(EN) Interview with the Internship Coordinator at the Council of the European Union

INTERVIEW WITH Tamás ZÁHONYI
Job: Internship Coordinator at the Council of the European Union 
Date of Birth: 20^th March 1975 
Place of Birth: Budapest (Hungary)

Photos of Tamás by Nina Malobabic
Revised by MGM
Written and abridged by José V.

•  Good morning Tamás, how are you?

Good morning, good, thanks, and you?

• Very well thank you. Right, let’s begin, you don’t mind if I record the whole interview, do you? Just to make sure I don’t leave anything out when I write it down.

No, of course not. Go on.

• You are the Internship Coordinator but you have been an intern yourself, haven’t you?

Yes, that’s right. I did my internship at the (European) Commission in 2004, a long time ago...(laughs)… it was a different kind of internship though. Things have changed over the years, back then we dealt with projects and similar kinds of jobs.

• So what led you to Brussels in the first place?

Well, I came to Brussels in 2006 to stay. I was applying for the competitive exam. I actually came with my wife, she had a job and we decided to come together.

• What did you study?

I studied economics but more related to tourism, I suppose we could call it Tourism Economics.

• Where did you attend university?

I actually graduated in Hungary but I travelled a lot whilst I was studying so I have done a few courses here and there across Europe. I benefited from a number of scholarships and even though I didn't go on an Erasmus grant, I did other very similar things.

• What job did you have before coming to Brussels?

Well, I was working in the national administration of Hungary, in the tourism strategy sector. That was actually my first serious long-term job and I stayed there for 5 or 6 years… a very long time.

• Now that you are here in Brussels, do you have plans to make Brussels your home for good?

“For good” is actually a very strong expression...I ask myself that every now and then, one can never know about the future. It’s very difficult to respond to that. Who knows? I might stay or leave after a few years. All I know is that my wife and I are from Hungary and, you know, after a decent number of years, we might want to move back to our country but we haven’t planned that far ahead yet. Let’s say for now that only time will tell.

• How often do you go back to Hungary to visit family and friends?

Well, not as often as I would like, actually, a couple or 3 times a year, especially in the summer months. My wife and I love to go back to visit our families.

• What do your family and friends think about you living and working in Brussels?

Well, they would like me to live nearer but they have to accept it...(laughs)…and in a way they are used to me being abroad after all my stays in different countries and my studies abroad. I also think that nowadays it’s quite common to live and work in a different European country. I know many people who do it. You know, it's not like many years ago. Today, you have lots of students who end up working far away from their homes.

• Are your friends and family proud of your role at the EU?

Well, many of them don’t have a clear idea about what the EU does, as it happens…I mean, many European citizens still have a blurry idea of what we do here. That’s something we need to work on and actually this internship is about that as well. My family is very happy for me and is proud of what I do. But, as I say, something tells me that most of my friends back home, even the ones who come to visit me, are a bit in the dark as far as my role in the Council is concerned.

• What have you learned in the time you have been working as an Internship Coordinator?

I have actually been in the job for a year roughly. I started last April and, to be honest, I think there’s still a lot for me to learn; as they say, I am on a “learning curve”. I look forward to gaining more experience in the job. The way I see it, is that the Internship office is here to help the trainees. We need to make their experience as pleasant as possible. I would like for all of the trainees to have the best possible time here and to be able to say that they enjoyed every minute of it. I also think that the best thing that we can have from the trainees is their feedback. I believe that you are actually the best people to comment on the EU because, in a manner of speaking, you aren't bound by your job or your boss since you are leaving after 5 months, and therefore you can give us an honest, fresh and direct account of your views.

• Do you know of any intern who, using the internship as a platform, has secured an important job after the internship?

Not directly, I mean I haven’t been here for long enough. Well, now that I think about it, there was an intern who finished last February and she managed during her internship to apply for the competitive exam at the Commission. She was successful and she works now at the Commission as an official. She said that the internship was crucial for her to learn and understand the inner workings of the Commission and therefore to pass the feared interview.

• Do you keep in touch with interns after the internship?

Well, as I say, I am a new kid on the block so to speak...(laughs)...Well many of them come back not only to work as civil servants here but also as delegates from their own countries. I would say that I run into them quite often, yes. Some of them come by my office and say hi. I like that.

• Have you ever fired or heard of an intern being fired from the programme?

