On 15 September 2021, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, gave the annual State of the Union address to the European Parliament (EP) in Strasbourg, France. With Europe still battling through the pandemic, newer and more pressing concerns about climate change and defence policy made their way to the forefront of […]
Okay, so Brussels itself is extremely diverse. But head to the EU quarter and any large building there sporting blue starry flags, and it’s a different story. We hear a lot about the flaws of the EU institutions these days – with Brexit (yet again) fast approaching, and the world arguably having more of an […]
‘The European Union is too far removed from its citizens,’ is a sentence uttered all too often. Europhiles have passionately defended the democratic nature of the union and its institutions. In 2014 the Spitzenkandidaten-procedure was introduced to increase the influence of the European Parliament and start a European public debate around the elections. The process […]
With the prophetic words of “opening a new chapter for Europe”, the EPP builds its manifesto around four catchphrases. Whether political soundness and coherence follow those, is more debatable. Spitzenkandidat for the party Manfred Weber, has little chance of actually following Jean-Claude Juncker next year, as the national heads of government favour Michel Barnier or […]
Another edition for the beady eyed followers of European politics and the current Spitzenkandidaten race for the EU Commission president. This time, we look at the centre–left liberal candidate – Margarethe Vestager – leading the charge for ALDE. A pragmatic and well-respected politician on the European stage: is it just what Europe needs now, or […]
The 29th March 2019 was engraved in many of our minds for 2 years as the day that the UK finally breaks away from its former EU family. Whether this day was eagerly anticipated or dreaded, it was unanimously deemed as a turning point for the future of Europe. Alas, the date came and went […]
Two weeks ago, a new kind of festival hit Brussels’ quaint Leopold Park. But it wasn’t the usual suspects of food, drink or music which inspired many to brave the chilly Autumn Saturday morning, but rather politics which headlined the event. Though this may sound strange to some, such politically-fuelled festivals are embedded into Nordic […]