Iceland
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Eurozone crisis
Iceland is our modern Utopia
23 December 201139Público Madrid -
10 November 20113PresseuropTimpul
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European Union
An enlargement of illusions
13 October 20113Dagens Nyheter Stockholm -
6 September 2011PresseuropMorgunbladid
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Iceland
A new constitution, via Facebook
4 July 20112Sydsvenskan Malmö -
Political fiction
Onwards to Europe 2.0
30 May 20117Die Welt Berlin -
23 May 2011PresseuropMorgunbladid
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Economic crisis
Spain's Icelandic revolt
19 May 20118El País Madrid -
Air travel
Heavy cloud forecast for Europe's single sky
15 April 2011Der Spiegel Hamburg -
11 April 2011PresseuropMorgunbladid
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Iceland
A gentle cure for the crisis
8 April 20114Mediapart Paris -
22 February 20111PresseuropLe Soir
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Financial crisis
And shall we die for the banks?
10 December 20105România libera Bucharest -
Literature
Has America discovered Europe?
10 December 2010The New York Times New York -
Alliances
Nordic countries huddle together
7 December 2010EUobserver.com Brussels -
Border disputes
The black gold of Rockall
14 October 20101La Stampa Turin -
Iceland
Holy mackerel, it’s Cod Wars 2
24 August 2010The Guardian London -
10 August 2010PresseuropEUobserver.com
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Oceans
A whale of a time
22 June 2010Die Welt Berlin -
Iceland
Iceland turns away from EU
17 June 2010PresseuropLe Figaro -
Editorial
AAA, BBB, BHV
30 April 20102Presseurop -
Editorial
Ash cloud's silver lining
23 April 2010Presseurop -
22 April 2010
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21 April 20101La Vanguardia Barcelona
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Air transport
The cloud cutting Europe in two
19 April 20104Presseurop -
16 April 2010
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13 April 2010PresseuropMorgunbladid
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Economy
No appetite for austerity
18 March 20102International Herald Tribune Paris -
Icesave referendum
Defiant Iceland's cloudy future
5 March 2010Le Monde Paris -
25 February 2010PresseuropLe Soir
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18 February 20101Adevărul Bucharest
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7 January 201010Presseurop
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6 January 2010PresseuropThe Times
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Scandinavia
Putting our eggs in the Nordic basket
2 November 20092Dagens Nyheter Stockholm -
Accession
Zagreb and Ankara "must do better"
15 October 2009PresseuropZaman -
Estonia
A man's place is now in the home
22 September 2009Eesti Päevaleht Tallinn -
European Commission
The three next big things
22 September 2009El País Madrid -
Financial crisis
Save Iceland from the slippery slope
31 August 2009PresseuropDe Volkskrant -
17 August 2009Financial Times London
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Ireland-Iceland
Two islands in the same boat
7 August 2009Le Monde Paris -
3 August 2009
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EU enlargement
Never mind the Balkans, here's Iceland
31 July 20092El País Madrid -
Banks
Icesave cash clash
23 July 2009PresseuropNRC Handelsblad -
17 July 20091Presseurop
In rejecting by referendum a bailout for their toxic banks and the repayment of external debt, the citzens of Iceland have shown it is possible to escape the laws of capitalism and take control of one's destiny, writes a Spanish historian. 
In opening up the prospect of accession to several candidate countries, the European Commissioner for Enlargement means to put on a show of optimism. But it only reinforces the impression that Europe doesn’t know where it’s going, writes the Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter. 
Begun after the 2008 financial crisis and the subsequent fall of the government under popular pressure, Iceland’s citizen revolution continues. The most recent example is that all internet users are called upon to draft the country’s next constitution. 
Forget the nation-state: Europe would be much better off if it were fundamentally reorganised – into powerful regions in the north and the Alps and picturesque bankrupts in the south 
After passively submitting to the crisis, young Spaniards have finally taken to the street. Breaking out on the eve of municipal elections, the protests of recent days have been inspired by those in Iceland that led to the fall of the government in Reykjavik. 
One year after air traffic was shut down across Europe following the eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano, airlines and European authorities are simulating a new ash cloud over the continent. Objective: better coordination. But that’s yet to be seen. 
While countries elsewhere in Europe have responded to the debt crisis with unpopular austerity plans, Iceland, which allowed its banks to fail, has now embarked on a slow journey towards recovery. In a referendum scheduled for 9 April, the citizens of the country may refuse to reimburse the international creditors of the collapsed Icesave savings scheme. 