(Laughs)… no, no, I have never fired an intern and I hope I never have to do it. No, the only thing that I know of and that’s because I have read it in the documents which I have in my office, was some time ago and had to do with security. Well, we all come from different countries and have different customs. I think that that time, it was concerning a matter which compromised the security of the institution. It was probably a clash of cultures, as well. I can’t tell you their name or what they did and actually, I am not sure whether that person was fired in the end or not, but it's clear on the papers that there was a significant problem. I don’t think it happens very often and the reason is because we always get the best ones.

• Should English be the only language?

Well, probably it would simplify things quite a lot, but I think the more languages we have, the richer this place is. More languages means more ideas and more cultural diversity.

• If you could, what things would you change in the EU Institutions?

The main problem that we have is that the institutions are seen as some remote and mysterious place, far away, and people don’t really know what we do here. Often, even the countries take all the glory for the achievements but when something goes wrong, they blame the EU institutions. I object to that. We need to change the way that the EU is perceived and European countries can do a lot of that work.  Also, another thing is the democratic deficit and that is something we have to tackle quite quickly, in my opinion.

• It seems to me that the different institutions are, how could we say, isolated from each other. For example, translators from the Council don’t know much about what their colleagues do or think at the Commission and vice-versa. It’s as though each one of them were the king of his own castle, and is reluctant to share resources and initiatives with peers in the other institutions. What’s your take on this?

Well, yes, that seems to be the case to you but I don’t really see it myself. I can tell you that those barriers are increasingly coming down and relations between professionals who work in different institutions are getting progressively better. Things were different in the past, but now everyone is much more aware of other professionals within the EU, or that’s what I would like to believe, at least.

• Do you have any unusual stories about interns that you could share with me?

Well, not that I am aware of…(laughs)… but, for example, I can tell you that sometimes, interns find a job before they finish their internship. I think that’s good, but there is a procedure that they must follow, of course. They need to notify us 2 or 3 weeks in advance prior to the date they wish to leave the internship.

• For those interns who come from economically-deprived environments, isn’t the internship simply a cruel taste of how good life could be, but may never actually be, before going back to their home countries to face a life of struggle and economic instability?

Well, we are working on that but that’s up to you. I mean, you can choose whether you want to stay or leave. Or maybe this is not your kind of job/life (even if that sounds a bit unlikely). The EU makes a great effort to bring interns here and that’s a good thing. The question is why do we invest so much money and effort in them?

Even if the financial investment we make in the interns is quite small, I think that there is a high probability that those who come and work here will end up working in an EU organisation back in their own countries. That way, we also ensure that we maintain a good relationship with their countries. Also, I think that even though you are officially classed as trainees, you do an immense amount of good work and that should be much appreciated.

• What’s the best thing for trainees to do during their 5 month internship?

We organise things but you have to network as well and make friends. I guess you must make the best of the city and see as much of it as you can but at the same time you can also do other things. You probably know better than anyone else what you would like to do but the key is being proactive.

Also, I know that different interns have different workloads, so I think that if you want more work to do you can always ask for more. But if you do what you are given and take it easy, it means that you have some extra time to go around and meet other people.  If you want to stay in Brussels after the internship, for example, you should make the most of the resources you have available and start job hunting now. There are lots of NGOs in Brussels, so you can get in contact with them and say that you are working for the EU. To make the initial contact you can use the phones, the PCs and all the other resources that we have available.

• Will there be any point in the future where interns will be able to freely enter any of the institutions without security restrictions?

No, I don’t think that’s going to happen. There was a breach of security a few years ago and since then the Parliament wasn’t keen on everyone being able to walk around freely. Also, we have trainees from other countries that don’t belong to the EU. These countries can have different interests to ours, the importance of which cannot be underestimated… We must remember where we are, I mean, there’s a lot at stake here, especially in summits and conferences. We don’t see it and it’s always of the highest confidentiality but there is a lot of extremely sensitive information surrounding us. That’s why security has to be as tight as possible.

• Can you tell us your favourite…

Place to eat?                     I’ve only ever been there once but I was bowled over by T’Kelderke, on the Grand Place. It’s on the corner of the square, you go downstairs to eat in the cellar and the food is very authentic, rural Belgian cookery. It’s not that expensive for the service and the quality of the food you get compared to other places.

Village for a daytrip?       Tervuren, although it’s a bit larger than a village, to be honest. I used to live there and it has a very nice arboretum with trees from all over the world, about 100 hectares, and it’s free. You take the tram to get there from Brussels city, it takes about 20 mins.

