Pafos sustainable gold: greened beaches, great breakfasts, village routes

The ancient capital during the Roman occupation of the island, Quality-Coast Gold awarded Pafos, will be a very green European Capital of Culture 2017.

One of the destinations featured in the Top100 sustainable destinations at ITB  - Pafos is a region which encompasses a diverse, all year round, tourist product, and as such attracts the majority of visitors to the island. The tourism infrastructure serves the needs of all age ranges and social interests from young couples, families, mature travelers, the individual traveler, special interest groups, and it is also ideal for conferences and incentives. 

The region is well served by the New Pafos International airport and offers  a variety of outstanding hotels to suit varying price ranges, coupled with good quality customer service. 

There is a broad range of recreational activities, especially for families, some stunning rural areas off the beaten tracks, a national conservation park, UNESCO historical/cultural /religious tourism, excellent and welcoming local winemakers.

The area also boasts another key element which is an enviable climate, with more than 300 days of sun, allowing the destination to offer exceptional seasonal activities all year round.

Most of the hoteliers in the region have been awarded international certifications on environmental and other quality issues!

Pafos' many projects towards being a more sustainable destination include:

Quality Coast Award-GOLD MEDAL FOR PAFOS…

Pafos is well known around the world as the birthplace of Aphrodite and as a destination which combines stunning natural scenery, historical interest and a scenic coastline.

Now it has another special feature: the Gold Medal in the European competition "QUAL ITY COAST", which named Pafos as one of the 20 most sustainable tourism destinations in Europe, out of 1000 candidates. 

"QUALITY COAST " insignia is awarded to coastal areas that share the same values, and implement practices for the management of their coastal areas and improve their policies concerning the protection of the coastal environment, cultural heritage and social structures.

http://www.qualitycoast.info/cyprus.htm

Blue Flag beaches…

Pafos region has 12 blue flag beaches and in close collaboration with all stakeholders ensures standards of the Blue Flag are maintained internationally.

For the coastal environment, water quality, safety and access for all: the Blue Flag represents a serious commitment to both people and the environment.

A world-renowned eco-label trusted by millions around the globe, the Blue Flag programme is operated under the auspices of the Foundation for Environmental Education and is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark.

In order to qualify for this prestigious award, a series of stringent environmental, educational, safety-related and access-related criteria must be met and maintained.

http://www.blueflag.global/

Greening  of beaches…

Polis Chrysochou beach on the northern part of Pafos is currently being environmentally improved under the 'Greening Cyprus Beaches' eco-initiative.  Around 500 and 200 endemic bushes and flowers have recently been planted along the seaside pedestrian road in Polis Chrysochous fulfilling one of the criteria required in order to become a green beach. This particular area as well as other beaches will soon begin to implement the rest of the criteria required, by providing traditional locally made clay ashtrays, place green directory signage, installing more bins for general waste and recycling..

A handbook has been issued for beach managers to help make beaches greener. It provides practical tips, checklists, case studies and other information around ten categories including sand and water quality, vegetation and planting, 'green' signage and facilities, locally sourced food and drink, and public information and education.

"Cyprus Breakfast" in Pafos Hotels

The establishment of a brand for the promotion of the Pafos hotel industry which aims to focus on the local gastronomic culture and heritage, as the core differentiation factor that can sustain a competitive advantage for the hotel industry and the destination in the international travel market.

The Cyprus Breakfast project was implemented in Pafos last year and is now extended in most of the Pafos hotels.

The Interregional Cooperation Programme INTERREG, financed by the European Union's Regional Development Fund, helps Regions of Europe work together to share experience and good practice in the areas of innovation, the knowledge economy, the environment and risk prevention. 

The CHARTS PROGRAMME

Pafos has recently completed CHARTS programme is a Regional Initiative project focused on the role of culture and heritage in the formulation and delivery of added-value to regional strategies for sustainable tourism development and integration into local, regional, national and EU policies.

http://www.charts-interreg4c.eu/project/

Cyprus Village Routes

Further development of the tourism industry in Pafos has defined a need to regenerate the rural economy and bring back growth to the less developed villages .

Pafos since year 2000 is investing on Rural tourism  and its been very successful to design and introduce  a series of very unique experiences in Rural Pafos.  Nature trails, cultural trails, wine routes, cultural events, DIY tours and much more have been very popular.  At the moment there are many projects running to introduce food tours, appraise existing walking trails, upgrade religious routes and more!    

CHRISTA - Latest news

Paphos is now a par tner in 'CHRISTA' - Culture and Heritage for Responsible, Innovative and Sustainable Tourism Actions.

Paphos is also a lead partner in the European Network of Cultural Tourism (European Cultural Tourism Network - ECTN), which is based in Brussels, and has been a member since 2012 and represented on the board since 2014.

Other partners include various bodies from central Macedonia, Veneto - Italy, Vastra Giotalant - Sweden, Granada - Spain, Vintzeme - Ave Guimaraes - Portugal, Sibiu - Romania and Burgas - Bulgaria.

Nasos Hadjigeorgiou, the head of the Paphos regional board of tourism said "Paphos continues to make a significant contribution to cultural tourism, taking advantage of the European programs and as a member of ECTN. The new project will examine the synergies of culture and heritage in innovation and sustainable tourism development, and will draw up an 'action plan'. We expect to launch the programme and for important partners to visit Paphos during the pe riod of the Cultural Capital 2017," he said.

CHRISTA has a budget of €1.8m for the period April 2016 - March 2020.The Paphos budget is €175,000.

For more information please visit the website http://www.visitpafos.org.cy

Valere Tjolle

@ValereTjolle ValereTjolle@TravelMole.com

Monday, February 29, 2016

Source: Pafos sustainable gold: greened beaches, great breakfasts, village routes

Brussels won't stop: Scotch Beef now branded 'FROM EUROPE'

GETTY

Scotland's meat is advertised with the logo 'Enjoy, it's from Europe'

The Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) quango was given £861,000 from the EU last year to help promote beef and lamb from north of the Border.

However, the two-year funding package comes with the condition that all advertisements must feature the logo: "Enjoy, it's from Europe."

The directive has won the backing of the Scottish Government, with SNP rural affairs secretary Richard Lochhead even calling for other Scots food producers to sign up.

But consumers in London and other parts of Britain have been left puzzled as to whether the beef and lamb is actually from Scotland or elsewhere.

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GETTY

The QMS was given financial help by the EU to promote beef and lamb

Rhe EU has planted their branding on British goods

Jayne Adye

The grant will go towards a sales push in the UK and five European countries - Denmark, Belgium, Germany, Netherlands and Sweden.

Scottish farmers are also contributing £861,000 towards the campaign through the red meat industry levy, which is administered by QMS.

Jayne Adye, campaign director of Get Britain Out, said there were Scotch Beef billboards all over London marked with the "from Europe" logo and the EU flag.

She added: "The Scots are a proud people. It is well known their country has plenty to offer the world - from delicious and famous whiskies, as well as some of the best quality beef in the world. They will not be pleased to see the European Union taking the credit for their much loved Scotch Beef.

"This is just one of many examples where the EU has planted their branding on British goods in an obvious attempt at winning over support in the run up to the British referendum.

GETTY

Nicola Sturgeon is campaigning to stay inside the European Union

"It now comes as no surprise Nicola Sturgeon is campaigning so vigorously to stay inside the European Union. She is not doing what is best for the interests of the Scottish people, but instead she wants what provides the biggest pay-offs.

"The irony is an independent UK would have more than enough money to help fund such products itself - by ceasing to pay £350 million a week to Brussels."

Jack Montgomery, spokesman for the Leave.EU campaign, described the advertising deal as a "profoundly demeaning, shabby state of affairs".

GETTY

Eurosceptics believe Sturgeon is not doing what is best for the Scottish people

He added: "It's frustrating to see our farmers forced into the service of the EU propaganda machine. We pay £4.6billion into the CAP and only get £2.9billion back. Brussels is trying to bribe our farmers with our own money, threatening financial penalties if they don't provide free advertising in exchange."

A Scottish Government spokesman said: "Europe is the top destination for Scotland's international food and drink exports, with more than two thirds of the food produced in Scotland going to the Continent, so continued EU membership is absolutely crucial for the future of Scottish farming."

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Source: Brussels won't stop: Scotch Beef now branded 'FROM EUROPE'

Day tripping, the European way

Sometimes I like to walk out my front door, into the street and onto a train heading to an unknown destination. For someone like me, who does not own a car and cannot simply step on the gas and go, it's a way to disconnect from daily life and immerse myself in the unknown.

To aid me in this venture, I can count on the SNCF — the Société nationale des chemins de fer français — the French national rail service. A pop-up appears on my computer screen, a flash sale demanding immediate attention: act now or pass up an incredible deal. I click, study a list of destinations, choose somewhere I've never been before and buy.

