Answer is blowing in the North Sea wind
Nine energy ministers have signed a declaration to set up a grid connecting present and future wind farms in the North Sea, announces De Morgen. A “red-letter deal”, headlines the Flemish daily, explaining that the participating countries (Belgium, France, Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, Great Britain, Ireland, Sweden and Denmark) have thereby guaranteed their future energy supply. Even in the unlikely event of a windless day in the entire area, Norway has signed up to the project to supply hydro power, adds the paper. By 2020 the EU aims to generate 150 gigawatts of wind power (as against 7 GW pro tem), which will involve stepping up turbine construction. Bart Bode, head of the Flemish Sustainable Energy Organisation, hopes the project will have knock-on effects: “Why not set up a solar power grid in the Mediterranean countries?”
In a time of crisis with high unemployment, young Lithuanians are following in the footsteps of their emigrant ancestors. Tens of thousands have left the country in search of a better life, mainly in the British Isles and Scandinavia. The weekly Veidas reports:
Two camps, two theories, and two visions of France: 18 years after the massacre of 800,000 Tutsis, the precise role played by Paris is still the subject of heated debate, fueled by the findings of successive criminal investigations.
Agree to new austerity measures or risk being kicked out of the eurozone: that’s the alternative presented to Athens on the day the euro group is meeting. It’s a situation Greek politicians have failed to avoid, regrets To Vima.