European Union Concours for Administrators

There are actually some resources on the web for people trying to pass the concours for the European Union. Here's a webpage with discussions.

"So I won't be a Commission official." Jon Worth Blog
So I won't be a Commission official

How to become a European Commission official

The European Commission is a pretty powerful body and a job there, especially at the administrator level is a pretty prestigious thing. However it's also hard to get. To get on the reserve list (basically a waiting list) you have to pass through 3 rounds of exams. After each round a large number of the applicants are eliminated.

The first round was a computer round, where you did 3 tests: a test on EU knowledge, verbal test and a numerical test. (in your main foreign language: English, French, German) Then the second round is a grueling 6 hour marathon, where you do written tests on your specialty. So if you're applying as an economist, you do the test on economics. You do a test on economics theory and then write essays on economics topis, one in your foreign language and one in your native language. The third round is an oral interview with a panel of interviewers and they can ask you all kinds of questions from basic CV and personal history questions, to questions about the EU or economics theory (if applying as an economist).

And then if you pass that then you are on the reserve list. So by passing the tests it's all smooth sailing to a job? Not exactly, you can be on the reserve list for years and aren't guaranteed a job and even if they call you for an interview, you still have to compete for the position with a large group of other applicants.

They are now reforming this system and are going to set up a new system. Hopefully they will still renew the old reserve lists as there are still many people on them.

"EU to speed up recruitment in global 'war for talent'." Euractiv
EU to speed up recruitment

The Pirate Party in Sweden

Politics:
There is one potential new party from Sweden that could make it into the European Parliament this year. It's the Pirate Party! They have been gaining a lot of popularity lately, especially after the recent conviction of the founders of Pirate Bay, a torrent sharing site. Their platform is based around the idea of copyright law reform. In their opinion P2P sharing on the internet should be legal. This comes at a time when many media and music companies have been trying to crackdown hard on downloaders. They have enlisted the help of many politicians. For example in the recent telecoms legislation at the EU level, the French, led by Nicholas Sarkozy, had tried to make it mandatory for internet providers to cut connection to downloaders. Luckily, the EP did not pass this package.

Pirate Party
Pirate Party

Alternative Energy and the Future of the World

Hydrogen Economy:
The current addiction of the world economy to fossil fuels is unsustainable in the long-run. Fossil fuels are a finite resource and will run out. Currently we can see that most of the easy to get to oil fields are getting depleted and oil companies have to drill in harder to reach places to get more oil. This of course brings the oil prices up, as it is rentable to drill in those places if the prices of oil are high. Plus fossil fuels are dirty and contribute to global warming. That's why the world needs alternatives. One long-run possibility that is being discussed is to replace the hydrocarbon economy (fossil fuels) with a hydrogen economy. In a hydrogen economy, things such as cars would run on fuel cells powered by hydrogen, houses and the entire economy would be powered by hydrogen. Hydrogen is not a primary energy source, but instead an energy carrier. Hydrogen will give off energy, when it is combined with oxygen. The problem with this is that in order for this to happen, some other type of energy needs to be used first. At the moment this is very expensive. However scientists are trying to find way to bring this about, for example by using alternative energies. Maybe when the price of alternative energies such as solar power will come down enough, then a hydrogen economy might be more rentable.

"Why we need the solar-hydrogen economy now" Hydrogen Now
Solar-Hydrogen Economy

"How the Hydrogen Economy Works" HowStuffWorks
How the Hydrogen Economy Works

Alternative Energy:
There is an interesting proposal on how Europe could generate its power in the future. North Africa and the Middle East are full of desert and sunlight, ideal places for solar energy. There is a plan that in the future that area would be dotted by concentrated solar power stations. These would then bring the electricty through undersea cables to Europe.

"How Africa's desert sun can bring Europe power" The Guardian
CSP in the desert plan

Desertec
Desertec