Assignment 5.

European Union Policies

This report will evaluate the minor ‘European Union Policies’. It will provide an introduction of the minor, the main topics discussed and my personal opinion about the minor in general. To conclude, some recommendations will be given.

 

Introduction

The minor European Union Policies (EUP) gets you integrated in the international body called ‘Europe’. It makes you aware of the importance of such an entity and makes you understand which advantages and disadvantages are involved concerning the member states and its citizens. 

 

The content

Looking to the content of the minor, I think it provided us with useful information to make us understand how important Europe really is. First of all it was made clear how the EU got established. Think of the first Treaty, the Treaty of Paris, all the way to the Lisbon Treaty that still needs to be signed. This part of history was interesting as it clarified how and why this international organization originally started and developed.

Furthermore, it was told how the European Union is structured. Think of the institutions involved, its functions and the areas in which they operate. I noticed myself that not many people in my direct environment are aware of the way the EU works and how it influenced and still influences their lives. In addition, if you see which aims Europe has achieved and can achieve by being such a strong unit of different countries next to e.g. the USA, Japan and Russia it makes you interested to get more involved.

Also the legislation and the decision-making process of the EU are discussed. Think of the areas on which the member states cooperate, the various rules that apply for all members and how the legislation concerned is created, adopted and controlled.

To conclude, the excursion of 4 days, which has shown us some of the various institutions of the EU, was an interesting and fun experience. After all the theory provided during the lessons it was good to see where exactly happens. Personally, I found it especially interesting to hear how the European Investment Bank (EIB), located in Luxembourg, operates and selects projects to invest in that need to make the EU member states stronger.

 

Personal opinion and recommendations

I think this minor was a very interesting one. As already mentioned before, it made clear how important Europe is in the world and how it influences the daily lives of all EU citizens. This also raises your awareness of the direct influence on your personal life. In addition, I think getting familiar with the EU is important for each student that likes to work in an international company to know what is possible and accepted and what is not.

The only recommendation I can make is to make more use of the free hours that students have available next to the few hours spend to this minor. There is so much time left to study other subjects or to gain more knowledge on other areas. Think for example of one larger assignment to raise a European company and to find out how the EU could influence your international way of doing business. 

Assignment 4.

Freezing student grants

The new government budget, which was made known on the 15th September, revealed the plans of the government to freeze student grants for two years starting from 2011. This involves that student grants will not be adapted to the yearly inflation in this period.

Until now, the grants of students yearly increased with approximately €10 to cover the increasing costs of living and education. Due to the financial crisis and the lowering public treasury, savings need to be made on government’s spending. Freezing the student grants is a clear example which will save up to €18 million.

 

Consequences

As mentioned before, freezing student grants will make it harder for students to cover their living and educational expenses. Consequently, and especially for the poorer students, this might cause financial problems and make it impossible for them to continue or start a study.

In addition to the student grants also other measures were taken in the past few years to save government expenditure. For example, the government decided to increase the tuition fee with €200 and to abolish the entitled tuition fee for people with a second study. All of these measures put pressure on the accessibility of studies in the higher education.

 

Personal view

Personally, I do understand that savings need to be made on government expenditure as the costs for the Dutch treasury are increasing. Think for example to citizens who got unemployed during the crisis and need financial compensation, and the lowering tax income of the state as industries make less profit. Nevertheless, I do think it is important to invest in the future and students are part of this. The more students are able to enjoy a proper education the more chances this will create for the Netherlands to get back on track and to grow in the future. The students of today are the representatives of the future and for this reason I wonder whether it is smart freeze student grants.

 

Other possibilities

The Dutch student organisation LSVb (Landelijke Studentenvakbond) came up with some alternatives with the hope that also students will get motivated to come up with solutions. An example is the ‘study tax’. This alternative involves giving students proper grants to cover the costs of living and education and let them pay for it via extra taxes if they start to work.

Secondly, the government should conduct more supervision on the parents of students. Parents with studying children are legally obliged to support their children financially to let them study. Currently, it is not made sure that this also happens. The government provides student grants but expects parents to contribute to the costs of their children’s’ study as well. Better supervision should ensure that parents really contribute. 

 

Assignment 3.

Ireland rejects EU reform treaty

In this commentary I will clarify how I perceived the article ‘Ireland rejects EU reform treaty’. I will comment on the way the article is presented, how it is described and whether I liked or disliked the subject. The following paragraphs will make this more clear.

 

Style and context of the article

Looking at the style, grammar, vocabulary and order it is a pleasant article to read. Firstly, no difficult words are used or grammar mistakes made. This makes it easy to read through the text however it could have been a rather complicated article looking to the subject.

Secondly, the large white spaces that distinguish the different speakers contribute to the readability of the article while they not always introduce new topics as one would expect. The title, subtitles and introduction are printed in bold which divides the most important parts.

Finally, the article has a rather basic style. It is not printed in a variety of colours, different sizes and types of font or explicit pictures. This had led to a simple looking but pleasant to read text.