EU institution?                  The Council of the EU, of course!

Politician?                        Van Rompuy, he’s a great politician. It is difficult to host and to juggle all 27 countries that belong to the EU. He keeps a low profile which is what’s needed in his position.

Canteen?                            I prefer to go out for a walk and to get some fresh air. I don’t see the difference between the canteens since I don’t normally visit them. Sometimes I’m actually too busy to have lunch so I skip it…(laughs). When I go out, I like to go for a walk and so I go to Cinquantennaire. Actually if I could recommend you one good canteen, I would suggest the one in the modern tower in the European Commission, it’s called Madou canteen and is very very good but, again, access is quite restricted, I am afraid.

• What’s your plan for the next few months?

Well, my wife and I will go back to Budapest over Easter and probably over summer as well. I haven’t been there since summer last year.

• What do you do in Budapest when you go on holiday?

Well, I see my family and friends and also I relax in the thermal baths. I like seeing the old folk playing chess in the water and reading their newspapers in the sauna. You know, everyone minds their own business and is there to relax. I like that part of my country’s culture very much indeed.

• When I was in Budapest a couple of years ago, I visited the Szechenyi thermal baths which I found incredibly beautiful with their neo-baroque architectural features. Which thermal baths do you usually go to?
  

Well actually I go to Szechnyi too, as we own an apartment nearby. Having said that, I think it’s a bit pricey for what they offer, but you know… I know my saunas, (laughs). I like being in the thermal baths and I especially like relaxing in the sauna. Personally, I don’t usually play chess when I am in the thermal baths and I think it’s a custom that we are losing with the new generations. I invite everyone to come and have some rest & relaxation time in Budapest. I think that despite it being a big place, it has a special kind of magic in the air.

• Ok, I think that's all. Thank you very much for your time. I think it's been a great interview.

Yes, that's right. It's was my pleasure. Now we can go to the café upstairs and enjoy a nice cup of tea.

• Of course.

__________________

(EN) Distribution of Wealth

(EN) Distribution of Wealth

(EN) INTERPRETERS FOR THE EU

(EN) The Babel Tower

(ES) Los Negocios de Bruselas

(EN) Working as a translator: striving for the impossible perfection

(EN) EU Summit - Backstage

(EN) MIDWAY By Chris Jordan

(EN) INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS

 INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS

UK & US

Individual rights are those principles that are held by a single person rather than an entire group. The rights of individuals can be mandated by the law, provided by social means or gained through self-determination. These rights are generally associated with the concept of nature. Essentially, each person is born with rights that cannot be disenfranchised by the group.
According to political scientists, individual rights can either be negative or positive. This means that a negative right allows the person to not act on a certain principle, while a positive right means that a person may act in a certain capacity if they want. This can either be mandated by the laws of a society or simply exist in a natural way. For example, a negative right is one that prevents a person from stealing from another individual. Meanwhile, a positive right is the right to speak freely.
Individual rights around the world are associated with the concept of individualism. In the United States, individual rights are often viewed as a viable way to promote freedom and prevent abuses by the government or the majority. This is very similar in most European countries; however, much of the discourse about individual rights are geared towards negative rights. In China, individual rights are used as a way to prevent the upheaval of society and promote a stronger central power. This is accomplished by combining negative rights with positive rights, essentially defining a parameter of what the individual can and cannot do.

To determine which individual rights exist, society uses a combination of self-determination and political philosophy through legal means. Most nations around the world mandate the positive and negative laws in a form of codified law such as a constitution for the nation or state. Certain philosophies state that the only reason for a government to exist at all is to identify and codify these respective rights so they are upheld by society.
Throughout history, singular rights have been the principle behind many revolutions and rebellions. Both the American and French Revolutions made the rights of the individual a central theme of the reason behind the conflicts and social changes. Inversely, the collective rights of each individual together was essential in the Bolshevik Revolution which brought the Communist Party to power in the Soviet Union. These individual rights were defined to benefit the entire population.

(EN) THE LAND OF THE FREE. INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS

10 reasons the U.S. is no longer the land of the free

By Jonathan Turley,January 13, 2012

Every year, the State Department issues reports on individual rights in other countries, monitoring the passage of restrictive laws and regulations around the world. Iran, for example, has been criticized for denying fair public trials and limiting privacy, while Russia has been taken to task for undermining due process. Other countries have been condemned for the use of secret evidence and torture.

