The EU and the future of natural disaster management. Floods, forest fires, droughts and storms; humans have always battled natural disasters. Despite great technological advances in predicting and protecting against natural disasters, it remains impossible to prevent them entirely. Europe is no exception. This became evidently clear during the floods in Germany and Eastern Europe…
Opportunities, Challenges, and Perspectives. In the first month of the new year, it makes sense to discuss the priorities on the table. The European Union (EU) has long pursued a policy of enlargement, meaning adding new member states, as a cornerstone of its strategy to promote peace, security, and prosperity in Europe — all ideas…
Analysing the implications of the EU-Rwanda raw minerals deal on EU’s sustainability leadership. Since its introduction in 2020, the European Union (EU) Green Deal has become a buzzword in EU (and international) politics. With this deal, the continent embarked on a mission to halve CO2 emissions by 2030 and even aim to become the first…
Caught in a political dilemma. It was a striking news item in late 2024: Estonia is considering opening one of its prisons to foreign inmates. Perhaps even, Justice Minister Liisa Pakosta spoke, as a kind of “Airbnb system”. Several countries soon showed interest, such as the United Kingdom (UK) and the Netherlands, both struggling with…
The vulnerability of Baltic Sea infrastructure. Over the last few months, the Baltic Sea has become the stage of a series of incidents involving undersea cables that connect several European Union (EU) Member States in the region. This sea, with an average depth of about 52 meters, hosts a complex network of telecommunication lines, electricity…
On Iceland’s elections and the question of European Union membership. On Saturday 30 November 2024, amid a serious snowstorm, the Icelandic people went to the polls to elect a new parliament. The weather is precisely why elections normally take place in the warmer summer months in the North Atlantic country. However, the elections were much…
Between European liberal democracy and Russian imperialism. Recent elections in Georgia and Moldova resulted in mixed outcomes but illustrated a shared issue. Despite the current governments’ vocal commitments to EU memberships, the countries are far from unanimously in favour. The situations of Georgia and Moldova have stark similarities: former Soviet republics, recent EU candidate members,…
Negative nation branding as a deterrent to migration. Picture the following: you are the leader of a country. You can perhaps imagine that you want to do your best to improve your country’s reputation. After all, if others have a positive image of your country, it is more likely that investments will be made and…
A look back at Hungary’s presidency of the Council of the European Union and a look ahead to Poland’s presidency. It was feared by many: the Hungarian presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU). Hungary holds the presidency from July 2024 to December 2024. Many voices were raised in advance to prevent this…
What is framing and how do you recognize it. We use language every day to communicate, convey messages and evoke images. Words not only carry their own meaning but are always used in a specific context. For example, think of ‘a warm welcome’ versus ‘a cold shower’. Such expressions evoke different feelings and associations. These…
Recent articles
Opportunities, Challenges, and Perspectives. In the first month of the new year, it makes sense to discuss the priorities on the table. The European Union (EU) has long pursued a policy of enlargement, meaning adding new member states, as a cornerstone of its strategy to promote peace, security, and prosperity in Europe — all ideas…
Analysing the implications of the EU-Rwanda raw minerals deal on EU’s sustainability leadership. Since its introduction in 2020, the European Union (EU) Green Deal has become a buzzword in EU (and international) politics. With this deal, the continent embarked on a mission to halve CO2 emissions by 2030 and even aim to become the first…
Caught in a political dilemma. It was a striking news item in late 2024: Estonia is considering opening one of its prisons to foreign inmates. Perhaps even, Justice Minister Liisa Pakosta spoke, as a kind of “Airbnb system”. Several countries soon showed interest, such as the United Kingdom (UK) and the Netherlands, both struggling with…
Countries and Regions
A look back at Hungary’s presidency of the Council of the European Union and a look ahead to Poland’s presidency. It was feared by many: the Hungarian presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU). Hungary holds the presidency from July 2024 to December 2024. Many voices were raised in advance to prevent this…
The relationship between the European microstates and the European Union. Europe is home to some of the smallest sovereign countries in the world, also known as microstates. Nestled between the borders of the European Union (EU), we find Andorra, Liechtenstein, Monaco, San Marino and the smallest country in the world: Vatican City. Together, the European…
The land rights of the Sámi over their traditional territories. Discussions about Indigenous communities and their rights often feel like a world away for Europeans. We hear about it from countries like Australia and the United States, or it comes up when discussing the rain forests of South America. What a lot of people do…
Human Rights and Equality
Analysing the implications of the EU-Rwanda raw minerals deal on EU’s sustainability leadership. Since its introduction in 2020, the European Union (EU) Green Deal has become a buzzword in EU (and international) politics. With this deal, the continent embarked on a mission to halve CO2 emissions by 2030 and even aim to become the first…
Negative nation branding as a deterrent to migration. Picture the following: you are the leader of a country. You can perhaps imagine that you want to do your best to improve your country’s reputation. After all, if others have a positive image of your country, it is more likely that investments will be made and…
Abortion law in the European Union. One of the major issues in the United States (U.S.) presidential election is abortion. In June 2022, the nationwide right to abortion, which was based on the 1973 Roe v. Wade court ruling, was reversed by the U.S. Supreme Court. This allowed states (again) to decide individually what abortion…