European policy

All news and posts of our editorial team on the topic

Are Slovakia and the West drifting apart?
On Sept. 30, Slovaks will prematurely elect a new parliament. The previous political leadership in Bratislava stood firmly on the side of neighboring Ukraine. This could change in the event of a conceivable comeback by former Prime Minister Fico. continue reading →
Svyatlana Zikhanouskaya – fighting for democracy in Belarus
She was the talk of the town in 2020 when her husband ran for president in Belarus, was subsequently arrested and she took over his candidacy. Together with two other women whose husbands were not allowed to run as candidates, Svyatlana Zikhanouskaya continued in the presidential election. The election is internationally recognized as a sham, […] continue reading →
Asylum reform: EU Parliamentarians against time pressure
Negotiations between the Council and Parliament on the issue of EU-wide asylum reform could drag on. Leading MEPs in the EU Parliament do not want to be put under pressure. “The positions of the Parliament and the Council are still far apart on many points”, says Social Democrat Birgit Sippel. The Council and Parliament have […] continue reading →
Initiative against violence against women unsuccessful
A multimillion-dollar EU initiative to combat violence against women has failed to achieve crucial goals, according to the European Court of Auditors. There is no evidence that violence against women and girls has declined in the countries covered by the initiative, the Court of Auditors said Monday in Luxembourg. “The initiative has so far done […] continue reading →
Edenhofer calls for European carbon central bank
The EU is under pressure to move forward with its green agenda in light of the US Inflation Reduction Act, writes Ottmar Edenhofer, director of the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC). To ensure that Europe is not put on the “industrial policy sidelines,” the renowned climate researcher, who is also […] continue reading →
Heike Raab – Rhineland-Palatinate’s ambassador
In her daily routine, Heike Raab engages in discussions with members of the cabinets of EU commissioners, serves as the representative of Rhineland-Palatinate in the Conference of European Affairs Ministers and exchanges ideas with mayors, district administrators and state politicians from across the EU in the European Committee of the Regions. All of this has […] continue reading →
Dirty election campaign in Poland
Jaroslaw Kaczynski is using the methods of Donald Trump and other populists in the run-up to the Oct. 15 elections. His ruling PiS is quite clearly ahead in the polls of the civic coalition of former prime minister and challenger Donald Tusk. Tusk's potential partners could fail to clear the eight-percent hurdle. continue reading →
Slovakia: Ex-foreign minister runs for president
Former Slovak Foreign Minister Ivan Korcok, 59, on Wednesday announced his candidacy for next spring’s presidential election, in which incumbent Zuzana Čaputová is no longer running. Korcok, who was Foreign Minister from 2020 to 2022, is running as a nonpartisan candidate. As minister, he had vigorously advocated support for Ukraine. Prior to his appointment as […] continue reading →
Spain: Sánchez rejects pact with Feijóo
Spain’s incumbent Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Wednesday rejected PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo’s request to support him in the vote to form a government. Instead, Sánchez will seek a new term himself, according to his Socialist Party.Feijóo’s Popular Party won the most seats in the July 23 election but fell short of a working […] continue reading →
Tine Laufer – lobbyist for climate action in a fairer world
With its campaign for Germany to withdraw from the Energy Charter Treaty, the Berlin-based Non-Governmental Organization Powershift lobbied the German government. The fact that Germany withdrew from the treaty at the end of 2022 is therefore also seen by the organization as its own success. Berlin’s withdrawal had repercussions as far as Europe; after all, […] continue reading →
Spain: King Felipe begins consultations
King Felipe VI begins the round of consultations with political parties on Monday to propose a candidate for government formation. The discussions will take place on Monday and Tuesday with seven of the eleven political formations. The separatist parties Esquerra Republicana per Catalunya (ERC) and Junts, as well as the Bloque Nacional Gallego (BNG) and […] continue reading →
Latvia: Head of government Kariņš announces resignation
Latvian Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš has announced his resignation over disputes in the ruling coalition. He will submit his and his cabinet’s resignations to the president on Thursday, Karins said at a press conference in Riga on Monday. Kariņš center-right Unity Party had won the October 2022 election. Together with the conservative National Alliance and […] continue reading →
Summits: Much ado about (almost) nothing
When Europe's heads of state and government meet, the world watches. Reporters from all corners of the globe wait for results. But the results do not always justify the effort and attention. continue reading →
Names and abbreviations: Why Chiquita works, but LULUCF doesn’t
Anyone who wants to find their way around the EU has to learn complicated names and abbreviations. This does certainly not help people in Europe to better understand what the politicians in Brussels are up to. Name inventor Manfred Gotta knows how things could be better. continue reading →
Martin Schulz: ‘Manfred Weber’s way is wrong’
Throughout his political life, Martin Schulz, chairman of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, has dealt with right-wing nationalists, neo-fascists and populists. In this interview, he talks about Silvio Berlusconi, whom he legendarily defied 20 years ago, about the essential elements of democratic culture and the fears of decline of once stable social milieus. continue reading →
Glucksmann calls for permanent committee against external influence
The chairman of the special Committee on Foreign Influence, Raphaël Glucksmann (S&D), calls for the body to become permanent after the European elections. “The Committee’s work has changed Parliament’s attitude toward the problem”, the French MEP said. “We must not go back to our comfort zone now.” Glucksmann recalled that the attempt to exert influence […] continue reading →
Sánchez: Elections do not affect Presidency of the Council
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen sees resolute implementation of her own policies as the best response to the rise of extremists in the EU. The parties of the democratic center must “show that we have a clear idea of how we want to tackle the changes that are taking place”, she said. It is […] continue reading →
Alexander Schuster – a rhyme for the turn of the times
Alexander Schuster currently has to answer many questions: “Many of our European partners cannot make sense of the German turnaround”, says the security policy expert of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS). There is a lot of need for explanation, even among experts in other countries, because so far there is little to be seen.In his […] continue reading →