Hi!

I didn't know about your health problems, but I'm glad that you're cancer-free now.

Besides the rise of populist parties with disinformation and nobody correcting it, the main problem today really is the immigration and refugees. And it's not only Germany, Italy and Sweden; at one point last fall - as unbelievable as it is - Finland received most refugees in proportion to our population, via Sweden and Russia. Luckily the winter arrived and they noticed that this is not their paradise, and 1/3 of them left voluntarily, which just shows that they weren't genuine refugees. About 1/3 were/will be turned backed and 1/3 will be adapted to our society. Hopefully it'll work out.
But anyway, EU must find better solutions for this problem. One thing that they're looking into right now is financial aid to the certain African countries, where they are fleeing, and that could work, if those countries weren't so corrupted.
Turkey's EU desires were blocked once again recently. They're just not ready for it.
That 59 % is a new figure for me, and I don't quite see what it's composed of.

Roger, very good analysis, thank you!
I actually discussed this issue with my "own MEP" a few months ago and she explained that all those suggestions for directives come from member countries, from state employees mostly. Commission doesn't come up with those ideas in their own "towers". After giving it a directive form, statements are asked from each country., and each country can pass independently a national law based on that directive. That's what she told me as an answer to my jokingly put question about "directive machines" in Central Europe. Regulations are binding, true, but also in these cases each country is heard first - according to her.

As stated recently, ETA-connection [[Norway, Switzerland) is an option for the U.K. too, but also in that case the "four mobilities" - people, goods, services and capital - are obligatory for free trade, so that doesn't stop the immigration flow.

Best regards
Heikki