Then, uplifted by my recent purchase, I return to the everyday drudgery of life in front of a screen, secure in the knowledge that not too far down the line new horizons are awaiting me.

Only a week ago, I got up early on a dark, damp Saturday morning and headed to Gare du Nord, the Parisian train station to all points north and the biggest train station in Europe and the second biggest in the world.

Inside the station, it was a very dreary scene. The homeless, slumped against walls and in dark corners, were just beginning to stir. The station's mice were active too, exploring overflowing trash bags that clean-up crews had not yet removed. I joined a line of early-morning travelers about to undergo a security check. That done, I climbed on the train to Amsterdam.

But that's not where I was going. Before reaching its final destination, it would make a stop in Antwerp, Belgium, and that's where I was getting off.

My primary motivation was ignorance — my own — and a desire to put an end to it. I knew a little about Antwerp. I knew it was a place for buying and selling diamonds. I knew too that the painters Rubens and Van Dyck had lived there in the 17th century, during the city's golden age. I knew it was an important port and that the city's inhabitants spoke Flemish. Upon arrival, I didn't know much else.

Inside the station, a magnificent building inaugurated in 1905, I asked for a map and headed outside. In the distance towered a lacy steeple. It belonged to Our Lady of Antwerp, the city's cathedral whose threshold I would cross later that day.

I chose the steeple as my guide toward the city center, but then I got sidetracked. That's the kind of traveler I am, a bad companion for those who like to stick to a program of things to do and see. I like to wander, get lost and end up where I had no intention of going in the first place.

That's exactly what happened to me in Antwerp, a wrong turn that turned out to be a stroke of luck because I ended up on Vrijdagmarkt, Friday Market. At one corner of that square stands the Plantin-Moretus Museum, home to one of the world's first industrial printing houses and two of the oldest printing presses in existence today. I said to myself, this is something to see, and went inside.

Until the late 19th century, the museum was also the family home and the workplace of descendents of Christophe Plantin, founder of the Gulden Passer, The Golden Compass Printing House, in 1576. Until its closing in 1876, when it was turned over to the Belgian state as a museum, the Plantin-Moretus family lived and worked in the large but compact building where, for their workers and themselves, nights were short and days were long.

Once inside, visitors can pass directly from the family's formal dining room whose walls are lined with family portraits, some painted by Rubens and Van Dyck, into the proof-reading rooms, offices, studies, a 17th century bookshop and a print shop with seven presses that could produce 1,250 pages during a standard 14-hour workday. There are also 10 tons of handmade moveable lead type, produced on the premises in the family's foundry, and on one of the upper floors, the family library, which includes 638 rare manuscripts.

I'll admit I'd never been to a place like this before. Although it calls itself a museum, the Plantin-Moretus Prentenkabinet feels a lot more like a workplace where everyone has just stepped out for lunch and at any moment, they'll be back: Proofreaders seated at tables flooded with natural light, pouring over galleys straight off the press; compositors in the print shop setting the page, preparing it to be inked and "pressed" onto paper, very physical labor that requires flexibility and a good strong back.

In the study, its walls lined with fine Spanish leather, the 17th Humanist Justus Lipsius may be at work, in the space the family has provided for him to study, write and consult the thousands of works in the family library. His own complete works will be printed by Jan Moretus, the son-in-law of Christophe Plantin. And surely customers are standing at the counter in the bookshop, hoping to finger some of the leather-bound books produced at the Gulden Passer.

On this damp February day, there are few visitors and the museum is silent. Yet the air is alive with potential, as if the accumulation of centuries of love and care for the printed word could suddenly set the entire place ablaze with its former bustling activity.

Christophe Plantin had a motto: Labore et Constantia, by work and perseverance. For three centuries, for the Plantin-Moretus family, work and perseverance were enough. But in the mid-19th century, they refused to modernize: no rotary press, no photogravure, no linotype. The Gulden Passer remained frozen in time and progress passed it by.

In part, that is why the museum seems so alive today. Concentrating on their work, the printers missed out on a revolution. They may have loved their craft too well to care or to change.

After my visit to the Plantin-Moretus Museum, my time in Antwerp was almost up. I ran through the city, absorbing the sights at high speed, and didn't even have time for some of those famous Belgian fries served with a dollop of mayonnaise.

Back on the train, I gazed at the night and felt a little less ignorant than at the start of my day. Then I dozed and dreamt, carried back to the time when the rush and clatter of the presses of The Pottsville Republican could still be heard on Mahantongo Street.

(Honicker can be reached at honicker.republicanherald@gmail.com)

Source: Day tripping, the European way

Mexico, a vacation destination too favorable to ignore

According to travel expert Mr. Arthur Frommer from frommers.com website, too little attention has been paid to the enormous recent drop in the value of the Mexican peso–and to the favorable impact this has for American vacationers. While most travel commentators have focused on shifts in the value of European and Asian currencies, hardly anyone has written about the near-40% decline in the Mexican peso that has occurred within the past year. The bearer of U.S. dollars now receives nearly 19 pesos for each one of those greenbacks, as compared with only 13 pesos twelve months ago.Enjoying a splendid meal in a top Mexico City restaurant now costs nearly 50% less.

But is travel to Mexico safe? According to the U.S. State Department, it is quite safe in broad swaths of the country, but is unsafe elsewhere. In its recent travel advisories, our diplomats point out that none of Mexico's drug gangs have deliberately directed their violence against tourists, and that, therefore, the leading Mexican resort areas and tourist destinations are acceptably safe for our vacationers, who continue to visit Mexico in record numbers.

Specifically, says the State Department, the American tourist is quite safe in Cancun, the Maya Riviera, Tulum and Playa del Carmen. The visitor is safe in the popular Yucatan Peninsula and in Tlaxcala and Veracruz. Tourists need not concern themselves unduly with danger in San Miguel de Allende (the residential choice of large numbers of American retirees), or in Guanajuato or Leon, Campeche, Chiapas or San Cristobal de las Casas. They can travel safely, according to State, throughout the entire Baja California peninsula, and of course to Cabo San Lucas and San Juan del Cabo at the bottom tip of that peninsula. They can go to Puerto Vallarta, Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo (provided they visit the last two by airplane or cruise ship). They can stay safely within the tourist heart of Acapulco, but not in its outlying neighborhoods, rural outskirts or suburbs. The same with Mexico City itself, without venturing just outside the urban area.

Mérida, Yucatán (Photo: conoceyucatan.com)

Tourists should very definitely stay away, on the other hand, from Mexican areas bordering Texas and Arizona. They should not go to Aguascalientes, Colima or Manzanillo, Tamaulipas or Durango, and numerous other named states or cities of Mexico. When in doubt, it's wise to consult the more detailed listings and comments within the fairly lengthy State Department review of the subject.

Generally, if your Mexican destination is a famous resort or touristic destination, it is safe to visit. And the rewards of visiting the most popular of tourist areas are considerable indeed. I think in particular of the outstanding resort hotels in the hotel zone of Cancun or along the beach-lined Maya Riviera, cautioning only that the most deluxe of those hotels may seek to charge you in dollars rather than pesos; by staying in moderately-priced hotels of the sort patronized also by peso-paying Mexicans, you will end up enjoying some of the most gentle hotel rates in travel today.

The bulk of Mexico is populated by gracious, outgoing people showing warmth to the foreign tourist. It is too rewarding a tourist destination to be avoided simply because some of its areas–like the border areas–have become embroiled in drug-related violence. Choosing wisely, you will enjoy a low-priced and entirely safe vacation.By Arthur Frommer author of the 1957 revolutionary travel book "Europe on $5 a Day"Source: http://www.frommers.com/

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Source: Mexico, a vacation destination too favorable to ignore

Europe's Questionable Refugee Policy

The refugee crisis is an open wound in the heart of Europe and the western world that has reached acute status as a result of the ongoing Syrian civil war. To date, Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon have accepted the largest number of those fleeing the conflict, while Greece has become the stepping point on their long journey to other European destinations.

This massive and uncontrolled influx across the Aegean Sea, where countless lives are lost every day, or through the land border with Turkey, has brought the Greek government to its knees. With the European Union offering minimal assistance, the country has become a massing area for refugees seeking asylum in its richer neighbors. Lately, the Europeans have begun threatening to exclude Greece from the Schengen passport-free travel zone, thereby shuttering its northern borders and, in effect, isolating the country from the rest of the continent.

To everyone's knowledge, this illegal "ring-fencing" of Greece will not lay th e matter to rest as there will always be other migrant routes, such as the one to Italy through Albania or via the Ionian Sea. Moreover, even a temporary exclusion of Greece from the Schengen bloc would deal a devastating blow to European unity, fomenting the notion of a continent unable to protect its borders and resorting to disruptive solutions with respect to its own existence. Such a development would provide fodder to the supporters of Europe's dissolution, many of whom appear to be congregating in Britain in order to propel the "no" side to victory in the upcoming referendum this summer.

