Think pieces, Babble style.
Bulgaria held its first regular parliamentary elections on April 4th, 2021 after a decade of snap elections. Bulgaria is the EU’s poorest member state riddled by political instability and corruption which has led to years of protests in the country. The most recent slogan of protesters was “EU are you blind?”, highlighting the notion that […]
French President Emanuel Macron has been leading the charge in recalibrating Europe’s political relationship with Russia. Rather than seeking direct confrontation against the regime, the French leader has looked to end the Kremlin’s isolation and alienation from Europe. Macron believes that Russia is essential in the security of Europe and that by integrating Russia into […]
Vladimir Putin’s political assault on Europe has been a meticulously worked plan which has been catalysed by Trump’s commandeering of the White House. Since assuming office in 1999, Putin has led the country with a clear vision of restoring Russia’s Soviet stature. If Russia’s recent actions are any indication of their progress than its safe […]
Photo courtesy of the European Commission. As in previous crises, the Coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the lack of economic “punch” that we have in Spain. Here, our commitment to tourism means that if we do not reverse it soon, that we remain at the mercy of the so-called frugal countries… Just to confirm, we are […]
Photo: Dutch PM Mark Rutte © Stephanie Lecocq/Pool/AP Last month, the European Council finally managed, to agree on Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), outlining the EU’s long-term budget from 2021 until 2027. The highest budget in the EU’s history came, with the ability of the Union, to raise its own funds. It is undoubtedly a cause […]
“White culture is boring.” You hear this a lot in the Anglo-American sphere of the world. But this viewpoint is entirely reserved for the Anglo-American sphere. The rest of us – in continental Europe, for example – feel quite alienated by it. Because we don’t think of ourselves as “White people”. It may make sense […]
Photo courtesy of the European Commission. As we have seen, the US-born Black Lives Matter movement has had a ripple effect all the way over here in Europe. The thing is, we often regard Europe – the EU Member States especially, as a head and shoulder above the rest (oh, the irony) when it comes […]
The struggle against the coronavirus over the past few months has consistently been defined as a “war” in Europe. Beyond Donald Trump’s insistence on qualifying as a “Wartime President”, Emmanuel Macron declared France “at war”, so too did Boris Johnson when stating that the British Government will “act like in wartime”. Decidedly, some in Europe […]
Two years back, we discussed how Denmark controversially followed France’s example of banning face coverings in public places, hitting niqab-wearing Muslim women the hardest. Was this a justifiable attempt to limit crime and facilitate cultural integration, or an unnecessary attack on freedom of religion, of dress, and of personal boundaries? The debate hasn’t really become […]
In the current era of political distrust and ideological extremism, perhaps the only element of modern politics we can largely agree upon is its democratic structure. Or can we? Democracy is revered as the only political system giving value to the opinions and rights of all individuals. But in a society plagued by misinformation and […]