Tuesday
28th Mar 2023
From the perspective of international relations, the EU is a rare bird indeed. Theoretically speaking it cannot even exist. The charter of the United Nations, which underlies the current system of global governance, distinguishes between states and organisations of states.
Large Language Models could give the powers trained data-journalists wield, to regular boring journalists like me — who don't know how to use Python. And that makes me tremendously excited, to be honest.
The lack of Russian opposition to the Russo-Ukrainian War is puzzling. The war is going nowhere, Russian casualties are staggering, the economy is in trouble, and living standards are declining, and yet polls indicate that most Russians support the war.
Solar panels, wind-turbines, electric vehicle batteries and other green technologies require minerals including aluminium, cobalt and lithium — which are mined in some of the most conflict-riven nations on earth, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, and Kazakhstan.
Turkey goes to the polls in May for both a new parliament and new president, after incumbent Recep Tayyip Erdoğan decided against a post-earthquake postponement. The parliamentary outcome is easy to predict — the presidential one less so.
Every year, neo-Nazis come together to pay tribute to Nazi war criminals and their collaborators, from Benito Mussolini to Rudolf Hess, Ante Pavelić, Hristo Lukov, and of course Adolf Hitler, in events that have become rituals on the extreme-right calendar.
As leaders meet for their Brussels summit on migration, the 2016 "deal" with Turkey is a prime example of why the EU should not transfer its own responsibilities regarding migration to third states.
The EU must back the UN's Human Rights 75 initiative at the end of the year to rekindle the spirit of the original declaration made in 1948 — and also demand a similar recommitment from all its 27 members.
In many EU member states, access to services is dependent on successful refugee status determination. Until then, asylum seekers may not be able to get housing, education, or jobs and can also face significant barriers to receiving psychosocial support.
The European Commission has delayed publishing its proposal to revise the Reach regulation, a key part of the European Green Deal's chemicals strategy. Centre-right political pressure, backed up by corporate lobbying, seems to have been behind the decision to delay.
Airbnb has already patented AI software that can supposedly predict a person's traits and their actions based on data it holds on them from social media. That could determine how much a consumer pays — or even gets a booking.
Two major trends — more Europe and a more intergovernmental Europe — should get alarm bells ringing. The European Union risks becoming a bazaar dominated by national politicians haggling, doing handshakes, walking out and having tantrums.
A Polish activist is facing up to three years in prison for helping another woman obtain an abortion — it is the very first case in Europe where an activist is charged with helping to access abortion care.
Dindic fought for pro-democratic reforms and Serbia's integration in the EU. He was a symbol of hope for a better future for Serbia as a key factor of stability in the Western Balkans.
Due to its geography, squeezed between China and Russia, the government of Mongolia is forced to perform a balancing act. However, public opinion in Mongolia resolutely condemns the brutal attack against this sovereign nation.
While president Joe Biden has made the creation of "good-paying, union jobs" a priority, the European Union is pursuing deregulatory policies more akin to those of his predecessor, Donald Trump.
If united, the EU labour market can compete with other migrant destinations, both in diversity and size. But we need to have a frank discussion about workable solutions; a single labour market for international talent and not 27 competing policies.
The aim is to attract and retain highly skilled workers in sectors facing skills shortages by making admission criteria more inclusive, facilitating mobility within the EU, and making access to the labour market easier.
Europe is facing a critical social problem that risks further dividing our society, into one of extreme haves and have-nots.
Messaging apps are an inescapable fact of life — it therefore comes as surprise that Ursula von der Leyen, claims that the EU's freedom of information law does not cover her text messages. The New York times is challenging that.
As states increasingly outsource tasks to consultancies, this 'consultancy culture' contributes to the phenomenon of staff leaving the public sector for the private sector, only to return to the public sector as private consultants.
An opinion piece accuses our think-tank, MCC Brussels, of promoting "Putin's vision". Hungarian MEP Katalin Cseh states that our aim is "to destroy the EU". In typical McCarthyite fashion she relies on innuendo and false allegations to discredit our work.
Five years ago, investigative Slovak journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée, Martina Kušnírová, were murdered. The Slovak authorities are now close to delivering a verdict in the trial — offering an example of how to challenge impunity for journalist killings.
Long-term care facilities are subsidised to a large extent by public money. When financial risks aimed at increasing profitability do not pay off, the state must step in to ensure the welfare of care recipients, from the public purse.
A new report has found regional differences in the tendency for workers to take on low quality online jobs, with workers in less prosperous EU regions taking on more online jobs — often next to their 'traditional' jobs.
This 'Windsor Framework' renegotiation took place without any new (European) Council guidelines, mandate or significant involvement. Members states and the European Parliament, which once used to scrutinise every twist and turn with their magnifying glasses, now face a fait accompli.
In last month's 'State of the Nation' address in Budapest, an isolated Viktor Orbán outlined a strategy to ramp up his anti-EU disinformation campaign. European institutions must find a way to fight back, writes Hungarian MEP Katalin Cseh.
Gáspár Miklós Tamás, Hungarian philosopher, politician, and public intellectual died in January. He was often on the same side of the barricades as Viktor Orbán. Later he became key figure opposing Orbán's authoritarian measures, and inspired a new Left.
Coming to Europe to work from outside the EU is hard. Despite dramatic labour shortages across sectors and EU countries, work permits for non-EU workers are few and those that exist often leave workers at the mercy of exploitative employers.
Failure to urgently reconsider its support for Russia's war will further damage China's relations with the West and the global community, which would ultimately be disastrous for its economy and international standing. However, China could still choose another path.
Bulgaria goes to the polls again in April — the fifth election in less than two years. That's the most on the European continent in more than a century.
Back in 2014, at Nato's summit in Wales, five trust funds were created intended to help Ukraine modernise its defence capabilities — including on cyber-defence.
"Germany outsourced its security to the US, its export-led growth to China, and its energy needs to Russia." Is that fair?