Even as we pass judgment on countries we consider unfree, Americans remain confident that any definition of a free nation must include their own — the land of free. Yet, the laws and practices of the land should shake that confidence. In the decade since Sept. 11, 2001, this country has comprehensively reduced civil liberties in the name of an expanded security state. The most recent example of this was the National Defense Authorization Act, signed Dec. 31, which allows for the indefinite detention of citizens. At what point does the reduction of individual rights in our country change how we define ourselves?

While each new national security power Washington has embraced was controversial when enacted, they are often discussed in isolation. But they don’t operate in isolation. They form a mosaic of powers under which our country could be considered, at least in part, authoritarian. Americans often proclaim our nation as a symbol of freedom to the world while dismissing nations such as Cuba and China as categorically unfree. Yet, objectively, we may be only half right. Those countries do lack basic individual rights such as due process, placing them outside any reasonable definition of “free,” but the United States now has much more in common with such regimes than anyone may like to admit.
These countries also have constitutions that purport to guarantee freedoms and rights. But their governments have broad discretion in denying those rights and few real avenues for challenges by citizens — precisely the problem with the new laws in this country.
The list of powers acquired by the U.S. government since 9/11 puts us in rather troubling company.
Assassination of U.S. citizens
President Obama has claimed, as President George W. Bush did before him, the right to order the killing of any citizen considered a terrorist or an abettor of terrorism. Last year, he approved the killing of U.S. citizen Anwar al-Awlaqi and another citizen under this claimed inherent authority. Last month, administration officials affirmed that power, stating that the president can order the assassination of any citizen whom he considers allied with terrorists. (Nations such as Nigeria, Iran and Syria have been routinely criticized for extrajudicial killings of enemies of the state.)
Indefinite detention
Under the law signed last month, terrorism suspects are to be held by the military; the president also has the authority to indefinitely detain citizens accused of terrorism. While the administration claims that this provision only codified existing law, experts widely contest this view, and the administration has opposed efforts to challenge such authority in federal courts. The government continues to claim the right to strip citizens of legal protections based on its sole discretion. (China recently codified a more limited detention law for its citizens, while countries such as Cambodia have been singled out by the United States for “prolonged detention.”)
Arbitrary justice
The president now decides whether a person will receive a trial in the federal courts or in a military tribunal, a system that has been ridiculed around the world for lacking basic due process protections. Bush claimed this authority in 2001, and Obama has continued the practice. (Egypt and China have been denounced for maintaining separate military justice systems for selected defendants, including civilians.)

INTERVIEWS

**COMING SOON: INTERVIEWS WITH EU STAFF**

(ES) Marco financiero plurianual: salvando la distancia

Marco financiero plurianual: salvando la distancia

04/02/2013

Traducido por Jose V. Sánchez Cuenca

Revisado por Mónica Moure Peña

Los Jefes de Estado o de Gobierno europeos reanudarán el debate sobre el marco financiero plurianual (MFP) de la UE para 2014-2020 en la reunión del Consejo Europeo de los días 7 y 8 de febrero, en la que intentarán llegar a un acuerdo unánime. Las conversaciones, que quedaron suspendidas en el Consejo Europeo de los días 22 y 23 de noviembre, serán retomadas desde este punto.

Esto significa que la propuesta transaccional del 22 de noviembre, presentada por el Presidente del Consejo Europeo, Herman Van Rompuy, constituye el punto de partida de las conversaciones durante el próximo Consejo Europeo. Desde finales del mes de noviembre, el Presidente Van Rompuy ha continuado consultando a los dirigentes de la UE con la finalidad de preparar el terreno para un compromiso.

El Consejo de Asuntos Generales preparó los debates del Consejo Europeo sobre el MFP el 20 de noviembre y no volverá a tratar este tema antes de que el próximo Consejo Europeo reanude el trabajo sobre este expediente.

Si el Consejo Europeo alcanza un acuerdo, su contenido se incorporará al trabajo legislativo:

La parte del acuerdo que trata del Reglamento del MFP y las disposiciones sobre recursos propios se traducirá en actos legislativos. Éstos, son adoptados por el Consejo después de obtener la aprobación o el dictamen del Parlamento Europeo, dependiendo del acto.   La parte del acuerdo que trata los aspectos financieros de los actos específicos para distintos sectores establece una guía para que el Consejo ultimase el trabajo legislativo en codecisión con el Parlamento Europeo.

