Wednesday, 18 January 2017

Brexit means more than Brexit


Following the initial frenzy of activity in the aftermath of the Brexit vote of 23 June 2016, there has been very little information about what Brexit actually means. That was until yesterday, 17 January 2017, when Theresa May laid out her plans for Brexit. And yes it will be a very hard Brexit.

The key points of her speech can be summarised as
1) Not only will the UK (or what's left of it) leave the EU, but it will also leave the single market.
2) The UK will also (partially?) leave the customs union.
3) The UK wants to control immigration from Europe.
4) The UK will withdraw from the European Court of Justice.
5) To the other members of the EU: "You'd better not punish us in the negotiations or else it will hurt you. But let's remain friends, yeah?"- if that's not an open threat, then what is?
6) The UK parliament will get to vote on the EU deal, but apparently whatever happens Britain is leaving the EU.

The European view can be summed up as: "At least now we know what you really want. Good luck to you, but we'll be stronger than ever".
The general consensus in Europe is that it will be Britain who will be worse off, not the EU. 

The Daily Mail called her the "new iron lady" on its front page today. How ironic that in that same venue (Lancaster House) 29 years ago Margaret Thatcher, the iron lady, gave a speech welcoming the creation of the single market. Now Theresa May is set to wipe it all away.


What does it all mean?

Single market: the single or internal market is an area in which goods, services, capital and people can move freely.

Customs union: there are no tariffs imposed on goods when they cross borders between member states. Also, EU members apply the same tariffs to goods from outside the EU and are not allowed to negotiate their own trade deals with third countries. 

It is possible to be a member of just the single market but not the customs union (Norway, Iceland or Lichtenstein). It is also possible to be a member of just the customs union but not the single market (Turkey, Andorra or the Isle of Man). 

European Court of Justice: the ECJ is based in Luxembourg and interprets EU law. It makes sure that EU law is applied in the same way in all EU countries. It can also be used by individuals, companies or organisations to take action against an EU institution if they feel it has infringed their rights. The ECJ does not create EU law. 

Italiano: Der Waldkindergarten - L'asilo nel bosco



E' una gelida mattina di gennaio. La mia app del meteo segna una temperatura di -6 gradi.  Sul marciapiede c'è uno spesso strato di neve e ghiaccio. I passanti imbacuccati si dirigono a passo spedito verso le varie mete (fermata del tram, fermata della metropolitana, scuola, ufficio). Fa troppo freddo per sostare a fare due chiacchiere. Ma mentre esco dall'asilo di mio figlio non posso fare a meno di notare il pullman parcheggiato all'incrocio di fronte ed ai genitori che salutano i figli con la mano.
Come ogni mattina il pullman condurrà un gruppo di bimbi di età tra i tre ed i cinque anni ed i loro insegnanti al bosco fuori città dove faranno colazione, canteranno e giocheranno per circa tre ore fino al momento di ritornare al caldo in asilo. Questi bambini frequentano un Waldkindergarten (asilo nel bosco). L'idea si basa sul fatto che anche se i bambini vivono in città, il bosco è il loro parco giochi ed ogni mattina i genitori li accompagnano al pullman che dopo mezz'ora di strada raggiunge il bosco, in qualsiasi condizione meteorologica. Anche quando la temperatura è di diversi gradi sotto zero. Ovviamente questo tipo di asilo presenta numerosi vantaggi: il bosco è un parco giochi meraviglioso, si respira aria pura, i bambini sono liberi di correre, giocare, osservare il cambio delle stagioni ed imparare nella natura.
Si tratta di un concetto fantastico in primavera, in estate, perfino in autunno. Ma in inverno? A Berlino? So che non è questo il punto, ma io preferisco stare dentro al caldo piuttosto che affrontare il freddo inverno berlinese per tre ore ogni mattina!   

Tuesday, 17 January 2017

Der Waldkindergarten (forest kindergarten)


It's a bitterly cold morning in January. The temperature is -6 degrees celsius according to my weather app. There is a thick layer of snow and ice on the pavement. The people out on the streets are all bundled up and walking purposefully towards their goals (tram stop, underground station, school, office). It is simply too cold to chat and linger outdoors. But as I leave my son's nursery I can't help noticing the bus parked on the corner opposite and the parents waving at their children.  
Just like any other morning, the bus will drive a group of three-to-five-year-olds and their teachers into the forest, where they will have breakfast, sing and play for three hours before being driven back to their warm kindergarten. These children attend a Waldkindergarten (forest kindergarten). The idea is that although the children grow up in a city, the forest is their playground and every morning their parents drop them off by the bus, which will drive them for half an hour outside the city into the forest, whatever the weather. Even when the temperature is several degrees below freezing. Obviously there are a number of advantages: the forest is a wonderful playground, the air is clean and pure and the children are free to run around, play, observe and learn about nature and the changing of the seasons. 
This concept is great in the spring, in the summer and even in the autumn. But in the winter? In Berlin? I know I'm missing the point here, but I'd rather be warm indoors than brave the cold Berlin winter for three hours every morning!