This week, two of E&M's best writers share their favourite European reads. From blog posts to essays, it can be anything that amused them, worried them or got them thinking about Europe.

Ziemowit Jóźwik

Not only for parishioners

Even though tons of paper were wasted explaining the sources of the current economic and financial crisis we (including the world leaders) still seem to have more questions than answers. Within dozens of narratives, one is especially interesting for me. Remember some of the points which the Archbishop of Canterbury (or "the turbulent priest" to stay in the British context) Rowan Williams made as a Guest Editor of the New Statesman magazine last year? Well, now Pope Benedict XVI has also decided to take part in the discussion and call for global financial reform. The magazine Foreign Affairs gives us a detailed analysis of the Pope's Note, which was presented at the last G20 Summit. Are the world's leaders ready "to cede their own sovereignty in the interests of global humanity's common good?" I'd argue that the Catholic social teaching can still provide us with some rerum novarum ("new things").

Modern Islamism

Once we've acknowledged that Europe isn't supposed to end up as a cathedral, nor as a cube let's see what's happening in its Southern neighbourhood. Almost a year after the Arab Spring, it's still not easy to assess the outcomes of the revolutionary wave that swept across the North Africa. The elections held in Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco led to the victory of Islamist parties. Will they have a pragmatic stance or try to introduce Sharia rules to the law? What kind of problems are they going to face in the near future and what did they inherit from their authoritarian predecessors? And finally, how will the Islamists' electoral triumph influence relations with the EU? Professor Moha Ennaji gives a fascinating response in his article "The Maghreb’s Modern Islamists" at Project Syndicate.

Each week, two E&M editors share their favourite European reads. From blog posts to essays, it can be anything that amused them, worried them or got them thinking about Europe.

Carmen, Brain Editor

ENVIOUS OF THE SWEDISH AND NORWEGIAN PAST

While the "Occupy" movement is still silently going on without much media attention, maybe it's time we cool our heads and think about how to distribute the world's wealth better (utopian thoughts – I know) without shedding any more blood. The article "How Swedes and Norwegians Broke the Power of the '1 percent'" not only gives an insight into the under-reported historical struggle of the working and the middle class in Sweden and Norway, but also shows the possibility of achieving an "enviable standard of living" with the 99% in charge. Although I'm sceptical about how this historical movement can be applied to the present situation, at least this is something you can use as a conversation starter with a Swede or a Norwegian at the next party.

HUMOUR KNOWS BOUNDARIES

Ever wonder how humour works differently in different European countries? What a Greek finds funny does not entertain a German; and what the German population has found funny (for decades) seems to puzzle the British. In the article "What's German for funny?", author Philip Oltermann looked into the iconic German Christmas comedy sketch "Dinner for One," which was based on a British production. Ironically, even though the British public failed to understand what's really so funny about it, this same sketch has been played in Germany during Christmas time every year, since 1972! Thought that humour had its own language? Think again!

Our crazy ideas department has just come up with a few more exciting ways to get involved in Europe's best online magazine. 

The "Best of E&M" E-Book: 

Still recovering from the hangover of publishing Issue #15, oh and our New Year's celebrations, we decided to put together our favourite six articles from 2011. We added the stories behind the authors and a short review of the projects we've been involved in to raise the voice of young Europeans over the last year. And best of all for you - its free!

Download it here - just one facebook/twitter share and its all yours!

E&M delivered to your inbox

In the world of a thousand news feeds and global information overload, we want to offer you something different: a unique transnational approach to live European issues. Our Sixth Sense is now featured on the central news hub Bloggingportal.eu and if you want to stream our regular blogs straight to your google reader/feedly/other feed reader, here's the RSS feed: http://www.europeandme.eu/sixthsense?format=feed&type=rss 

We're accepting reader submissions!      

So, you want to be a writer? Take the first step to a career in journalism and submit your pieces to E&M for publication in Sixth Sense. We've got readers from across the continent. We're developing our own approach to European issues, which we call transnational journalism, so we've established some guidelines here. But it's your magazine, and we will read all submissions and give advice on developing your writing skills as well as help in crafting magnificant pieces of European journalism.

And what's next for 2012?

Well... let's just say the crazy ideas department of E&M have at least 3 new projects in mind! We wish we could tell you, but we can't! But maybe your suggestions are better? Send us an email on what we can improve in 2012 at: editorial[at]europeandme.eu    

Each week, two E&M editors share their favourite European reads. From blog posts to essays, it can be anything that amused them, worried them or got them thinking about Europe.

Marta, Heart Editor

It's the Erasmus, stupid!

It's comforting to hear, from time to time, that it's not only us, young Europeans, who understand the importance of the Erasmus experience in building a European identity. The writer and semiologist Umberto Eco recently said in an interview with The Guardian that it's not the economy or wars that cement a European identity, but culture and, especially, programs like Erasmus.

Eco even suggests that Erasmus should be compulsory for everybody, "not just for students, but also for taxi drivers, plumbers and other workers." We couldn't agree more!

The time might come when we'll end up begging Turkey to join the EU...

Yes, Europeans, hold your breath before you look at the results of the new survey from Brookings Institution – a non-profit public policy organisation –, which ranks the 200 most prosperous metropolitan economies of the world. It's simply scary to look at the bottom 10 – that is, the least prosperous metropolis – and see that it is crowded with European names (from bad to worse: Valencia, Barcelona, Naples, Madrid, Sevilla, Dublin, Lisbon and Athens). Whereas when we look at the top 10, Turkey can be proud to have 3 cities ranked among the most prosperous: Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir. Who still has anything against Turkey joining the Union?