El objetivo es concluir el trabajo legislativo a tiempo para que los nuevos programas de gastos se apliquen desde el 1 de enero de 2014 en adelante. 

Más información:

• Observaciones de Herman Van Rompuy sobre la cumbre MFP (22/01/2013)
• Informe Especial sobre el MFP
• Sesión extraordinaria del Consejo Europeo (22-23 de noviembre de 2012)

(EN) Cultural Literacy

US idea of 'cultural literacy' and key facts a child should know arrives in UK

CLICK HERE for article

The philosophy of American education guru ED Hirsch could be coming to a primary school near you

US professor ED Hirsch argued that having a body of common knowledge would enable children to function as fully rounded citizens

What are your views on ED Hirsch? Never heard of him? If so, you're in good company: only a small number of people in the UK have. But you might be well advised to look Hirsch up – his philosophy could be coming to a primary school near you, very soon.
Hirschism, if there is such a thing, is spreading fast through the English school system. Two proposed new primary free schools – the West London free school, backed by journalist Toby Young, and the Pimlico Academy primary – are planning to base their lessons on it. A new curriculum centre is devoting its efforts to promoting it, and a right-leaning thinktank is publishing a series of how-to guides on it for teachers.
Moreover, a new primary curriculum – due to be implemented in 2014 – has Hirsch at its heart. Both Michael Gove, the education secretary, and Nick Gibb, until recently his schools minister, and architect of a major review of the curriculum, have been profoundly impressed by his ideas.
So who is ED Hirsch? What does he believe? And how on earth did he manage to influence the way children across England will learn – without even being aware he was doing so?
Eric Donald Hirsch Junior is an 84-year-old retired professor – originally of English literature – from Virginia. He began his career as a professor at Yale, specialising in the Romantic poets. But by the 1970s, he was teaching at the University of Virginia, conducting research on reading with young people at local community colleges. He was shocked to discover those from poorer backgrounds struggled to read a passage on the surrender of General Robert E Lee near their home town of Richmond – because they lacked the necessary background knowledge of the American Civil War.
The result was a hugely influential book, first published in 1983, on what he calls Cultural Literacy. In it Hirsch argued that all American children needed a body of "core knowledge" which would allow them to function as fully rounded citizens – and that, as some were not absorbing this knowledge at home, they needed to be taught it at school. He even added an appendix, with long lists of facts, words and phrases whose significance every US child should know: the Adirondack Mountains; the Alamo; Alaska; the Founding Fathers.
In the ensuing years – during which Hirsch was greeted by the American right as a prophet and a saviour, and by the left as a scion of the empire of evil – these ideas solidified. Hirsch published a series of further works, which argued that children not only needed a clear body of factual knowledge but that they should also learn that knowledge in a very highly structured way – starting with basics and building up, rather than taking a more thematic approach.
Hirsch's position as an influential figure in American education has long been established – he set up a body called the Core Knowledge Foundation, which has spread his philosophy across the States – but how did he come to be influential here?
Several years ago, Nick Gibb – then shadow minister for schools – came across Hirsch and began reading his books. As long ago as 2008 he told fellow MPs they should read Hirsch for insight into an "anti-knowledge ideology" which, he said, was rife in American and English schools. The problem, he said, was that the education establishment had its roots in a romantic ideology that said skills, rather than knowledge, were the key to learning.
Michael Gove, too, has spoken of his admiration for Hirsch, citing him in 2009 in a speech to the Royal Society of Arts. "A society in which there is a widespread understanding of the nation's past, a shared appreciation of cultural reference points, a common stock of knowledge on which all can draw, and trade, is a society in which we all understand each other better," he added.
Soon afterwards the thinktank Civitas began translating Hirsch's views into practical guides for English schools: What Your Year 1 Child Needs to Know, for instance, provides a comprehensive guide for teachers. Its index reads very much like an English version of Hirsch's lists of what American children should learn, with Hans Christian Anderson, the Angel of the North and the English Civil War replacing the basic touchstones of US "cultural literacy".
Since Civitas took up the cause, two proposed free schools have announced they plan to teach using Hirsch's methods. And a new curriculum centre has been set up, using funds from wealthy benefactors, to spread the ideas further.
Toby Young, who is planning to follow such a knowledge-based curriculum at his new primary free school in west London, wrote on the Guardian's Teacher Network recently that more subjects would be taught by specialists and the aim was to raise attainment "particularly among children from deprived backgrounds".
When the government announced the initial outcome of its curriculum review – designed to overhaul and slim down what schools must teach – at the end of last year, Hirsch was writ large across it. "The new national curriculum will set out only the essential knowledge that all children should acquire," runs the Department for Education website introduction to new draft programmes of study for primary maths, English and science. The drafts are "very specific about the content to be covered, given the fundamental importance of these subjects as a foundation for further study and as the basis for our system of school accountability," it adds.
Perhaps it was hardly surprising that some members of the expert panel set up to advise on the new curriculum were less than pleased. The panel had proposed broad, two-year blocks of learning which would give teachers freedom to decide what to teach and when. But the published programmes were detailed and far more prescriptive. Professor Andrew Pollard, who was a member of the panel, stepped down as a result.
Ministers have shown "a cavalier disregard" for research evidence from the UK and elsewhere, he says. All the best evidence shows that it is excellent teaching rather than curriculum reform that raises standards, he points out. Countries such as Singapore and Finland – often cited by ministers as beacons of excellence – recruit the most able graduates as teachers and give them time and freedom to develop their skills.
"Ministers have a responsibility to do no harm and there is some risk that what they're proposing will actually reduce the quality of learning and reduce the breadth of education that's available in primary schools," he says. "Despite the rhetoric about opportunities, it's quite possible that what is proposed will increase inequality and the disadvantaged will become more disadvantaged."
Gibb, who arrives for an interview on the subject bearing a little pile of Hirsch's works adorned with yellow Post-it notes, is unrepentant. "All the evidence from around the world is that the more autonomy professionals have, the higher the standards. But, in order to do that, you have to have a curriculum that sets out the key things, the core academic knowledge in those core academic subjects – maths, English, science in particular – that children need to learn," he says.
He is confident his Hirschian curriculum will survive his departure from office in the September reshuffle: "The work has been done. It's out for consultation. I know the secretary of state is pleased with the product. I think he broadly accepts this approach, so I think that will remain," he says.
"At every stage, as we've drafted the primary curriculum, he [Gove] has been deeply engaged in it. He has his own views and they have not differed from my view."
Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, the man himself seems blissfully aware of the waves he has been making.
"Oh, I did not know that. How interesting!" he exclaims after being told education ministers in the UK have seized on his idea of "cultural literacy". He had a brief email exchange with Gibb a few years ago but apart from that there has been no contact between them, he says. But he is delighted to learn his ideas have spread across the Atlantic.
"I'm very gratified, particularly if in fact it has some positive effect in England. That would be terrific. I'm surprised and I'm gratified."
Fran Abrams will discuss the influence of ED Hirsch on BBC Radio 4's Analysis programme at 8.30pm on Monday 22 October