Should Brussels foot the bill for bankrupt banks? Not according to a professor of law at the University of Bucharest. Writing in the columns of România liberă, Gheorghe Piperea argues that the preservation of the welfare state is more important, and cites the example of Iceland, which chose to allow its banks to fail. 
With the help of independent publishing houses and with the input from the Old World’s cultural institutes and agencies, European literature is finally making inroads in the United States, a country which traditionally shies away from books in translation. 
As the world gets bigger, and the rush for the resources beneath the Artic sea intensifies, the countries of Europe’s far North are seeking common cause. 
Uninhabitable and relentlessly pummelled by the stormy waters of the North Atlantic, the tiny island of Rockall has been coveted for conquest by four European countries for half a century. The reason they’re so keen on the island lies below: the huge oil reserves hidden in the surrounding seabed. 
Reminiscent of the cod wars of the seventies, Scotland and Norway are urging the EU to impose sanctions on Iceland and the Faroe Islands, accused of gobbling up North Atlantic fish stocks. 
Currently under discussion in Agadir, the ban on whaling continues to divide the international community. Die Welt argues that the ironclad protection demanded for the cetaceans by most European countries is evidence of a quasi-religious conception of ecology. 
The cloud of ash from Eyjafjallajoekull volcano grounded millions of casual travellers, as well as much of the frequent flyers community. Spanish columnist Joana Bonet describes this parallel – and artificial – society. 
Whether they be heads of state or ordinary citizens, travelers across Europe are suffering from the consequences of the ash cloud generated by the Eyjafjallajoekull volcano — a chaotic situation that should prompt a review of EU transport policy. 
From Greece to Ireland, the EU is encouraging members states to imposing painful cuts in public spending. But a growing number of critics are criticising a “cult of austerity” that threatens to push Europe further into recession. 
On 6 March, the citizens of Iceland vote in a referendum on the reimbursement of their country's national debt. The collapse of the banking system and sharply declining standards of living have prompted many to turn their backs on Europe and seek economic salvation in traditional industries. 
An Icelandic legislative initiative to protect the media and a create a safe haven for investigative journalists from all over the world: the project launched by the WikiLeaks website, which has gained support from several Icelandic MPs, could put an end to abusive libel actions. 
Flying in the face of European demands for compensation, Iceland’s president Ólafur Grimsson has decided to hold a referendum on repayment of its banks’ foreign debts. And the European press is backing him up, arguing that taxpayers shouldn’t have to foot the bill for bankers’ blunders. 
Timed to coincide with the main session of the Nordic Council, Swedish historian Gunnar Wetterberg's proposal to unite the five states of northern Europe under one symbolic monarch, was launched by Stockholm daily Dagens Nyheter on October 27. Although it has failed to achieve unanimous support, it has caused a stir in the national press. 
Being a house husband is not always great fun for an Estonian. The economic crisis, which has mainly hit male occupations, is redefining roles within the family. Perhaps the time has come to strike a new balance, posits the Estonian daily Eesti Päevaleht. 
The re-election of José Manuel Barroso represents an opportunity to “complete” Europe over the next five years and make it a real global player. According to political analyst José Ignacio Torreblanca, the president's focus should be on three major issues: internal cohesion, enlargement and the European Neighbour Policy. 
Can Iceland and Latvia pay the foreign debts run up by a fairly small number of their population? The European Union and International Monetary Fund have told them to pay the debts with public money by raising taxes, slashing public spending and obliging citizens to deplete their savings. But a public backlash in these countries may force a compromise with their creditor nations, writes American economist Michael Hudson in the Financial Times. 
Iceland has just voted to apply for EU membership, but as enlargement is contingent on ratification of the Lisbon treaty, Iceland's fate is in Ireland's hands this October 2 as it goes to the polls for a second time to vote on the troubled text. Both islands have much in common, argues Le Monde, while their approach to Europe differs somewhat. 
The enthusiasm with which member states have welcomed Reykjavik's request for accession to the EU is in marked contrast to the prudence — and in some cases hostility — which has greeted similar requests from the countries of ex-Yugoslavia and Turkey. But the EU cannot afford to give the impression that certain candidates enjoy special privileges. 
On July 16th, the Icelandic parliament passed an EU application proposal which is likely to be submitted to the Swedish presidency when the council meets in Stockholm later this month. The European press has welcomed the news while being under no illusion that accession for the debt-burdened island nation may be fraught with difficulty.