In over 15 years as a journalist I have written for many of the world’s top newspapers, magazines and wire services. I started my career in 1996 with Ends Europe – an online environmental news publication. I later worked as Deputy Editor of Environment Watch Western Europe, another specialist environment news source. In 1998 I joined European Voice, an Economist Group weekly newspaper about the EU, as a reporter. I covered EU politics and later became their first columnist. In 2000 I embarked on my career as a freelancer and have been self-employed since. I was a stringer for Time Magazine, IPS news service and European Voice and wrote several articles for the Independent newspaper.
In 2002 I became Chief European Correspondent for United Press International and spent the next four years criss-crossing the continent writing news, features and analysis pieces and interviewing presidents and prime ministers. In 2006 I left UPI to become a real freelancer again and started stringing for Washington Times, World Politics Watch and The Bulletin and writing opinion pieces for the Wall Street Journal. I also had articles published on lifestyle/travel themes in the New York Times, International Herald Tribune and Guardian newspapers and was a regular contributor to The Bulletin, Belgium’s English-language weekly.
Although I am no longer a day-to-day reporter I continue to blog for EUObserver and my own Clear Europe website and have written several long-form pieces for Foreign Policy, Politico and other publications.
Here is a selection of my writing:
Welcome to Brussels, Mr. President – Article for Politico comparing and contrasting Washington D.C. to Brussels ahead of President Obama’s first visit to the EU capital in March 2014
The Idiot’s Guide to Snooping on Europe – Light-hearted piece for Foreign Policy in July 2013 about what NSA spooks need to know about the world’s least sexy spy post
On Your Left, the Decline and Fall – June 2013 article for Foreign Policy about a pop-up museum about life in the former European Union
10 Tips for the pro-EU Crowd to get EU Back on Track – Article for the European Politics and Policy blog of the London School of Economics
The Myth of Europe – Long-form essay that argues the roots of the euro crisis lie in building an EU without Europeans
Europe Reborn – Article for Wall Street Journal on Europe 20 years after the Berlin Wall
Europe’s New Auteurs – Article for Wall Street Journal on the next wave of European film-makers
Bargains in Brussels are Getting Harder to Find – Article on Brussels property market for International Herald Tribune
Europe’s Missing Demos – Op-ed for Wall Street Journal bemoaning lack of European public space
Brussels Sprouts – Travel article on Brussels for Time Magazine (pay-wall)
Even with Change, an Affordable Capital – Article on Brussels property trends for New York Times