May 13th, 2011 at 1:00PM:
In a move that shocked European Union officials, Denmark, citing the need to fight organized crime, unilaterally reintroduced border controls on its land borders with Germany and Sweden on Wednesday. The Danish decision chips away at one of the central principles (and privileges) at the center of the project of the European Union, namely, the free movement of goods, persons, services, and ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
EuropeanUnion posts
Denmark reintroduces border controls
May 13th, 2011 at 1:00PM:
In a move that shocked European Union officials, Denmark, citing the need to fight organized crime, unilaterally reintroduced border controls on its land borders with Germany and Sweden on Wednesday. The Danish decision chips away at one of the central principles (and privileges) at the center of the project of the European Union, namely, the free movement of goods, persons, services, and ...Five ways to get more European stamps in your passport
Mar 2nd, 2011 at 10:30AM:
Lake Ohrid, Macedonia.
Yesterday, I wrote about the fact that European passport stamps have become harder and harder to get. The expansion of the Schengen zone has reduced the number of times tourists are compelled to show their passports to immigration officials. For most Americans on multi-country European itineraries, a passport will be stamped just twice: upon arrival and upon departure. ...Schengen and the disappearance of European passport stamps
Mar 1st, 2011 at 10:00AM:
Creative new use for border crossing posts at German/Austrian border.
In the late 1980s, an American spending a summer traveling across Europe with a Eurailpass would see his or her passport stamped possibly dozens of times. With a few exceptions, every time a border was crossed, an immigration agent would pop his or her head into a train compartment, look at everyone's passports, in most ...A new place to spend euros: Estonia
Jan 2nd, 2011 at 11:00AM: One of the greatest boons to travelers in recent years is the expanding eurozone. Gone are the days when you spent a few days in France, then wasted money getting your francs exchanged into lire in order to visit Italy. There were always a few odd coins left over that ended up sitting useless in the sock drawer.
At the start of 2011, Estonia has become the 17th country to join the eurozone. The ...Europe expands high-speed train system with new bridge
Dec 12th, 2010 at 9:00AM:
A new bridge across the Ill river in Strasbourg is a major step forward for the European Union's plans for a high-speed railway reaching from Paris to Bratislava, the BBC reports.
An earlier bridge had only one track and could only carry trains going a maximum of 100 kph (62mph). The new bridge has two tracks and can deal with trains going 160kph (99mph). The Paris-Bratislava line is one of a ...Roman ruins in Turkey to be flooded by dam project
Oct 15th, 2010 at 9:00AM: One of the most important Roman archaeological sites in Turkey will soon be underwater.
The Roman spa town of Allianoi will be submerged beneath a reservoir once the nearby Yortanli dam becomes operational. The town was built in the second century AD near Bergama (ancient Pergamon) and has remained remarkably preserved. Archaeologists have uncovered baths, sculptures, artifacts, and elaborate ...Weekending: Sofia
Oct 5th, 2010 at 2:30PM:
Since moving to Istanbul, I've gotten the chance to travel to a lot of interesting destinations, from Beirut to Bosnia, that are much easier and cheaper to access from Turkey than America. For my first long (more than a weekend) trip, I went to Bulgaria for a week over US Labor Day and Turkish bayram (end of Ramadan holidays). Over the week, I traveled from the capital city Sofia to medieval ...British Airways, American Airlines, and Iberia in transatlantic tie-up
Sep 29th, 2010 at 10:30AM: British Airways has signed a "tie-up" deal with American Airlines to share passengers and costs between the European Union and North America. Two non-EU nations, Switzerland and Norway, are also covered in the agreement.
BA says the deal will be worth $7 billion a year and will give passengers greater access to discounted fares. They'll also get better connections and access to the airlines' ...Open skies agreement between EU and US signed
Jun 25th, 2010 at 10:30AM: The United States and the European Union have signed an open skies agreement that makes it easier for airlines to buy one another.
This is the second open skies agreement between the two governments. The first open skies agreement took effect in 2008 and opened up transatlantic routes to all carriers. Previously some routes were limited to specific carriers.
This new agreement will allow ...Strike in Greece leaves tourists stranded
Jun 23rd, 2010 at 10:30AM: A strike by dock workers in Greece's main port of Piraeus has kept thousands of visitors from boarding ferries to the Greek islands.
