For years, progress on the question of legal medicinal and recreational marijuana has sparked debate in the United States. For a long time, American legalization activists used positive cases, such as the one of the Netherlands, to argue for leniency on drug-related crimes. Today, the situation seems to be reversed.
For years, a political class offended at everything and begging for apologies on minor scandals has seemingly been fine with benefiting from the membership of parties with very questionable views. A recent speech by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán makes it clear that European political parties need to screen their memberships and stop the opportunism.
Over time, the European Union has developed into more than just an economic cooperation between nations. The EU is a big and intrusive government that constantly acquires new powers. And like all superstates, its tendency to defend freedom against control is swindling.
Back in December, the finance ministers of the European Union agreed on a new common list of so-called “tax havens”, which compete with particularly lower corporate income tax rates. On this “black list”, a total of 17 states around the globe appeared amongst them were Mongolia, South Korea, Bahrain, Barbados and the United Arab Emirates. […]
Irish levels of taxation on alcohol beverages are, in comparison with European counterparts, at appallingly high levels. These are being carried by the Irish consumer, most notably by those who are responsible drinkers. Is the Irish policy on alcohol the correct one to tackle public health concerns? The Irish excise tax rate on wine is […]
Ever since the Arab Spring, migration from Africa to Europe has increased and so has skepticism towards Africans, in particular. This has empowered anti-immigration activists in both Europe and the United States who argue for closing down borders. There are, however, solutions that both sides of this argument could actually get behind.
One of the principles of the EU’s common transport policy is the freedom to provide services in the field of transport. This freedom includes access to international transport markets for all EU carriers without discrimination on grounds of nationality or place of establishment. The second Mobility Pack is encouraging the liberalisation the inter-city bus market […]
This week has seen massive strikes in the French public railway services. While the unions are holding the French transport system hostage, only a fraction of both regional and high-speed intercity trains are operational. France is a notable example of what happens when unions gain the upper hand. But whom do they really protect?
In the attempt to limit the effects of climate change, and with the conscience that resources on planet Earth are scarce, many advocate for limiting the consumption of natural resources. However, having access to natural resources is essential for our economic development, and particularly to make social mobility possible: without a growing economy, there are […]
Since the end of the steel industry in the Greater Region (the area of Saarland, Lorraine, Luxembourg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Wallonia and the rest of the French-speaking community of Belgium, and the German-speaking community of Belgium), the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg has focused on the tertiary sector, especially investment and insurance companies. One regulatory advantage which Luxembourg was […]
Bill Wirtz 