic and lasting results.”
Tags: /Economic Progress /Environment /Europe
December142009
After 18 Years, Train Service Restored Between Capitals of Serbia and Bosnia »
“A grimy three-car train pulled out of Belgrade’s railway station today on the first direct trip to Sarajevo in nearly 18 years, restoring a link between the capitals of Serbia and Bosnia broken at the start of ethnic warfare in the former Yugoslavia….Only nine people were planning the journey all the way to Sarajevo. ‘It is a very special event to make this connection again,’ [a passenger] said.”
Tags: /Europe /regional development
August302009
UK Birth Certificates Now Recognize Same-Sex Parents »
“Home Office Minister Lord Brett said: ‘This positive change means that, for the first time, female couples who have a child using fertility treatment have the same rights as their heterosexual counterparts to be shown as parents in the birth registration. It is vital that we afford equality wherever we can in society, especially as family circumstances continue to change. This is an important step forward in that process.’”
August252009
Salmon Return to the Seine »
“This year at least a thousand Atlantic salmon passed through Paris along their migratory run—exceeding ‘anything we could imagine,’ Bernard Breton, secretary general of France’s National Federation of Fishing, said … .”
Tags: /Environment /europe
