Sabine Herder, Author at Shaping Europe

IJsland op de Europese drempel - Shaping Europe

Iceland at the EU’s doorstep

Posted on 14 January 2025
by Sabine Herder

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…

Kom maar niet, het is hier verschrikkelijk - Shaping Europe

Human Rights and Equality

Don’t come, it’s terrible here

Posted on 17 December 2024
by Sabine Herder

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,…

International Relations

The European Union and the BRICS

Posted on 10 October 2024
by Sabine Herder

The European relationship with an organisation on the rise. On 1 January 2024, the BRICS, an informal international organisation, expanded with the accession of five new members. Although it will probably not ring a bell for most readers, this event may well have a big…

Klein, kleiner, kleinst: De Europese dwergstaten - Shaping Europe

Countries and Regions

Small, smaller, smallest: The European microstates

Posted on 11 July 2024
by Sabine Herder

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…

Elections

Country profile Romania: A year of elections

Posted on 21 March 2024
by Sabine Herder

Keep the current course or go in a different direction? Romania, the land of Transylvania and Dracula. The homeland of Francesco Illy, the inventor of the espresso machine, and Nadia Comăneci, the first gymnast ever to score a perfect 10 at the 1976 Olympics. Where…

Climate and Sustainability

Climate emergency under the Arctic Circle

Posted on 29 February 2024
by Julia van de Boel and Sabine Herder

The dual threat of climate change to Europe's last indigenous people. Climate change affects us all. Both the effects of climate change itself, and the measures that need to be taken to deal with it affect our lives. However, some groups are hit harder by…

$De verschillende politieke fracties in het Europees Parlement - Shaping Europe$

Elections

The different political groups in the European Parliament

Posted on 8 February 2024
by Sabine Herder

The political groups in the European Parliament at a glance. When you think of European Union (EU) politics, one of the first things that will probably come to mind is that it is all quite complicated. In this article, you have already read all about…

Elections

Country Profile Lithuania: A Brave Country

Posted on 30 January 2024
by Sabine Herder

A small but brave country where security is not a given. Lithuania, the southernmost country of the three Baltic States consists largely of forest. Where the capital Vilnius is also known as the "Rome of the Baltic States" and one of the few capitals you…

Het Europees Parlement: Welke functies heeft het? - Shaping Europe

Elections

The European Parliament: what functions does it have?

Posted on 12 December 2023
by Sabine Herder

Everything you need to know about the European Parliament. In June 2024, we can go to the polls again to vote for the European Parliamentary elections, but what are we actually voting for? In recent years, the European Union (EU) has gained the reputation of…

De nieuwe race naar de maan - Shaping Europe

International Relations

The new race to the moon

Posted on 7 November 2023
by Sabine Herder

The European Union's position in the battle for our galaxy. In late August, a special event took place in the world of space exploration; India became the fourth country ever, after the former Soviet Union in 1959, the United States in 1969, and China in…