Poland - European Independent Judiciary Systems: Poland facing EU sanctions because "EU membership does not mean you can have your cake and eat it too"

The real reason why the EU is considering starting sanction proceedings is Poland's refugee policy, the pro-government news website wPolityce.pl believes:

“The EU elites are mounting a massive attack. In their line of fire is the disobedient Poland, for whom common sense and the security of its citizens are more important than the idiocy of the left-wing elites and their infantile ideology. ... We're being threatened with the activation of Article 7, financial punishment and exclusion from the group of EU decision-makers just because we refuse to take in refugees. ... War has already come to their territory. The terror and destruction of which we warned them in vain are simmering, ready to ignite. ... But we're not going to die for their multiculturalism.”

The PiS could even benefit from the dispute with the EU, explains leftist journalist Jakub Majmurek in a commentary for Newsweek Polska:

“The PiS is already behaving as if any criticism of the government casts doubt on the election results and constitutes treason. The possibility of the internal dispute in Poland being connected to EU sanctions only strengthens this rhetoric. It's hard to explain to the public why one supports sanctions against one's own country. So if the opposition doesn't come up with a clever PR strategy that blames the PiS for the row with Brussels very soon, then it's not certain that the PiS will come out of the conflict with the EU as the loser. At least not until it's clear to all normal citizens what the consequences of Poland's being sidelined in Europe would be.”

Note EU-Digest: When will some countries in the EU,  like Poland realize that membership in the EU does not mean they "can have their cake and eat it too"

 Read more: Poland facing EU sanctions | eurotopics.]\

Tourism Sector EU: The tourism industry is 'make or break' for the EU economy - by Ana-Claudia Tapardel

Batavia Stad, Flevoland, the Netherlands

What would you do on your holiday? Would you relax of the beach of a Greek island? Perhaps you would go skiing in the French Alps, or hiking in the Carpathians? How about a cruise along the Danube delta? Or maybe a wine tour in the Douro valley?

These activities are only a small portion of what Europe has to offer its domestic and international visitors. In fact, its diversity in art, landscapes, food and traditions have all helped make it the world's top tourist destination. From Bucharest to Lisbon, Europe's great variety in terms of scenery, services, cultures and people is unrivalled.

And the economic return from the tourism sector speaks for itself: prior to the accession of Romania, Bulgaria and Croatia, tourism accounted for 13 per cent of the EU's GDP. Nowadays, tourism represents 10 per cent of the European economy. The tourism sector employs approximately 5.2 per cent of the total workforce - roughly 10 million jobs - and involves almost two million small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Yet while the tourism sector provides many opportunities to Europe, it is also faced with many challenges. These are mainly related to changes in global trends and increasing competition with non-European countries, particularly in Asia and North America.

For Europe to be competitive and continue attracting both EU and non EU citizens, we first need a defined strategy that will not only take into consideration new global trends, but will also bring together the main institutional actors (the parliament, the commission and the council), as well as the relevant stakeholders in the field.

In this context, I would like to point out that members of parliament's European tourism development, cultural heritage, way of St James and other European cultural routes intergroup - which I co-chair - is actively pushing for the revision and update of the commission's 2010 communication titled, 'Europe, the world's number one tourist destination'.

In order for us to achieve our goals, we must ensure that the European tourism sector and its actors receive the attention they deserve. In my opinion, one way to give the sector the boost it needs is by designating a 'European year for tourism'.

Read more: The tourism industry is 'make or break' for the EU economy | The Parliament Magazine

Public Support Grows for Snowden in Europe - by Dave Lindorff

Europeans are pissed off at the US, in the wake of National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden's latest revelation that the US was aggressively spying on its European allies, both at their and the European Union's embassies in Washington, and in Europe itself, gleaning not information about terrorism, but inside-track knowledge about trade negotiation positions and other areas of disagreement or negotiation.

Leaders in Germany, France, Italy and other European countries are demanding that the US cease its spying on them, and give a "full accounting" of the spying that it has been engaging in. But given the steady stream of lies coming from the NSA, the Obama Administration, Secretary of State John Kerry, and other American sources, why should they believe anything they are being told?

If, as Martin Schulz, the president of the European parliament, said today, the NSA is like the Soviet-era KGB, why would anything the US says about its nefarious activities have any credibility whatsoever?
At this point, pressure is building on European governments in Germany, France, Italy and elsewhere to stand up to the US and to grant Snowden asylum in Europe.

It makes sense. The US, weakened as it is economically these days, is still able to threaten weak nations in Latin America, which are stuck with the reality that the great consumer vacuum cleaner to the north is their biggest market, and are thus seriously at risk if the US threatens, as it did in the case of Ecuador, to impose import duties on goods shipped to the US for sale here. Europe has no such concerns. The US is in no position to economically threaten Europe.

Read more: OpEdNews - Article: Public Support Grows for Snowden in Europe: Germany and France Should offer NSA Whistleblower Asylum