Looking back, the European Union should have been prepared to deal with the refugee crisis as this is a matter that has been building for years. The Europeans were badly amiss in their request that Greece create numerous "hot spots" in order to receive and document thousands of migrants. For, the mere mention of such a policy could be expected to encourage even greater waves of refugees to attempt the often fatal voyage from the Turkish coast, turning Greece into the weak link among a chain of errors.

Apart from serious efforts to provide the only obvious long-term solution, that of a negotiated peace in Syria, the European Union has a duty to clarify the situation with Greece. If it wishes to avoid an influx of refugees, it must cease using Greece as a "stopover" and immediately close this chapter by establishing Turkey as the sole selection center for those requesting asylum in Europe.

Funds have been amassed for the improvement of the living conditions and for the creation of more centers for refugees in Turkey. The next step is to designate Turkey's borders as the last point on their way towards their final European destinations. If the European Union is serious about remaining intact, with its borders as they are today, this is the only viable solution. The exclusion of Greece from the Schengen zone will not solve the problem, but, rather, simply defer or reroute it through Italy, create new difficulties for the unity of Europe and further complicate the refugee issue itself.

Greece, which has shown its humanitarian face by embracing close to one million migrants, should not become the scapegoat of a tragic situation as a result of the mistakes and half-measures of its European partners. .

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Source: Europe's Questionable Refugee Policy

Pacific World and ACCESS Destination Index identifies top destinations for meetings, incentives and conferences

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Details Category: Agency & Association Created on Friday, 26 February 2016 12:15

Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore recognized as top destinations in AsiaItaly and France most popular in Europe, UAE top destination in Middle EastTexas, Florida and Las Vegas top the list in the USA Results from a recent global Destination Index, compiled by the leading Global DMC and Event Management Companies, Pacific World and ACCESS Destination Services, have identified the top destinations in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and the United States for meetings and incentives.

Patricia Silvio, Global Marketing Manager, Pacific World, commented, "The Pacific World global Destination Index report identifies each year the countries and cities most thriving within the meetings, incentives and conferences industries. This year overarching themes that led to an increase in popularity were improvements in transportation/flights, an increase in venues and hotels, investment in technology, attractive exchange rates, and safety and stability."  Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore were recognised as the top countries in Asia for meetings and incentives, with Bangkok and Bali voted as the most popular cities, and meetings and incentives being the most requested event types in Singapore. Governmental stability, attractive exchange rates and improved flight connections were factors contributing to the increased attention from source markets including North America, Australia and other Asian regions.  In Europe, France and Italy were identified as the top countrie s for meetings and incentives. Improved transport links and investment in infrastructure resulting in the opening of a number of new hotels and venues were factors accountable for the fact that Milan and Paris have both been voted as the most popular European cities for Meetings and Incentives, with increased interest from source markets such as the Middle East, USA, UK, Germany, and Brazil.  The UAE was recognised as the most popular destination for incentives and conferences in the Middle East, with the UK, Saudi Arabia and India identified as the key source markets placing inbound business into the destination. Accessible flight routes, new hotels, and an investment of time and resources in the latest technology and set-ups to facilitate large-scale events have pushed the UAE to the top of the list.  Texas topped the list as the most popular destination for meeting and events in the USA, followed by Florida and Las Vegas. New venues, restaurants and an increase in international and regional flights have boosted the popularity of these destinations while the abundance  of available VIP experiences have established Dallas, San Antonio, Miami, and Las Vegas as key cities for conference and incentives in the U.S.

Source: Pacific World and ACCESS Destination Index identifies top destinations for meetings, incentives and conferences

The Coming European Renaissance

Some of you may have read my recent piece Silicon Valley: The Next Decade in which I discuss the evolution of Silicon Valley toward a place that has a spirit that is more in tune with the liberal, performing, and visual arts, a sharper focus on human-centric computing, and a vision for a new renaissance that fuses ideas from information technology with those from the arts. The piece was earlier published on my blog and triggered many interesting discussions, both online and offline, one of which happened in France over a lovely lunch at a small village called La Garde-Adhémar in Drôme during one of our trips to Provence.

These discussions and our recent travels have given me reason to revisit the subject, although with a slightly different perspective. While I have focused on Silicon Valley's next renaissance, coming at it from the technology side and seeking an infusion of the arts into the region, it may be just as reasonable to seek an infusion of technology into robust, thriving arts and culture communities, especially in Europe.

Why especially in Europe?

In my experience, Europe preserves, packages, and markets culture better than any other place in the world. And the French may be the best at this, including from a policy point of view. To give you an example, last week we were at a small village called Grignan that just finished its annual letter-writing festival:

The fame of Grignan is of a literary nature; this Provençal village cannot be disassociated from her, who made it famous through her correspondence, Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, marquise de Sévigné. 

"The prettiest girl in France marries, not only the most handsome boy, but the most honest man in the kingdom." When Françoise Marguerite married the Count of Grignan in 1671, she went to live with him in Grignan. It was the start of a long series of correspondence between the mother, who stayed in Paris, and the daughter. The letters of the marquise de Sévigné are a masterpiece of literature, known by all schoolchildren in France. (Avignon-et-Provence.com)

In honor of the marquise and her letters, Grignan hosts its Festival de la correspondence each year. The post office mails all hand-written letters free.

Charming, isn't it?

In Avignon, as we visited the magnificent Palais des Papes where Pope Clement V moved the seat of the papacy from Rome in 1309, we saw posters for the annual arts festival everywhere. What a celebration of the performing arts it is!

The Festival d'Avignon is an annual arts festival founded in 1947 by the actor and director Jean Vilar, it is the oldest extant festival in France and one of the world's greatest. In 2008, some 950 shows were performed during three weeks.

Since 1980, the festival has been organized by a nonprofit organization, which is administered by a board of trustees composed of the French state, the city of Avignon, the Département du Vaucluse, the Région Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, and seven public figures competent in the field of theater. Among other places, the shows are performed in the Cour d'Honneur - the honor courtyard - of thePalais des Papes, the place of residence of the Avignon papacy during most of the 14th century. [Wikipedia]

 And on our last night, in Orange, we listened to a spellbinding performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony at the Roman theater as part of the famous music festival that also takes place every year and is largely focused on opera. In 1869, the theater was restored, and it has been the site of a music festival for many years.

This is just a representative sample of what happens in Europe during the summer. Many more major and minor celebrations of the arts and culture take place all over Europe, every day.

In London, for instance, theater is still a way of life. Industry research indicates that in recent years theater attendance has been very strong even though film has come to dominate over the past several decades. On this trip, we saw one of the best plays we have ever seen (although I say that with care, having seen a few other equally spectacular plays in London over the years). "War Horse" was simply magical. Not only was it a beautiful story of a boy's beloved horse that had been sold to the cavalry during the First World War, it is also a show of great innovation. Life-size horses charge on stage. They gallop, snort, and buck. But they are puppets strong enough for the actors to ride.

Today, Europe is in trouble economically. Chronic debt crises, stagnating GDPs, staggering unemployment - all point to a bleak future. The future belongs to the Chinese, the Indians, and the Latin Americans.

But does it, really? Isn't there an innate intelligence and resilience in the European way of life?

Europe cares greatly about keeping farmers in their villages, fostering a decentralized policy that encourages, through farming subsidies, a healthy, natural way of life that is rooted in sustainability and quality of life, not rampant and mindless urbanization.

As a result, if you go to the farmer's markets at small Provençal villages like Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux, Nyons, and Grignan, they are full of both small producers and customers. You will find there great fruits, vegetables, cheese, fish, and meat - most of it local or at least regional. And the farmers are actively engaged at these markets.

In France, of course, food is a religion, so these markets are also religious experiences that are a touchstone of society.

Agriculture is a major force in France's economy, and almost 25% of the EU's total agricultural products are produced in that country. The government provides subsidies to the agricultural sector, and the development of this sector is likely to give export activities a further boost as a global food shortage looms. Further, as the rest of the world becomes increasingly sophisticated, the demand for products for which France is famous, such as cheese and wine, is increasing.

And then, of course, there is tourism. Apart from trade, tourism is also a big contributor to France's GDP. Indeed, France rules the tourism industry: More than 82 million tourists visit the country each year for its rich heritage and culture, which are immaculately preserved by the government and beautifully packaged and marketed to the rest of the world.

And therein lie some of the answers and opportunities for the next European renaissance.

Whether it is in Silicon Valley, China, India, or Latin America - the lure of European destinations, the sites and sounds, the classical architecture, ruins, historical monuments, and for some, the way of life that so elegantly serves up arts, culture, food, and wine - will always be a powerful draw. If today 82 million tourists visit France, in a decade, that number will rise to 150 million. If today French wine exports are just getting back to prefinancial crisis levels, in a decade, as more Chinese and Indians learn to appreciate wine, the numbers will inevitably rise.