Each week, two E&M editors share their favourite European reads. From blog posts to essays, it can be anything that amused them, worried them or got them thinking about Europe.

Lucy, Heart Editor

England’s secret weapon against those pesky Scots

In the UK, everyone's up in arms about Scotland's referendum on independence - and German friends have been asking me anxiously, "Would they still be ruled by the Queen if they left the UK?" (Don’t worry, apparently they probably would.) But never fear, Jolly England has one weapon we can count on: "Her Majesty’s Daily Telegraph," according to satirical magazine The Daily Mash. It reports that The Telegraph has been bravely pouring doom and gloom on Scotland's plans for a referendum. The debate highlights England's confusion: we all despise Scotland, right? But we definitely don't want it to leave our Union and become Scandinavian or, heaven forbid, European!

Each week, two E&M editors share their favourite European reads. From blog posts to essays, it can be anything that amused them, worried them or got them thinking about Europe.

Laura, Legs Editor

Merkozy: History of a more or less romantic relationship

Friends with benefits. A concept which never really goes out of style... But which also doesn't actually work. Or does it? This article describes the ups and downs of what is probably Europe's most prominent couple; Merkozy. Don't feel silly for reading about this story of a love-hate relationship; rather let yourself be reminded that even world politics to some degree depends on the chemistry between a woman and a man...

E&M is not just an online magazine, but a platform for young Europeans to debate and explore the continent from a unique perspective. Sixth Sense brings E&M's transnational approach into live issue journalism and acts as a platform for these debates.

We want to include your writing on European topics, so submit articles of no more than 600 words and we, Sixth Sense editors Matt and Rike, will help you craft them into great pieces of journalism!

Here are some tips for writing a great E&M blog

1. What's your approach to Europe? The E&M body is divided into different approaches to Europe - so are you a Brain or a Heart European...?  If you're in doubt over which fits your article the best – look here)

2. You only have 600 words (maximum) so have a clear and defined idea of what you want to say. Long form writers can apply to the magazine HERE. Make sure you capture your reader straight away by making clear at the beginning what you think!

3. How is your post 'transnational'? – In other words: do you put at the centre of your writing the question of how your idea reveals an aspect of Europe?  - Is it directly relevant to at least two countries, or does it for example give insights into relations between a non-European and a European country? Does it reveal your own experience or a national perspective on the European Union?

4. Does your post 'make Europe more personal?'

5. We like pictures! Have you attached one? (It has to be creative commons, or allowed for non-profit use) – We recommend flickr or wikimedia commons, or your own pictures. And please hyperlink your sources. 

(Sorry guys, but we will have to return submissions that are more than 700 words.)

Once you've worked through these five points, please send submissions to editorial(at)europeandme.eu with 'Sixth Sense Reader Submission' in the title and 
If you have any questions, always feel free to contact us at matt(at)europeandme.eu and rike(at)europeandme.eu.

Each week, two E&M editors share their favourite European reads. From blog posts to essays, it can be anything that amused them, worried them or got them thinking about Europe. 

Rike, Sixth Sense Editor:

•   Every now and then it can be inspiring to get an outside perspective on our many European issues. This week, I stumbled across the essay "European Identities" by the political scientist Francis Fukuyama, which provides us with quite an American view. We strive to feel European, but have we failed? According to Fukuyama, we can best observe just how different our national identities are by analysing different European countries’ ways of dealing with immigrants. What does make a person French, German, Dutch or British? Fukuyama lays out national peculiarities from a French "set of core political values" to the British tendency not to address "the question of national identity at all." As for me, I still believe there is room for an identity in a broader European context. 

Last January a small group of E&M editors, authors, and readers gathered in the icy cold city of Hamburg. It was there, in the midst of the snow and the many debates on Europe, that we launched the magazine's first steps into live issue journalism. One year and 160 blog posts later, we think it's time to revolutionise E&M again and open up writing in the magazine to you, our readers!

We're delighted to announce that new editor Rike Maier has joined Sixth Sense for 2012 and will be leading a number of new blogs that explore films, life inside Brussels, and a series of 'Good Reads' - recommendations from our editors. All this weekend we'll be launching different elements of the new Sixth Sense, so keep an eye out for your chance to get involved!

The new elements of Sixth Sense 2.0:

• Reader submissions - Looking to improve your writing skills? Write a one-off blog on any topic and get advice from our editors - just match your piece to a section of our magazine.

• Café Cinema - Film noir with a touch of coffee house debate; reviews of blockbusters and niche films, with discussions of their relevance today.

• Brussels Bubble - What's really going in the belly of the beast?

• THIS IS EUROPE - or is it?

• The Transnationalist - Matt brings E&M's unique transnational perspective to bear on the biggest issues of the day.

• Good Reads - E&M editors from across the magazine recommend the best articles of the week and give you their thoughts on Europe. 

2012 is going to be an exciting year for E&M, and most of all we're excited to see how your writing can make Europe personal. 

Matt & Rike xx

Sixth Sense Editors

This is a special day in Berlin, the first Berlin Foreign Policy Forum has just started in the beautiful Humboldt Carré and E&M are reporting about the events throughout the day. Most importantly though, we are there to make the voice of young Europeans heard. We're very excited to discuss the views you expressed in the survey with politicians, media representatives and policy analysts from around the world. If you want to know all about the EU foreign policy survey in which over 6,500 of you participated, check out our presentation with the outcome of all questions here.

You can access the main points of the results here.