(EN) European English?? Know what I mean??

The game's afoot: Follow your spirit, and upon this charge Cry 'God for Harry, England, and Saint George!'

(EN) EU

Brussels urges universities to offer translation courses

The European Commission yesterday (12 October) launched a new drive to encourage more universities to offer courses for aspiring translators amid fears of a succession crisis in the EU institutions' languages department..

The 'European Masters in Translation' (EMT) network of universities will be expanded to help the European Union to respond "to a growing shortage of properly qualified translators in the job market," the Commission announced.
At present, the EMT network comprises 34 members, but the Commission says nearly 250 universities and other higher education institutions offer translation courses at present.
"In many countries, anyone can claim to be a translator without any guarantee of professional competence. The long-term aim of the EMT project to raise the standard of translator training," said Androulla Vassiliou, EU commissioner for education, multilingualism, training and youth.
To carry the EMT label, a university must have its course assessed by translation experts drawn from the existing network.  
EMT courses offer students training on how to run a business as well as translation, and over other aspects of the language industry including interpretation, subtitling, dubbing and how to adapt translations to local needs.
"A course carrying the EMT label is recognised as being one of the best in the field," Commissioner Vassiliou said.
The Commission, while stressing its supporting role behind EU member states, says it regards respect for linguistic diversity as a core value of the European Union.
It adopted a new strategy on multilingualism in September 2008 and provides €50m a year to support language activities and projects via its Lifelong Learning Programme.
Lack of language skills
A 2007 study had found that of nearly 2,000 businesses, 11% had lost contracts – often worth millions of euros – as a result of lack of language skills.
Indeed, the Commission announced yesterday that "demand for translation services across the world is soaring".
The EU executive predicts that the Union's languages industry is set to increase its turnover by 10% annually and will be worth up to €20 billion by 2015. 
Many staff in the EU institutions' languages departments are approaching retirement but they are not being replaced at the same rate. Moreover, the EU's requirements are so stringent that only 30% of those applying are successful, helping to fuel the present crisis. 
Concerns over an upcoming lack of Italian interpreters led the EU institutions to launch a campaign last month in Rome to encourage young Italian speakers to consider working for the European Union (EurActiv 24/09/10).
Similar campaigns have been launched over the last 18 months to recruit qualified French, English, German, Italian and Dutch speakers to work for their services (EurActiv 25/09/09; EurActiv 18/02/09).
The annual conference of the EMT network is currently taking place in Brussels (11-13 October).

