A delegation from the Civil Liberties Committee concluded on Friday a visit to Hungary in which they met with the Government, the opposition, journalists and NGOs. The aim was to assess the respect for press and academic freedom, judicial independence, the rights of minorities and the wider rule of law context on the ground. With…
In last month’s General Election, the German Greens achieved their best result in a general election so far and became a strong third with 14.8% (2017: 8.9%) of the vote and 118 MPs (2017: 67). 7 German Greens MEP Sven Giegold said, “We even came first in 16 constituencies all over Germany, which we managed…
The ECR Group says it is “deeply concerned” about the imprisonment of Mikheil Saakashvili, former pro-western President of Georgia and leader of the largest opposition party in the country, after his return from exile. Saakashvili was fully entitled to return to his homeland. Allegations against him made by the ruling party in Georgia are unfounded. The…
European nations may well be on the threshold of a new migrant crisis that will dwarf even that of 2015–16. That’s one of several stark messages to emerge from an exhaustive new book on migration – “People Power – why we need more migrants” – by the highly respected commentator on EU affairs, Giles Merritt. The…
Imagine a gambler who knows for fact that he is losing. He keeps on pulling out his unlucky cards, hoping to get lucky. The players around him know the kind of cards he is thinking of beforehand, writes Abdelkader Filali . This metaphor brings to mind how some so called “Democratic Countries” after realising the emergence…
In a letter to Vice-President Margaritis Schinas who coordinates the Commission’s work on Migration and Asylum, the European Conservatives and Reformists Group in the European Parliament, strongly criticised the European Commission’s inaction in the field of migration. Since the announcement of the new Pact on Migration and Asylum, neither the situation at the EU’s external borders…
The Socialist Alternative movement has called on all rational and responsible Russian citizens to actively boycott the State Duma elections scheduled for September 17-19, 2021. It seems that this call is gaining traction with citizens who support opposition parties. With two days to go before the elections to Russia’s national parliament, the State Duma, it…
Over 200 participants, including policymakers, experts and activists will meet to debate and discuss how to rebuild and strengthen democracy in the age of populism, at the inaugural Budapest Forum taking place on September 16-17, 2021, in Budapest, Hungary. The Forum will also discuss ideas on tackling inequalities during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, mainstreaming…
Europeans still regard Angela Merkel, who will shortly step down as German chancellor, as a unifying force, and expect Germany to continue to provide leadership within the EU, according to new polling in a report published on Tuesday by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR). In “Beyond Merkelism: What Europeans expect of post-election Germany”, the…
After more than 200 million infections and over 4 million deaths and counting, the COVID-19 pandemic has raged across the globe, writes Jaushieh Joseph Wu from Taiwan. This has created a profoundly devastating socio-economic impact on our interconnected world, with virtually no countries spared. The pandemic has disrupted global trade, exacerbated poverty, impeded education, and…