Bottom line, the wealth that is being generated in Silicon Valley, India, and China will need to be spent, invested, and enjoyed, and Europe will continue to be a major influencer in that process.

My real question, however, is: Can Europe be more?

Remember, we started this discussion with the premise that the next renaissance will be at the confluence of technology and the arts. By "technology," I am referring primarily to information technology and computing.

As for other technologies, there are significant expertise and major industries such as automotive and aeronautics in Europe. German brands like Porsche, BMW, Mercedes, Volkswagen, and Audi are market leaders. Airbus is a massive aircraft maker that leads the market alongside Boeing in America. The industrial machinery industry is also strong in both Germany and Italy.

But I am thinking primarily about the potential of IT and computing to set in motion a new renaissance, and even more specifically, the Internet and mobile computing technologies.

With that in mind, let's take a look at an example of a concept that started in France in 2001. France is arguably the capital of the fashion and luxury industries, and it is not a surprise that the notion of hosting online private sales for fashion and other luxury products was born there. The company that invented the concept was Vente-Privee.

In 2000, Jacques-Antoine Granjon and his team began to experiment with the sale of previous seasons' stock through limited-time sales events on the Internet. The principle was to fulfill supplier's needs to quickly sell old stock without harming the brand or competing with other distribution channels, while generating maximum revenue from the sales.

Over the past decade, more than 30 other websites built on this concept have emerged in France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and the United States. Some regular e-business websites have moved to the private sales as part of their offers (e.g., cdiscount.com and rueducommerce.com).

In the United States, Gilt Groupe has emerged as the leader in private sales. It has more than $500 million in revenue, compared with$1.5 billion for Vente-Privee. Other players in the sector include Rue La La,Ideeli, One Kings Lane, HauteLook, as well as more traditional retailers like Saks, and online players like Blue Nile. Everyone is now offering private sales and daily deals to create excitement and bring traffic to their sites.

For consumers, scouting for deals on fashion and luxury products has become infinitely easier, and even designers now have additional and efficient channels through which to connect to them. For the fashion industry as a whole, this innovation has been a large step forward using human-centric computing.

What is interesting about this particular trend is that it was born in France, not in Silicon Valley, and even its American replication has happened in New York, not in Silicon Valley.

Why is that relevant?

Well, New York and Paris are centers of fashion where a deeper understanding of how that industry works is readily available. The technology, in this case, is relatively simple, but the innovation comes at the cusp of that deeper understanding of the fashion business and the possibilities of electronic commerce.

Another example of a business born out of an amateur photographer's love for high-quality photo books is Blurb. Eileen Gittins founded the company because she was unable to get any printer to print high-quality, limited runs of books based on her photography. This business is based in Silicon Valley, but again, the technology itself is relatively less complex than what Silicon Valley specializes in.

The important point is that these are innovations in two arts-related fields - fashion and photography - and for such innovation to happen, knowledge and understanding of the arts is critical.

My hypothesis is that Europe continues to be a mecca of culture, and there is adequate technical expertise on that continent to come up with more significant concepts that may become drivers of major trends in the same way that Vente-Privee has been the starting point for such momentum in the fashion and luxury sectors.

I am, of course, extremely curious to see what some of those new trends will be.

Developing ideas and insights that create major shifts and trends, solve humanity's important problems, improve the quality of life for people around the world, lead to prosperity, and result in lasting achievements - this is our quest.

The question we are exploring is whether Europe's recognized enthusiasm for culture in its various forms - food, music, architecture, literature, and many more - and greater commitment to the preservation and promotion of such expressions of culture would offer a good platform for generating new and important ideas given that the enabling technology may not need to be quite that complex.

My sense is yes, they would.

Among other things, if innovators in Silicon Valley and elsewhere immerse themselves in the cultures in Europe, my hypothesis is that they will gain access to different perspectives and insights with which to approach their own entrepreneurship.

Their tastes will, I imagine, become more mature and sophisticated.

The resulting fusion of cultures - ethnic, interdisciplinary, cross-functional - all of it, my instinct says, will lead to exciting possibilities.

Here are some ideas I would be interested in seeing explored as part of this experiment:

French and Italian designers collaborating with Indian artisans to produce global e-commerce brands in fashion, home furnishings, furniture, and so on, thereby lifting large masses of people out of poverty. Those interested can read my book Vision India 2020, especially the following chapters: Urja, Oishi, Gagori, Palanquin, and Patami. The same concept would apply to Africa, East Asia, and Latin America.  

Preservation experts playing a role in restoring historical monuments, architecture, and ways of life around the world such that China doesn't bulldoze its built heritage and India doesn't just build poor-quality concrete structures in place of majestic buildings. In Vision India 2020, I have a chapter called Renaissance, and on this blog, a series called As India Builds for those interested in learning more about the subject. Already, we have seen TripAdvisor and AirB&B play a role in marketing hotels and other travel accommodations. Online travel continues to be an active category for innovation.

Some of these experiments have already begun, for example, a collaboration between the French and Cambodian governments has resulted in Artisans d'Angkor, a wonderful lifestyle brand where French designers are working with Cambodian artisans producing beautiful clothes and home furnishings. With time, such experiments will blossom into bigger, more comprehensive industrial phenomena.  

So, the role I see for Europe is in reaching out to the rest of the world and taking a leadership stance in developing taste. Whether it is educating the Chinese market about French and Italian wines, or packaging culture for the consumption of Silicon Valley's geeks, there is a European renaissance possible. But it will likely not be one concentrated in Paris or Florence; rather, it will be an international renaissance whereby Europe exports its strengths in culture, preservation, cuisine, and style to a world growing in wealth and sophistication.

The by-product of that kind of wide-ranging taste-making will also yield gains for Europe on its own soil. Like me, people who are seduced by the European way of life, the cobblestone streets of Toledo, the joys of discovering designers like Sarah Pacini or Alfredo Dominguez before they were well known, and the pleasure of a three-hour lunch in the Provençal village of Vinsobres, will always come to visit.

They will come to Europe to look for the real thing - the je ne sais quoi missing from their everyday lives in Shanghai or San Francisco.

[Note: This piece was written a while back, but the thoughts are still relevant.]

This Blogger's Books and Other Items from...

Source: The Coming European Renaissance

Could Munich be your next surf trip destination?

Watch episode two of our series exploring the unique lives of surfers who call the Old World home.

By A. Lewis on 24 February 2016

For surfers, Europe has always been a destination that offers promise of something more than simply wave riding. The remnants of eras long past often stand right at the water's edge, defying the ocean's penchant for constant, radical change. Not surprising, such an environment is always inspiring unique approaches to the act and art of surfing.

Like… river surfing. For the second instalment of our Made In Europe Series, Southern California-based filmmaker Matt Payne turns his back to the ocean altogether and heads hundreds of miles inland, to a reliable little wedge in Munich, Germany. Payne catches up with local Quirin Rohleder, who got hooked on surfing as a kid, after discovering the very rippable standing wave of the Eisbach—or "ice brook".

Rohleder, who has gone on to make a career in surfing (and who is a fine surfer of real waves, too) explains the nuances of the Eisbach and how his and other local surfers' – like Toa Schirrmacher and Christian Bach – daily habit of surfing has become a part of Munich's culture.

Quirin Rohleder is a master of the Eisbach © Dieter Versti

"A lot of people love living here, and they don't make any sense of maybe moving to the ocean, so they use what they have," Quirin says. "It's not the ocean, but you have the same kind of vibe and spirit. I pretty much go surfing every day."

In case you missed it, check out Payne's visit with the legendary Tom Curren in Hossegor, France, in Episode 1 of Made In Europe.

Source: Could Munich be your next surf trip destination?

Amazing vintage travel posters uncovered in an attic show the days when HOW you got to your holiday destination was what really mattered

Man found collection of vintage travel posters while cleaning out parents attic 

Believed to belong to his great aunt who travelled widely in 1950s and hitchhiked across Europe with friends

Posters advertise flights all over the world with airlines such as Qantas, Ansett, BEA, B.O.A.C and TAA

Advertise trips on P&O and Orient Line cruise ships and 'highway holidays' in Australia with Pioneer Coaches

Also spruik travel to parts of Australia including Tasmania and South Australia, and holidays to Spain and Sweden

By Ashleigh Davis For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 21:47 EST, 23 February 2016 | Updated: 00:59 EST, 24 February 2016

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A man has made an unlikely discovery while cleaning out his parents' attic - a large collection of colourful vintage travel posters from the late 1940s to early 1960s, advertising travel to exotic destinations in Australia and around the world.

The finder believes the posters belonged to his great aunt, who travelled a lot during the early 1950s and hitchhiked across Europe with friends.