(EN) Southern comfort...?

Ugly Map of European Unemployment

Posted on August 11, 2012

The Swedish economics blog Flute Thoughts has posted this map of 2011 employment by region in Europe:

[I first saw this as a cross-post in Zerohedge].  This map calls attention to the differences between the “core” and “periphery”. On a country-by-country basis, usually the “core” is seen as France and Germany, maybe a few others such as the Netherlands and Austria. However, as Flute points out,  northern Italy looks more like Germany than like southern Italy, and France looks somewhat “peripheral.”  In general, if you speak some Germanic language (e.g. German, Dutch, English, or a Norse tongue) you are more likely to have a job.  Greece and Spain are employment disaster zones, along with parts of Eastern Europe and the Baltics. It seems like the non-eurozone regions (e.g. UK, Norway, Czech Republic) are faring relatively well.
As we have described here and here, adoption of the euro has been disastrous for the peripheral countries.  Before then, they had available the safety valve of currency devaluation to manage imports and exports. The propect of devaluation also tempered the willingness of foreign creditors to buy the bonds of these countries.  When these peripheral countries had control of their own currencies, it was difficult to refuse the demands of workers for ever-increasing wages, since the workers knew that more money could always be printed, and indeed was expected to be printed.
One philosophical driver behind the euro was that it would impose greater financial discipline on the Mediterranean countries.  The expectation was that they would restrain wage hikes and public employment and boost productivity; in short, start acting more like Germans.
This expectation was not fulfilled. The availability of euro credit at the low interest rates traditionally associated with the German mark led to a binge of government borrowing and spending in Greece, and private borrowing and homebuilding in Spain and Ireland. Also, at the time of conversion to the euro, the Greek drachma was probably valued too highly, which gave the Greeks too-high starting wages, so they bought a lot of BMWs.  Now, at last, financial austerity is being imposed on the Greeks. However, it seems unlikely that Greece will ever be able to repay its external debts; many young, talented Greeks with no hope of employment at home are simply leaving the country, further tarnishing the prospects for a Greek recovery.
Meanwhile, the Germans acted like Germans, continously improving productivity and keeping labor costs under control. As a result, their labor cost of production is something like 30% lower than e.g. in Spain or Italy, even though Germans do not work longer hours.  So the euro experiment has been great for Germany: using the euro rather than their own mark has kept their currency relatively weak, which has aided their export-oriented economy. Hence, jobs.
There are some factors that are unique to specific countries. In Ireland, for instance, neither the goverment nor business nor workers were profligate. Ireland suffered a housing boom and bust similar to the U.S. in 2008, which the threatened the solvency of Irish and other European banks. Rightly or wrongly, instead of just letting the banks go bust, the Irish government decided that the Irish taxpayer would backstop the banks, so the Irish goverment had to borrow billions of euros.
For the last two or three years, it has continually seemed like the eurozone was about to implode, but the Europeans have done an amazing job kicking the can down the road.   In the past two years we have been treated to a long series of  press conferences between German and French leaders Merkel and Sarkozy, and more recently, strident announcements from the European Central Bank’s Mario Draghi, which keep perking up sagging markets.  What the markets crave is some form of euro printing by the ECB, in the form of unlimited purchase of (say) Greek or Spanish bonds by the ECB.   Direct purchase of the bonds of a member state is forbidden to the ECB, but as far as I can tell the ECB has found effective ways to indirectly fund the shaky countries to date. To be continued…