The chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan has shown that deficiencies in the European Union’s capacity to act autonomously come at a price. The only way forward is to combine EU forces and strengthen not only its capabilities but also its will to act through a European Defence Union. The idea of a European Defence Force is […]
For most of the EU, nothing has changed due to Brexit. We go on with our busy lives and the pandemic currently occupies most of our attention. Why bother with Brexit anyway, when the economy suffers either way and in much worse ways than Brexit ever could? In a way, Brexiteers were spared a lot […]
Despite it being almost a whole year since that long-dreaded Brexit D-Day rolled around, New year’s eve 2020 marked even more than the end of a year we are all very happy to see the back of… It also marks the official end of freedom of movement between the UK and the EU. To mark […]
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 […]
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 […]
Photo courtesy of PA Media. In case you haven’t heard, a statue of 17th-century slave trader Edward Colston was torn down this week during a Black Lives Matter protest in Bristol, South-West England. According to the BBC, after the statue was toppled, a protester was pictured with his knee on the figure’s neck — reminiscent of the […]
To mark Europe Day – otherwise known as Schuman Day – the European Future Forum (EFF) joined up with Citizens Takeover Europe for a panel discussion as a part of the #EuropeFutureFringe initiative. This Q&A session enabled both experts and citizens to discuss the future of Europe in light of the current situation with the […]
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 […]
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 […]
After four long years of Leave-Remain battle – from the referendum campaign, the voting day, and all of the chaos since then – from the resignations of David Cameron and Theresa May, to the re-election of Boris Johnson, and all of the anticipation and #Regrexit in between – is it all finally over? (Spoiler alert: […]