The posters are a mixture of advertisements for airways such as Qantas, Ansett, TAA (Trans Australia Airlines), B.O.A.C. (British Overseas Airways Corporation), BEA (British European Airways) and TEAL (Tasman Empire Airways Limited).

Ansett Australia no longer operates after going bankrupt in 2002, B.O.A.C. merged with BEA in 1974 to form British Airways, TAA was sold to Qantas in 1992 and TEAL was renamed Air New Zealand in 1965.

Glamorous and colourful scenes also advertise holidays with P&O Cruises, Orient Line and shipping with Cunard Line.

Australians are encouraged to travel with Pioneer Coaches for 'highway holidays' while a snowy mountain scene advertises the Franz Josef Glacier in New Zealand, Medelpad in north of Sweden, Carisbrooke Castle on Britain's Isle of Wight and various locations in Spain.

Travellers are promised a 'perfect holiday' in Port Lincoln, while Mt Gambier is sold as the Lakes District of South Australia, the Flinders Ranges as 'South Australia's winter sunland' and there are scenes from Launceston and Mount Wellington in Tasmania. 

The fascinating posters highlight how the way you travelled - be it by plane, ship, train or coach - was once just as important as the destination you were headed to. 

Scroll down to see posters 

A Qantas travel poster advertising flights to the United States showing the bright lights of New York City, with the Statue of Liberty in the foreground. BCPA (British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines) was an airline that ran trans-Pacific flights and was bought by Qantas in 1954

An Ansett Australia poster of a plane flying loops around a large pound symbol, advertising cheap airfares to customers. Ansett was a major airline with its headquarters in Melbourne before it ceased operation in 2002

A black and white poster from the Spanish State Tourism Department, telling tourists to 'visit sunny Spain' and advertising the León Cathedral in León, a town in the north of Spain

A colourful poster of the Franz Josef Glacier in New Zealand, a 12 km long glacier in Westland Tai Poutini National Park on the South Island, with rata blossom - a native, red blossom - pictured in the f oreground

This image shows a glamorous female flight attendant in uniform, complete with a 'wings' badge advertising TAA (Trans Australia Airlines) 

A poster advertising more than 200 'highway holidays' for Australians with Pioneer Coaches, showing mountains, lakes and colourful native flowers. In 1992 Greyhound, Pioneer and Bus Australia merged together to form Greyhound Pioneer Australia

A B.O.A.C. (British Overseas Airways Corporation) poster advertising flights to Japan, with an elaborately decorated geisha perched in front of a goldfish bowl

Poster advertising holidays to Port Lincoln on the lower Eyre Peninsula in South Australia as 'the perfect holiday', with the jetty leading out into Boston Bay

A Government and Tourist Bureau of South Australia poster of Mount Gambier as the Lakes District of South A ustralia, with two men relaxing on a hill overlooking the water below 

A TAA (Trans Australia Airlines) posters advertising domestic business flights in South Australia, showing a suitcase covered with colourful stickers from around the state

This poster advertises trips to Tasmania, with a view from Royal Park in Launceston to Cataract Gorge, one of the city's biggest tourist attractions in the lower section of the South Esk River

A BEA (British European Airways) poster advertising flights to countries all over Europe including Turkey, Belgium, Germany, Holland and Switzerland

A B.O.A.C (British Overseas Airways Corporation) poster advertising flights to the Middle East, with a man sitting atop an elaborately decorated camel near  a palm tree, riding through the desert

This Government Publicity and Tourist B ureau of South Australia poster advertises caravan holidays in the mountains and trees of the Flinders Ranges, described as 'South Australia's winter sunland'

A Tasmanian travel poster, showing Mt Wellington covered with snow and the port of Hobart in the foreground

A B.O.A.C. (British Overseas Airways Corporation) poster advertising flights to South America, showing a woman in traditional dress, with a lace shawl and fan and flower in her hair

A Cunard Line poster, of R.M.S. Queen Elizabeth leaving the terminal in Southhampton in the UK, advertising shipping from Europe to the Americas

A TEAL (Tasman Empire Airways Limited) poster advertising flights to New Zealand, showing a family in a boat in the Glow Worm Grotto Waitamo Caves. The caves are located in Otorohanga on the North Island 

A B.O.A.C. (British O verseas Airways Corporation) poster advertising the ease of travel, with a leather suitcase with wings flying through the air

An Orient Steam Navigation Company poster advertising cruise holidays in the Pacific, with a Hawaiian woman balancing on the stamen of a pink hibiscus flower, while a cruise liner sails past

A Qantas poster advertising flights around the world as 'top value for travel money' with a globe wrapped up as a present, complete with a pink bow

A poster of an artwork advertising travel to the lakes and forests of Medelpad, a historical province in the north of Sweden

A Qantas poster advertising the Super Constellation, an aircraft that flew twice weekly from Sydney to San Francisco and Vancouver via Fiji, Canton Island and Hawaii from 1954

A Spanish State Tourist Department advertisement, showin g tiled rooftops, archways and a central square in Granada, a city at the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains in Spain

A black and white British travel poster showing the walls of Carisbrooke Castle, an Elizabethan artillery fortress on the Isle of Wight 

A P&O poster advertising travel for tourists on their oceanic cruise liners

 

Source: Amazing vintage travel posters uncovered in an attic show the days when HOW you got to your holiday destination was what really mattered

Europe needs a combined plan for its south

The refugee flows from the Middle East, where grassroots radicalisation and arms training are widespread in the war-torn states, hold important security implications for the destination countries of refugees. Europe today is focused on the refugee crisis, with Nato instituting patrols in the Aegean Sea to intercept migrants trying to reach Greece. But in a few years, Europe's focus could shift to internal-security threats.

Indeed, the director of the US National Intelligence Council, James Clapper, has warned that ISIL is infiltrating groups of refugees escaping from Iraq and Syria to operate in the West. According to Mr Clapper, ISIL terrorists are "taking advantage of the torrent of migrants to insert operatives into that flow", adding that they are "pretty skilled at phoney passports so they can travel ostensibly as legitimate travellers".

Germany, the prime destination of many of the refugees, already has some three million Turkish immigrants and citizens with Turkish parents, who in some cases are poorly integrated in German society. But unlike the workers from Turkey that came to Germany from the 1960s to meet the demand for labour in the booming German economy, those arriving today are from countries battered by growing violence.

The refugee influx is just one manifestation of a deeper problem – how interventionist policies of outside powers in recent years have unravelled fragile states.

The net effect of the interventionist policies is the emergence at Europe's southern doorstep of a growing threat, from Libya as well as ISIL's stronghold in Syria and Iraq.

Dealing with the threats from these two areas will challenge Europe in the coming years even more than the refugee crisis, in the same way that countries next to the Afghanistan-Pakistan jihadist belt are paying a high price in terms of their security.

The larger lesson of the Paris terror attacks should not be forgotten. Jihad cannot be confined within the borders of a targeted nation, however distant, as exemplified by Afghanistan, Syria and Libya. The role of French and Belgian nationals in the Paris attacks has shown how difficult it is to geographically contain the spread of the jihad virus.

Indeed, internal-security challenges in Europe have been compounded by foreign-policy missteps or misplaced priorities. Take the situation in battle-worn Syria and Iraq: defeating ISIL is a pressing issue on which an international consensus – and coalition – can be built. But the western-led camp first needs to get its act together, including by prioritising ISIL's eradication over regime change in Damascus.

Even without considering the spectre of ISIL fighters hiding among innocent civilians to reach the West, the flow of refugees poses a security challenge for the countries they enter because they are arriving mostly from violence-scarred lands. Large numbers of men have not only received weapons training but also used them in combat.

More than half of the slightly over one million refugees who arrived in Europe last year were men of fighting age. This year, due to pressure for families to reunify, children and women make up 54 per cent of the new arrivals up to now, according to United Nations data.

Moreover, former combatants in a civil war – just like ground troops returning from a regular war – are prone to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). According to research, about 30 per cent of the men and women who have spent time in war zones experience PTSD, which is associated with an increased risk of violence.

In this light, addressing the current refugee crisis is no easy task. Building higher fences to secure Fortress Europe cannot be the answer by itself. Refugees will do anything to escape from war and chaos.

No country can accept an unrestrained influx of refugees, because it would get overwhelmed economically, socially and culturally and face major political fallout domestically. The issue is how to control the flow of refugees in a humane way, in accordance with international law, while admitting a limited number of genuine, properly vetted migrants.

However, there is no international policy on refugees. The two instruments of international law – the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1967 Refugee Protocol – are scarcely adequate for dealing with the refugee crisis.

For Europe, the Mediterranean holds the key for its security. Yet little attention has been paid in European security policies to shoring up security along the continent's southern flank. Instead, identity politics in the form of nationalism is back in Europe – a development set to accentuate internal security challenges relating to refugees.

