Week in Bloggingportal: Of dinners and nuanced debate

 Stage rehersals for Van Rompuy’s summit entrance earlier this week.

CC BY proteusbcn

It’s been a week where the European debate has been in the spotlight. From various takes on the European summit on preventing the economic collapse/evening dinner debate – see here, here, and here – to the re-examination of Declan Ganley and the need for a more nuanced debate. The threat of a Greek exit (or “Grexit” as the kids are calling it these days) still hangs in the air: there talk both of the planning and the consequencies on the Euroblogosphere this week. Is muddling along the right option?

We did, however, have one decisive outcome this week, with Sweden winning the Eurovision! Fredrik Reinfeldt and Carl Bildt will be pleased. On the other hand, Jason O’Mahony threw his hat into the ring with his solution, so maybe we’ll be hearing of the O’Mahonian plan yet. (Maybe we need more people with plans entering the EU civil service lottery?). Until then, the revival of the Franco-German motor remains a key issue for European politics.

Foreign policy was on this week’s agenda too. The EU’s strategic partnerships had a spotlight shone on them, and the New York Times focused on the de facto state of Transnistria in the EU’s near abroad.

Closer to home, we’ve had discussion over the “greening” of the CAP, analysis of the rights of EU citizens and Member States when it comes to deportation, the need to invest in high-speed internet, and the seating plan of the Landtag in  Nordrhein-Westfalen.

Phew. I don’t know if it’s the crisis or the Eurovision last night, but it’s hard to take it all in sometimes. Hair of the dog, anyone?