 

Layout of the article

The article exists out of one in (partly) bold printed introduction and two main paragraphs; ‘Uncharted territory’ and ‘Confusion’. Although it is a quit long text only two subtitles are used to structure the article.

The title and introduction are very informative. No other paragraph is needed to inform you about the subject of the article. The first paragraph let different speakers comment on the outcome of the referendum, e.g. Mr Barosso and the Irish prime minister Mr Cowen. The second and last paragraph is less clear. Mr Cowen accuses the

‘No-campaign’, hold in Ireland, of misrepresentation. According to him, voters have voted against issues that are not in the Lisbon Treaty but it is not made clear what these issues were. This would have made the article more informative.

 

Personal view

Personally, I find it a rather interesting topic. As we are now following the minor EUP this is part of our course. The Irish people do not want to adopt the Lisbon Treaty and to partly eliminate and adapt their own constitution. The article mentions that the outcome of the referendums will not harm the relationship between Ireland and the European Union and that both will continuo in putting effort in finding other ways to cooperate. In my opinion this will be hard. We already have seen cooperation with non-members like with Norway. Norway does not want to become part of the EU but is part of the European Economic Area which creates a common market with all member states. But this seems impossible in case of Ireland.

The article in general was well written but I would have liked some more detailed information such as the issues the Irish people have voted against. Which issues provided problems? Next Friday (02-10) there will be another referendum in Ireland, maybe they will accept it this time….

 

Link to the article:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7453560.stm

Great restaurants in Breda (Assignment 2)

Great restaurants in Breda

The city of Breda has many cosy and good restaurants. If offers a variety of food such as Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Indonesian and Greek. When you like to dine in Breda you can either choose a restaurant providing different kinds of food or choose for a place specialized in certain foreign dishes. This report will comment on the best places in town.

Firstly, when you are a student and live in the city centre, the steak restaurant ‘Gauchos’ is to be recommended located on the main square. This bistro offers different steaks directly from the grill that are payable and tasty. A good steak from 200 gram will cost you 13 euro’s. The steak itself normally is sufficient. If you feel like ordering some side dishes you will pay about 20 euro’s including drinks. For the vegetarian people delicious pastas or mushrooms are prepared. Also fish is on the menu. This place is strongly recommended when you invite friends to Breda.

 

If you feel like dining more extendedly the restaurant ‘Humphreys’ is a good option that is located on the ‘Kasteelplein’ close to the main square. This restaurant offers you a three-course menu for 22.50 euro’s. The courses are to be filled in by you and vary from a Cesar salad to hot prawns and from a nice steak to tasty sole. As a dessert the ‘Australian Homemade’ ice cream and the chocolate fondant are recommended. With drinks included, it will cost you about 30 euro’s to dine here. The restaurant has two floors that are decorated like a grand café and inside it is rather dark which creates a cosy atmosphere.

 

Finally, if you like Spanish food the bistro ‘El Mundo’ is a good choice. It provides you with different kinds of Spanish qualities like ‘tortilla de patatas’, ‘sardines’, ‘Crema Catalana’ and ‘paella’. Together with a nice Spanish wine or beer this is the place in Breda to enjoy the Spanish delicacies. El Mundo is located on the new harbour in the city centre of Breda. Price for a good meal: approx. 20 euro’s including drinks.

 

Review movie - The Taking Of Pelham 123

Film – The Taking Of Pelham 123

 

‘The Taking Of Pelham 123’, directed by Tony Scott, was launched this September. If you have been anywhere near a cinema you probably have seen a trailer or poster of it. Unfortunately, it should be reported it is not as thrilling as one would expect.

The movie is the third filmed copy of the first version in 1974 followed by a second in 1998 and the third in 2009. Actors such as John Travolta, known from e.g. ‘Old dogs’ and ‘Be cool’, and Denzel Washington, known from ‘American Gangsters’ and the ‘Great Debaters’ star in the film. The genre is determined as ‘action-drama’.

The title ‘Pelham 123’ reflects a metro in New York City that leaves the Pelham station at 1.23h p.m. on a daily basis. When the Pelham gets taken over by the criminal Spyder (John Travolta) and his gang a ransom of 10 million dollar is demanded for the hostages in the train. Garber (Denzel Washington) is the man contacted in the control centre through the radio. He needs to contact the appropriate authorities to get the money down to the metro in one hour and the time run starts.

Put it like this, it sounds like a nerve-racking movie with aggressive violence that gets you out of your chair. Sadly, this is not the case. During the hostage you do not feel as much tension and stress as you would like to feel or would expect. Despite of the fact passengers are shot for each minute the money is delayed the situation inside the train seems calm and relaxed. Not the real meaning of a hostage is it?

Finally, looking at the trailer the movie attracts you mainly due to its cast. Both John Travolta and Denzel Washington performed in great movies which is normally a guarantee for a successful film. Sadly, this movie proves the opposite. 

Just a check.