Brahma Chellaney is the author of nine books, including, most recently, Water, Peace, and War

Source: Europe needs a combined plan for its south

What Slowdown? Chinese Travel Boomed Last Year

In 2015, the largest destination countries for Chinese tourists attracted almost a third more visits from China than the year before, with Europe and Thailand each adding three million more Chinese visits than in 2014, according to researcher Capital Economics. And despite China's current economic worries, this year appears to be starting even faster.

One of the busiest travel seasons occurs when the country shuts down for more than a week for Chinese New Year, as it did earlier this month. And early data suggest that this year's total visits could be stronger than those of 2015. Los Angeles' tourism bureau, which is hoping to build on the 780,000 visits and $1.1 billion in spending it got from Chinese visitors last year, reported a 40% increase in air bookings from Chinese visitors during the 2016 Chinese New Year travel period.

This rise may be the result of a backup in demand. HSBC retail analysts led by Erwan Rambourg recently reported that, despite strong headline numbers, Chinese outbound travel in 2015 was hampered by several traveler fears, including the MERS virus in southeast Asia, an overhang of fear caused by the crash of the still-undiscovered Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 (which was carrying mostly Chinese passengers), as well as a strong U.S.dollar.

When it comes to traveler volumes, the perception of travel safety will continue to be a bigger influence than China's economic struggles, analysts say, basing their prediction on the continued trength of Chinese consumer spending. Spending during this year's Spring Festival increased by 11%, a faster rise than in 2015.

It's Europe that attracts the most Chinese. This may be due to the two regions' shared sense of millennia of history, the reasonably short flight times…or because of Europe's brands. Chinese travelers account for 35% of global luxury spending, according to HSBC.

Chinese tourists in Europe tend to flock to places like Bicester Village, an hour outside London, which Fortune wrote about in December.

Nearly 10,000 busloads of Chinese tourists have descended on Bicester Village in 2015 alone. The numbers seem certain to grow as a new rail link from London to Bicester Village—the first to connect the capital with another English city in more than 100 years—opened in October.

The latest figures suggest that, despite negative headlines about China's economy, there will be many more busloads of Chinese shoppers across the globe.

Source: What Slowdown? Chinese Travel Boomed Last Year

Four Tankers Headed to European Destinations with Iranian Crude

In recent days, tankers chartered by several European companies such as Total, Litasco, and Cepsa were monitored loading crude at Kharg Island, a major Iranian loading port, according to Genscape. The vessels are bound for European destinations, marking the first crude shipments to take the route in four years.

Following the lifting of economic sanctions against Iran on January 16, 2016, several European oil companies have started negotiations to buy crude from the country.

On February 5, 2016, Genscape identified Distya Akula (IMO 9087972), a Suezmax chartered by Litasco, loaded about 1mn bbls and is thought to be heading to Constanta, Romania, according to several London tanker brokers' chartering information. Genscape believes this to be the first Iranian oil shipment to an European country after the lifting of the sanctions.

Moreover, on February 14, 2016, Iranian officials announced that three tankers chartered for European destinations would load within the next 48 hours. Genscape monitored two cargoes bound for Europe that have since loaded at Kharg Island: VLCC Atlantas (IMO 9389899), chartered by Total, departed on February 15, 2016, with around 2mn bbls of crude and is now also heading to Northwest Europe via the Suez Canal, with a final destination yet to be declared. Monte Toledo (IMO 9271573), a Suezmax chartered by Cepsa, left Kharg Island on February 15, 2016, with around 1mn bbls of crude and has a declared destination of Algeciras, Spain. About 80 percent of Iranian exports are loaded at Kharg Island, according to Genscape.

More recently, Eurohope (IMO 9173745) loaded around 1mn bbls at Kharg Island on February 16, 2016, and declared Constanta as the initial destination upon departure. This would make the ship the second loading at Kharg Island bound for Constanta in less than a week.

Iranian officials welcomed a recent agreement between some OPEC members and Russia to keep a ceiling on oil output, but has not committed to limit the production. "We have repeatedly said that Iran will increase its crude output until reaching the pre-sanctions production level," said Mahdi Asali, Iran's OPEC representative, according to Sharq Daily.

Genscape expects to see more tankers loading Iranian crude for European destinations in the next few weeks and will continue to track the growth in Iranian output to help market participants assess the impact of changes in flow on regional markets. Genscape monitors Middle East Crude exports daily using its Genscape Vesseltracker data together with market intelligence sources to identify the loadport of each departing crude tanker and track it through to its final destination. Using Genscape Vesseltracker data, the Middle East Waterborne Crude Report, published on Wednesdays, illuminates the flows coming out of the Middle East producing countries so that traders and analysts can better gage markets in Asia, Europe, and the Americas. It provides traders and analysts with insight and analysis to better forecast short-term price shifts by enabling them to anticipate the arrival of crudes from the Middle East. This weekly report offers new transparency and helps market participants in form market positions, improve decision making, and gain insight on key market drivers.

Source: Four Tankers Headed to European Destinations with Iranian Crude

From the FT archive: Europe need not be corporatist

This article was first published in the Financial Times of October 13, 1988.

Mrs Thatcher's Bruges speech on the future of the European Community deserved neither the slating it received from the Euro-lobby nor the rapture from the wavers of the Union flag.

Her written text at least was not anti-European. The Prime Minister dwelt fondly on Britain's historical and cultural involvement with the Continent. She also gave a very necessary warning about the Community tendency to overregulate and to distrust competitive markets. 'We have not successfully rolled back the frontiers of the state in Britain, only to see them reimposed at a European level ..' Amen to that.

But she spoiled the argument by finishing the sentence ' .. with a European super state exercising a new dominance from Brussels.' She makes the same mistake as that of her arch opponent, the Commission President Jacques Delors, in assuming that a European union must be corporatist.

These are different issues. Both corporatism and competitive market policies can be pursued in a insular setting or under some degree of European union. (Let us not incidentally get bogged down in a battle over what that union should be called. A federal United States of Europe has scant prospect of existing in the foreseeable future, however much Mr Delors may wish it otherwise).

The Prime Minister's mistake is at two different levels - the tactical-political and the fundamental. At the first level, Mrs Thatcher would be in a much better position to oppose harmonisation for harmonisation's sake, or provisions for union seats on company boards, if she were seen to accept without reservation and even with some cheerfulness the idea of a Europe without frontiers. She would stand a much better chance of leading the movement towards European unity in a free market direction if she were in its front line - where her best friends would hardly place her now.

Since Harold Macmillan, successive British governments have been missing the European bus and then been surprised that they have so little influence on its destination.

General De Gaulle, on the other hand, whom the present British Prime Minister seeks to emulate, surprised friend and foe alike by accepting the full obligations and the EEC long before the Rome Treaty required him to do.

The bigger mistake is to write off all supranational elements as hopelessly collectivist. The issue is less simple. The Brussels Commission normally presses for a lower degree of protection and subsidy than its member governments desire. The trouble is that when it is defeated, it still prefers a Euro solution, however bad, to returning policy to member governments - as would be desirable, for instance in agriculture.

Where the Commission has actual powers, as in the case of competition and industrial policy, they are exercised to promote market forces and cut back the sums that governments can put into supporting domestic industries. Lord Young has explained how it has limited the size of the parting handshake he can provide for Rover and has vowed to use EEC law to impose similar limits on aid to the French motor industry.

But the issue goes deeper. One aspect of Friedrich Hayek's Constitution of Liberty, so admired by Mrs Thatcher, is the need for constitutional constraints even on elected governments. That need has been restated in an Institute of Economic Affairs Paper, The Invisible Hand in Politics and Economics, by Norman Barry (IEA; 6.50 pounds sterling) .

The European Community is one of the few 'rule of law' constraints on the actions of a government elected with a temporary plurality. Not even Mrs Thatcher will last for ever; and a time will come when her present followers will welcome such constraints, whether internal or external.

Meanwhile in her Bruges speech, Mrs Thatcher suggested four guiding principles for the Community:

* Willing and active co-operation between sovereign states;

* Tackle problems practicality;

* Promote policies which remove barriers and encourage enterprise'

* Europe should not be protectionist.

One could spill a lot of ink debating the first principle: Europe des Patries versus supranationalism. But it would be pointless. Mrs Thatcher's own second point about a practical approach suggests that we do not become bogged down in arguments about the essence of the Community but try to improve it.

The internal market for 1992 was itself partly the result of a British initiative designed to shift attention away from proposals for political union. The Single European Act of 1985 provides for the establishment of this market by qualified majority voting within the Council of Ministers. There is much argument about which national laws are relevant for the purpose; and the Council would not be so foolish as to ride roughshod over any major member's national interest.

The Prime Minister's warning against protection is more important, despite her own mixed record on the issue. Its timeliness is highlighted by the Community's abuse of anti-dumping procedures to exclude a growing range of Japanese, US and Third World products.

