Ylva Johansson on Migration and Drama Queens
Commissioner for home affairs, Ylva Johansson, would like to win the approval of all EU member states for a new proposal for a common asylum and migration policy - something her predecessors failed to do.
News in Brief
- Study: Trust in EU up, but declines in governments
- Swiss voters reject anti-EU proposal in referendum
- Belarus protests continue despite arrests
- Mini-EU theme park to close in Brussels
- Macron increases pressure on Lebanon's politicians
- Greece accused of refugee push-backs
- Polish ruling coalition signs new deal
- EU scorns Lukashenko's ceremony
Race and the von der Leyen Commission
With no non-white commissioners, just how well-equipped is the EU Commission to tackle race?
Standing up to bullies with Frans Timmermans
To succeed Timmermans needs to stand up to governments and vested interests rushing to reboot economies crashed by the coronavirus. That means ensuring the trillions of euros the EU and its member states spend transform rather than entrench polluting industries.
Winning the Car Wars
Lockdowns in response to the coronavirus mean quieter cities, clearer skies and easier breathing. For many city dwellers the lack of cars has been a revelation amid the suffering and loss inflicted by Covid-19.
Angst over 'Italexit'
Italians were hit hardest when the coronavirus landed in Europe but the European Union was slow to help the country. The president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has apologised — twice.
The high price of muzzling media
The coronavirus outbreak has been a pretext for government censorship and a crackdown on journalists, who have been exposed to new criminal charges as well as violent attacks.
Crisis communications
When journalists were barred from the EU commission press room in March because of coronavirus, the relatively-new chief spokesperson, Eric Mamer, amiable Frenchman, had to improvise.
Věra Jourová on surveillance and Covid-19
Commissioner for values and transparency, Věra Jourová, says Brussels will vet moves in Hungary to give prime minister Viktor Orbán scope to rule by decree and urges Facebook and Google to push official health advice to WhatsApp and YouTube.
Coronavirus vs Democracy
Concern is growing that emergency powers deployed to control the coronavirus pandemic will be used to erode democracy and civil rights.
A Field Guide to Autocrats
Beware the modernisers and saviours - autocrats often play the 'saving democracy' card as they undermine it.
Campaigning in the Age of Bigots
How are campaigners winning progressive victories in the age of bigots and bullies?
Macron's ugly side
For many people, Emmanuel Macron still represents the great hope for an open and liberal Europe. So what to make of the French president's growing preoccupation with Islam, terror and security?
Don't Fall For Fascist Porn
Far-right trolls commonly target women and minorities and seek to subvert the work of politicians, journalists and activists. But technology platforms and their supporters tend to resist legislation that could help tame the trolls.
A World We Have Lost
Ahdaf Soueif, who recently resigned from the British Museum, talks about the persistence of racist thinking, EU-funded authoritarianism in Egypt, and the Cold War roots of terror.
Cultural Battlefield
Marta Keil knows firsthand the pressure on culture from Poland's ruling Law and Justice party. Her overview begins at the Polski theatre in the city of Wrocław, and describes an epic clash as the Polish museum sector is steadily hollowed-out.
Not That Ambassador
Gordon Sondland, Donald Trump's ambassador to the EU, is due to appear before the House impeachment inquiry in Washington on Thursday. His predecessor as ambassador, Anthony Gardner, talks about the role, and his successor, on our EU Scream podcast.
Tiptoeing Around the Far Right
Should lobbyists engage with far-right and extremist lawmakers?
Stakeholders' Highlights
- Nordic Council meets Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tichanovskaja
- Nordic Region to invest DKK 250 million in green digitalised business sector
- Reducing packaging waste – a huge opportunity for circularity
- COVID-19 halts the 72nd Session of the Nordic Council in Iceland
- Civil society a key player in integration
- Next generation Europe should be green and circular
Latest News
- Caucasus warfare prompts EU alarm
- Summit reloaded and last Brexit round This WEEK
- EU denies 'clandestine' mission on Venezuela election date
- Between the lines, Europe's new Moria unfolds
- Now's the time to give QMV a chance in EU foreign policy
- European hiccups on the way to West Africa
- Berlin repeats support for EU human rights sanctions
- China's carbon pledge at UN sends 'clear message' to US
Trumpworld In Europe
Pastors and plutocrats are sponsoring an ultra-conservative agenda in Europe. Many of them have links to Donald Trump.
Bianca's Story
Women in Romania have had a legal right to an abortion since 1990. But many seeking care find themselves in a Kafkaesque trap.
Stakeholders' Highlights
- NEW REPORT: Eight in ten people are concerned about climate change
- How reducing sugar and calories in soft drinks makes the healthier choice the easy choice
- Green energy to power Nordic start after Covid-19
- This year’s EU Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) will be held digitally!
- Nordic states are fighting to protect gender equality during corona crisis
- Circularity works, let’s all give it a chance