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 […]
Tag: France
From France to Poland – December reminded us of the dangers of climate change
There is a long line which connects what has been happening in the last month in Europe and in the world: we did not need the great speech of Sir David Attenborough to remember the threat climate change poses to the entire world, and whilst in Katowice, Poland, the COP24 was held, in the streets […]
The Right to Not be Seen: How a Piece of Cloth is Dividing Europe
Denmark recently followed France’s example of banning face coverings in public places, hitting niqab-wearing Muslim women the hardest. Shortly after, a Muslim couple were denied Swiss citizenship for refusing to shake hands with people of the opposite sex. Do these cases represent a justifiable attempt to limit crime and facilitate cultural integration, or an unnecessary […]
Europe’s Many Voices: The Celtic Isles
Throughout Europe’s many bloody wars, countless cultures and languages were marginalised and lost. Celtic history is particularly full of these invasions. Whether it was Julius Cesar’s attack on Gaul, the Viking invasion of Scotland, or the invasion of the Saxons in Anglia, Celts had to endure much strife and have been driven almost extinct as […]
Germany and France march on! The Meseberg Declaration
With Angela Merkel under domestic pressure, France and Germany have just put forward their new joint plan for continued European integration; the Meseberg Declaration. While the declaration text contains – as every declaration does – a lot of filler text, some very interesting and tangible proposals have also made their way into the joint declaration. […]
Living on the edge: Life in Europe’s Border Regions
One of the most talked about borders in Europe right now is the one separating Northern Ireland from the Republic, as its future is pending. For the moment, this border is not unlike any other internal EU crossing, with many inhabitants of the border region crossing it daily without thinking much of it. But in […]