The least surprising omission from Mrs Thatcher's speech, despite her emphasis on the already practical, was any mention whatever of the European Monetary System. Maybe she is being misled into hoping that the EMS will collapse when capital controls are removed - ahead of the full internal market - in 1990.

She would then be making just as great an error as those who supposed that the EMS itself would never start or the EEC before it. One extremely highly placed French authority, recently reminded me that France had alredy gone nearly all the way to freeing currency movements across the frontier and that if there were any insurmountable strains, they would be showing already.

There are two aspects of a unified market in 1982 capable of appealing to popular imagination. There is much argument about whether either is required by existing obligations. But if they were both accepted they would give a new wind to the Community.

One is the removal of customs posts, so that the physical barriers which have traditionally divided one European state from another can be seen to have been removed.

The second is dispensing with the services of the money changers, so that the same currency can be used on a journey from London to Munich as from London to Manchester. This cannot happen by 1992, but can at least be an aim.

On neither issue has the British Government shown imagination. The Chancellor is right to oppose the Commission's proposals to harmonise value added tax within stated bands. He argues that (as in the case of US sales taxes) whatever harmonisation is required can be left to market forces and cross-border shopping.

British VAT rates are, however, comparatively low. On drink and tobacco where British rates are high, we are told that either frontier controls have to remain or that rates have to be harmonised upwards.

Perhaps realising that its fiscal case is not watertight, the British Government also advances anti-terrorist arguments for keeping border controls. But no one has explained why movements within the EEC at large need to be more strictly controlled than movements between the Republic of Ireland and the UK at present. Nor why collaboration between national security forces needs to be operated at the frontier.

As for an eventual European currency: there is no necessary connection with full political federalism. The existing EMS is largely run by central banks and finance ministries; and a Gaullist Europe des Patries could still benefit from a single currency, just as sovereign states before the First World War gained from the de facto international currency provided by the gold standard.

It is true that automatic fiscal transfers cushion some economic fluctuations within existing federations. But such transfers are not a precondition of a common currency. Even if they cannot be obtained, it is difficult to see what an individual government gains from retaining the right to devalue. If it is really true that we cannot spend ourselves into prosperity, as Lord Callaghan told us long ago, and the long-term effects of monetary policy are on the price level, then there would be no gain from retaining a national currency, so long as the European version is run on a sound money basis.

The present goal of the EMS is to make parity changes rarer and rarer. Once they have become a thing of the past, currencies will become increasingly accepted across frontiers as they already are in border areas. Eventually the difference between one European currency and another could approximate the difference between English and Scottish pound notes. The national names can be changed when public opinion is ready.

More important will be the need for a European central banking institution to regulate the issue of the linked or unified currencies. The Bundesbank has proposals designed to ensure that any new European unit is as strictly controlled as the German mark and by an authority as independent as the Bundesbank. This would be the British policy too if Mrs Thatcher really were a Thatcherite.

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2016. You may share using our article tools.Please don't cut articles from FT.com and redistribute by email or post to the web.

Source: From the FT archive: Europe need not be corporatist

Huge increase in European products passing through Israel to Arab states

Chances are good that if members of the Saudi royal family are eating Turkish dried fruit or wearing Bulgarian shoes, some of those products reached Riyadh stores through Israel.

Deputy Regional Cooperation Minister Ayoub Kara (Likud) on Sunday went to the Nahar Hayarden/Jordan River (Sheikh Hussein) border crossing near Beit She'an to look at preparations there for expanding the freight terminal to allow the handling of another 150 trucks a month.

According to Kara's ministry, because of the civil war in Syria, Israel has in recent years become the main land bridge between some European and Arab countries.

For instance, Turkey and Bulgaria, which used to ship products to Iraq, Jordan and the Persian Gulf by driving trucks overland through Syria, now either put trucks on ferries, or load containers, that are shipped to Haifa, and then from there driven overland to the Nahar Hayarden bridge and into Jordan. The goods then either remain in Jordan or are shipped from there to points further east and south.

Last year some 13,000 trucks laden with products from Turkey and Bulgaria passed through Israel, an increase of more than 25 percent over the 10,300 trucks that passed through the country to Jordan in 2014.

An additional shipping line is to be added next month between Turkey and Israel, which, according to Kara's office, will add another 150 trucks a month.

Israel collects duties on each truck that enters and exits the country.

"The Nahar Hayarden crossing is important for international trade and links the west with the east," Kara said.

"I believe that widening the freight crossing will contribute a great deal to strengthening relations between Israel and its neighbors, including Turkey, and also with more distant Arab countries."

Another commonly used shipping route is from Europe to Egypt, then overland to Aqaba, and then further onward. That route, however, is more expensive.

The Tu rkey-Israel-Jordan route has grown more popular, even as relations between Jerusalem and Ankara nosedived following the 2010 Mavi Marmara raid, with the initiative to find an alternate route to the Syrian route coming from private Turkish businesspeople.

Rafi Shamir, a spokesman in the Regional Cooperation Ministry, said that while the government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan did not promote this route, it also did nothing to stop it.

While the place of origin of the goods is documented, when the trucks pass over to Jordan, their transit route through Israel is not noted, allowing the final destination countries to either ignore the fact that the goods passed through Israel, or claim they never knew.

Shamir said this route is significant for a number of reasons.

First, because it adds considerable sums to the country's coffers. And second, because it shows both European and Arab countries that Israel is the best and most secure route to transit goods.

"Le t's say that tomorrow the war in Syria ends," Shamir said.

"The last few years will give exporters a reason to continue to work through Israel, because they know it is a route that is secure and works well."

Source: Huge increase in European products passing through Israel to Arab states

SriLankan Airlines reversing plans to discontinue or reduce European flights

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - SriLankan Airlines, looking for ways to cut huge losses and debt accumulated during the last regime, this week decided to continue flying to key European destinations, barring Rome, reversing earlier plans to discontinue or reduce these flights. The move drew welcome relief from all sections of the travel industry. Separately the airline, according to its main top official, was in serious discussions with lessors on how and whether it was possible to exit from a contract to purchase four Airbus 350s.

Ajit Dias, chairman of the national carrier, told the Business Times that the government has decided not to proceed with the purchase order. When asked whether this means the airline won't be buying the four aircraft, he said: "It all depends on the negotiations our team is having with lessors since contracts have already been signed and to ascertain what needs to be done (to exit)," he said. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told Parliament last week that though a deposit has not been paid for any Airbus 350, any default means a penalty payment of US$12 million.

With reference to uncertainty over flights to the European sector, the airline had been considering pulling out of Europe barring the UK but had been under pressure from the tourism industry not to do so. Other than London, most European sectors were not bringing the required returns, other sources at the national airline said. According to this week's, long-awaited decision, the airline is discontinuing flights to Rome from May but will continue flying to London, Paris and Frankfurt, the latter of which would have a fifth weekly flight added from July.

Mr. Dias said the new travel frequencies have been prepared with the existing fleet. "We have not accounted for any new Airbus 350s (in this computation)," he said. He denied reports that the airline was in discussions with others on a possible management contract, similar to the earlier one with Emirates but noted that the airline has been talking to other airlines on code sharing arrangements (to cover sectors that the airline doesn't fly to). "We are delighted," said Hiran Cooray, President of the Tourist Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL) when asked to comment on the route changes.

"This is a very positive move and shows the Government is listening to the industry. They have listened to our pleas." Travel Agents Association of Sri Lanka (TAASL) President Devindre Seneratne said they were pleased that Frankfurt has been consolidated with an extra flight too and Paris will continue to operate as usual. "The French market has become one of the most important markets and grown to be one of the most wanted markets for Sri Lanka Tourism especially when Sri Lanka is considered one of the safer and better destinations to travel," he said.

Also welcoming the move, S. Paramanathan, Managing Director of Atlas Lanka Travels, said arrivals were rising even though it's the off season and hence this was not the best time to reduce flights to Europe. According to the airline's 2014/15 annual report, in order to replace the wide-body fleet, in June 2013, the company entered into Purchase Agreements with Airbus for the purchase of six A330-300 and four A350-900 aircraft for delivery between 2014 to 2021 and also entered into lease agreements to take delivery of further three new A350-900 aircraft in 2016.

Source: SriLankan Airlines reversing plans to discontinue or reduce European flights

Going places in a tuk-tuk, powered by green energy

Summary: "I am doing this big road and sea journey on my tuk-tuk to spread the message of using clean and green energy for vehicles. The tuk-tuk has also got solar panelling on the roof in order to harvest sun's energy. He will traverse through 10 different countries and cover a total of 9,600 km to promote eco-friendly travel. "In regular vehicles, the smoke and exhaust has worsened the air pollution in cities like Delhi and Mumbai. It is time that we switch to clean and green transport using natural energy sources," said Rabelli, who gave up his job at a private automobile company to follow his dream of take a road trip to Europe in his own green vehicle.