Greece is trying to impose economic austerity measures that were dictated by the IMF and EU in exchange for a 110 billion euro ($135 billion) bailout. Trade unions object to cuts in the minimum wage and a reduction of benefits and pensions.
Railway workers and ...Man flies to London hidden beneath airplane
Jun 10th, 2010 at 12:30PM: A 20-year-old Romanian man is lucky to be alive after he was discovered hidden inside the rear wheel compartment of a jet arriving this week in London. The stowaway, who was apparently looking for work, braved low oxygen and outside air temperatures during the flight as low as 40 below zero. Upon his discovery at London's Heathrow Airport, he was covered in bruises and showing signs of ...Russia pushes visa-free Russia-EU travel
Jun 2nd, 2010 at 12:30PM: At the 25th European Union-Russia summit in Rostov-on-Don, Russia yesterday proposed that both parties mutually abolish visa requirements. Currently, the two entities impose reciprocal visa requirements upon each other's citizens.
In the name of improving business and tourist links, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced that Russia is ready to drop its visa requirements of EU citizens. He ...Greek economic crisis hurts conservation workers
May 31st, 2010 at 3:00PM: When Greek Minister of Culture and Tourism Pavlos Geroulanos visited the Acropolis in Athens last week, he was met by a hundred booing employees.
The heritage workers are contracted professionals who are protesting late wages and planned firings. Some haven't been paid in 16 months and many worry their contracts won't be renewed next year.
Greece is undergoing a serious financial crisis and ...Good Beach Guide names best British beaches
May 30th, 2010 at 10:00AM: The United Kingdom generally isn't the first place people think of when they decide to go to the beach. Indeed, the beaches of Spain, France, and Cyprus are filled with lobster-red Brits, so it appears the locals agree, but the Good Beach Guide, published by the Marine Conservation Society, says the UK's beaches are improving, at least in terms of water quality.
The latest report reveals that ...Ryanair fined for not helping stranded passengers
May 16th, 2010 at 1:00PM: Back during April's travel mess, the European Union warned Ryanair because Ryanair refused to compensate stranded passengers for lodging and food. The EU told them they were legally required to, and the budget carrier backed down.
Here comes the sequel to that story.
Italy has slapped Ryanair with a three million euro ($3.75 million) fine for not providing 178 people at Rome's Ciampino ...The ten safest African airlines
May 4th, 2010 at 12:30PM: Airlines based in Africa have a bad reputation. When the European Union published a blacklist of airlines banned from flying in the EU, it included 111 carriers from 13 African countries. Carriers got on the list for having out-of-date planes (often Soviet-era "flying coffins"), poor government oversight in their own country, and not fixing problems pointed out by EU inspectors. You can read more ...Ryanair says "screw you" to stranded passengers - European Union sends them a copy of the law
Apr 24th, 2010 at 12:00PM: Ryanair CEO Micheal O'Leary played tough guy this week when he told his customers that he wouldn't pay a penny to cover expenses resulting from being stranded due to the Icelandic Volcano.
In statements to the media, he admitted that he was fully aware of EU compensation laws, but chose to ignore them claiming:
There's no legislation designed that says any airline getting a fare of 30 euro ...Airlines to EU: "Let us fly!"
Apr 19th, 2010 at 8:00AM: Airlines are begging the European Union to reconsider the flight ban after four days of no flying have left millions stranded or stuck at home and has cost the airlines hundreds of millions of dollars.
At the urging of the airlines, EU transport ministers are holding a conference on the possibility of lifting the flight ban in areas with lesser concentrations of ash. They're also discussing ...Greece finds itself in the middle of a pefect storm - economy down, tourism down
Mar 28th, 2010 at 10:30AM: Greece has long been one of the black sheep members of the European Union - it has always relied on huge farming subsidies as its fellow nations worried about the stability of the Greek economy.
This year, those stability worries became justified when their economy collapsed. A combination of poor financial decisions and the global economic meltdown forced the Greek government to turn to its ...Where did all the bargain fares to Europe go?
Mar 16th, 2010 at 9:30AM: Will this be the summer of our discontent when we search for cheap airfares to Europe? Is the party over?
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In January 2009, US Air kicked off the summer selling season with tax-included fares for peak summer travel to Europe in the $500's and $600's but that was ...
