Photo by Elliott Stallion on Unsplash The last EU elections showed the continued vibrancy of our EU democracy, says a key new report. Turnout, it says, was 50.74 per cent. The report outlines targeted measures taken by Member States and EU institutions to engage young people and boost women’s participation. The report also notes the…
Photo by Marek Studzinski on Unsplash Some MEPs have welcomed the election of Karol Nawrocki as President of Poland. Nawrocki, the populist-right opposition candidate in Sunday’s exceptionally close election was backed by the Law and Justice party (PiS). In what was a key test of current public opinion, he beat his pro-European rival Rafał Trzaskowski. Nawrocki…
Photo by James Lee on Unsplash The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) has held its first meetings with local and regional politicians from Albania, Kosovo, and Moldova. The aim was to accelerate the three countries’ preparations for accession to the European Union. It is hoped contacts between mayors and councillors from the EU and…
May 31 is marked in Kazakhstan as the Day of Remembrance for Victims of Political Repression and Famine. Between the 1920s and 1950s, over 100,000 people in Kazakhstan were convicted on political grounds, with tens of thousands executed. More than 1.5 million Kazakhs perished during the forced collectivisation and famines of the 1930s, with some…
Photo by Sasha Pleshco on Unsplash MEPs have broadly welcomed the outcome of Romania’s presidential election. The liberal, pro-EU mayor of Bucharest, Nicusor Dan, fought off a strong challenge from a Romanian right-wing nationalist to win the presidency after months of political turbulence. Dan swept to victory with 53.6% of the vote. He campaigned on…
Photo by Bank Phrom on Unsplash The question of whether truly independent journalism can still exist in Hungary is no longer solely a domestic concern; it has now become a prominent issue for the European Commission. On April 28, Magyar Hang and another anonymous outlet filed a formal complaint with the Commission, alleging that the…
Photo by syahmi syahir on Unsplash The ongoing global trade war has created major uncertainty for businesses operating on both sides of the Atlantic, including the EU. One key area of Donald Trump’s trade policy is China and the question is: how will China respond to these policies and what will be the impact on…
Photo by Tam Minton on Unsplash Outrage. Disbelief. Mockery. Pity. These are some of the emotions stirred by the announcement by Donald Trump with the imposition of tariffs on every country in the world except Russia and North Korea. It is not immediately clear why he has decided to exempt the two most hated dictatorships…
Listening to Sir Keir Starmer explaining why standing up to Russian tyranny and bending over backward to get the United States to stay engaged in Europe is like reliving the early dramas of post-war Europe 1948-51, writes Denis MacShane. Starmer’s flat, uninspiring style is almost a parody of Clement Attlee’s dull clipped upper-middle class tones…
Photo by Klim Musalimov on Unsplash The Kremlin has long been playing a dangerous game, not only in Ukraine but across the broader European continent. With a clear goal to manipulate political processes and weaken Ukraine’s leadership, Moscow has been actively undermining President Zelensky’s legitimacy and pushing for his removal. This is no longer just…