NAVI MUMBAI: Most young or middle-level professionals aspire to build, acquire or upgrade to new swanky car models and swish SUVs.But 33-year-old Hyderabad-based automobile engineer, Naveen Rabelli, has designed an indigenous electrical three-wheeler tuk-tuk called 'Tejas' which he has already driven for 2,600 km from Kochi to Nhava Sheva.He will now board a ship from JNPT to reach Iran, from where he will continue his journey to his European destination, London."I am doing this big road and sea journey on my tuk-tuk to spread the message of using clean and green energy for vehicles. I have also been invited by four universities in Europe to talk about my experiences on my road trip in Tejas," said Rabelli.He had been designing Tejas since 2014. The tuk-tuk has also got solar panelling on the roof in order to harvest sun's energy.

He will traverse through 10 different countries and cover a total of 9,600 km to promote eco-friendly travel."I recharge the vehicle's batteries a fter covering a distance of 80 km. The electrical recharging takes about three hours," he said. Also, the solar energy capture takes care of about 30% of the tuk-tuk's power requirements, added the Indian engineer, happy about his feat so far.When asked why he is using the sea route from JNPT, and not going through the Asian landmass towards Turkey, Rabelli said that he had thought about it, but due to tough visa rules in Pakistan, he has opted to go by sea till Iran, and later continue on road till Europe.After he lands in Iran, Rebelli will visit Turkey, Bulgaria and parts of eastern Europe before moving to London, his final destination.Unhappy with the current vehicular scenario in Indian cities, Rabelli decided to switch to something that does not pollute or pose a health hazard to the commuters."In regular vehicles, the smoke and exhaust has worsened the air pollution in cities like Delhi and Mumbai.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/navi-mumbai/Going-places-in-a-tuk-tuk-powered-by-green-energy/articleshow/51071796.cms

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Source: Going places in a tuk-tuk, powered by green energy

25 stunning photos of Europe's best beaches, according to TripAdvisor users

canad/FlickrBalos Beach's gorgeous lagoon and clear blue water is one of Europe's best beaches, TripAdvisor users say.

If you're already thinking about where to go on your beach holiday this summer, consider staying closer to home and pick a European destination. 

TripAdvisor's latest beach rankings in its 2016 Travellers' Choice Awards, which ranked the best beaches in the world and in Europe based on millions of user reviews, provide ample inspiration.

From a blue lagoon on a Greek island to a serene Baltic beach with golden sand, the winning beaches on TripAdvisor boast cliffs, ancient ruins, and Instagram-worthy sunsets.

Take a look at the top 25 beach destinations below, and start dreaming of the summer.

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Source: 25 stunning photos of Europe's best beaches, according to TripAdvisor users

In Europe, bosses can bill airlines for late flights, court rules

Employers of business travelers left in the lurch by delayed flights can claim compensation from airlines, the European Union's top court said in another ruling beefing up passengers' rights.

Air carriers can't avoid paying for losses suffered by employers, the EU Court of Justice said in a binding judgment Wednesday, referring to the Montreal Convention, an international treaty that covers air travel. A group of airlines attacked the ruling.

"The concept of consumer" under the convention "may include persons who are not themselves carried and are therefore not passengers," the Luxembourg-based EU court ruled. The convention "must be interpreted as being applicable not only to the damage suffered by a passenger, but also to the damage suffered by a person in its capacity as an employer."

The case is the latest in a long line of rulings on airlines' obligations when schedules aren't met. The EU court has clarified in previous cases, involving carriers such as Deutsche Lufthansa AG and EasyJet Plc, that passengers who arrive "three hours or more after the scheduled arrival time" have a right to compensation, except in "extraordinary" circumstances. The court in a 2013 decision said the same applies in the case of connecting flights where passengers arrive at least three hours late at their final destination.

The ruling "opens a Pandora's box and creates a new level of uncertainty despite all the problems we are already facing" with existing EU rules on passenger compensation, said Geert Sciot, a spokesman for the Association of European Airlines in Brussels.

"We urgently call for a revision" of the EU framework, he said. "This is once more an indication that we face a huge problem resulting in a lot of costs for airlines."

The case Wednesday concerned AirBaltic AS and two Lithuanian security agents who arrived at their final destination more than 14 hours late, due to a delay on one of their connecting flights which made them miss the next connection. AirBaltic challenged orders by the local courts to pay the compensation, arguing that it is liable only to passengers who took the flight, and not employers.

The case was referred to the EU top tribunal by the Supreme Court of Lithuania in 2014. In its answers, the 28-nation EU's highest court also clarified that the compensation airlines have to pay employers in such cases is capped and "cannot in any case exceed the cumulative amount of compensation that could be awarded to all of the passengers concerned if they were to bring proceedings individually."

Source: In Europe, bosses can bill airlines for late flights, court rules

Bulgaria can turn into destination for start-ups, SMEs: MEP

19 February 2016 | 11:54 | FOCUS News Agency

Sofia. "Bulgaria has the chance to turn into a destination for start-up and small and medium enterprises (SME)," said Bulgarian MEP Eva Paunova, speaking at the Investment Plan for Europe conference held in Sofia, FOCUS News Agency journalist reported."This can happen, if we provide projects of really high quality. It is important for this type of financing to become part of the way our companies think and part of the doing business culture because we will count less on the structural funds and more on the financial instruments in the future," Ms Paunova added."The European economic model is definitely changing and we should change our approach in terms of doing business and finding solutions so as to be competitive," the Bulgarian MEP remarked.She explained that the fund would finance projects in the entire Europe and the technical assistance offered would be definitely increased so as to guarantee that all countries would be able to file well-structured projects.

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Source: Bulgaria can turn into destination for start-ups, SMEs: MEP

Two European Summer Must 'Seas'

The College Tourist, By: Emily Freebery, Fordham University

If you're a beach lover, you must add the Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas to your travel list!

When you think of summer, the beach, clear water, sunny skies, and relaxing days are a few things that come to mind, and two of the best places to experience these summer feels are two gorgeous European bodies of water: the Mediterranean Sea and the Adriatic Sea!

These two incredible Seas hold some of my favorite travel memories, and I would revisit each one in a heart beat! Europe is known for its amazing capital cities; however sometime the Seaside towns are less visited. I highly recommend taking a few days out of your next European summer holiday to visit either the Mediterranean or the Adriatic Sea for an unforgettable beach experience!

The Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea can be accessed from various European countries as well as a few North African countries. And while many think of visiting Ibiza, Malta, or the Greek islands to experience the Mediterranean, my Mediterranean beach days came while visiting the seaside city of Marseille as well as the smaller town of Cassis in the South of France! The gorgeous crystal clear blue water made it unlike any beach day in America!

Pack your bathing suit, some sunscreen, and a towel, and you're all set for a relaxing day on the Mediterranean. Marseille and Cassis were both lovely cities with easy access to the Sea, as with pretty sandy beaches. And if you go in the summer time, you're sure to have beautiful, hot, and sunny weather! Not only were the beaches amazing, but the city of Marseille and the town of Cassis were both adorable and filled with numerous cute shops and seaside restaurants.

And the Mediterranean-style food was delicious! Think whole grains, olive oil, and decadent herbs and spices with juicy fresh fruits and tasty fresh vegetables. It was definitely a nice few-day divergence from visits to bigger European capital cities like Paris and London, perfect for any traveler looking for a relaxing beach day or two.

The Adriatic Sea

The Adriatic Sea, might be a less popular beach destination for travelers then the Mediterranean, but it is equally as stunning and surely worth a visit! The Adriatic Sea can not only be accessed from Italy but also from a number of Eastern European countries such as Albania and Slovenia! I've visited the Adriatic Sea on two separate occasions, both times from the Dalmatia coast in Croatia! It is by far my favorite travel destination.

The Croatian coast has numerous beach clubs, some private and some public, that tourists are able to visit and experience the beauty of the Adriatic Sea! One distinctive feature of the Croatian seaside town I visited, was the rather rocky beach in place of sand. The rocks were small and smooth making swimming in the sea and wading in the water just as easy as sandy beaches! Plus the beach clubs and cabanas have plenty of room to sunbathe and work on your tan. Just like the Mediterranean, the Adriatic Sea has equally clear, gorgeous blue waters! I loved being able to look down and see my feet, and the waters are clear enough for some amazing under water pictures!

Take a boat ride on the Adriatic Sea to heighten your experience. On my second visit to Croatia and the Adriatic Sea, I was able to take a boat ride to a smaller island with its own beach and beach club. The locals in Croatia are also extremely friendly, making the experience even more memorable.

After visiting several European countries, my visits to the Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas were my favorite! Any beach and aquatic lovers need to add these seas to their list of places to visit! There are plenty of access points to these bodies of water throughout Europe.

So start your swim suit shopping and plan a summer trip to the Mediterranean/Adriatic Seas!

The College Tourist

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Source: Two European Summer Must 'Seas'