Culture and Sports Archives

European Football and Soft Power

Posted on 14 November 2024
by Matt Naylor

European Football and its soft power appeal to Oil- and gas-dependent states. The long history of the success of European club football is well-documented, with some of the biggest clubs and competitions. However, one recent phenomenon has occurred since the early 2000s: Oil and gas-dependent…

Nazi-looted art: current developments

Posted on 10 September 2024
by Julia van de Boel

Current affairs on the restitution of looted art from World War II. During World War II, art in Europe was unlawfully appropriated on a large scale. Many Jewish victims were forced to sell their art at extremely low prices, or it was outright stolen. Numerous…

Eurovision Song Contest 2024: Again United by Music?

Posted on 7 May 2024
by Shaping Europe editorial team

An overview of all participants in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. Some people schedule their Sundays around Formula 1 races, others live for the Champions League, and some wait all year to see people from all over Europe (and beyond) perform on a stage. Yes,…

De groene wereld van botanische tuinen - Shaping Europe

The green world of botanical gardens

Posted on 21 November 2023
by Julia van de Boel

The history and current role of botanical gardens, and the mutual cooperation between them. Exotic plants that you normally never see, the sweet smell in the tropical greenhouses or the special style of a Japanese garden. These are the views that surround you in botanical…

Fossielen als roofkunst? - Shaping Europe

Fossils as looted art?

Posted on 5 October 2023
by Julia van de Boel

The position of fossils in the debate about looted art. Looted art is a subject that has received increasing attention over the past few decades. Often this involves art objects that were taken from colonies and have since resided in European museums. There also exists…

Slovenië als voorbeeld voor Europe - Shaping Europe

Slovenia as an Example for Touristic Europe

Posted on 12 September 2023
by Loes ter Horst
with 0 Comments

Bringing mass tourism to a halt: How Slovenia is putting sustainable tourism on the map. The small, central European country of Slovenia has been discovered by more and more tourists in recent years. And rightly so, because the little country has an awful lot to…

United by Music

Posted on 4 May 2023
by Linda den Bol, Finn McCartney and Loes ter Horst

An overview of all participants in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023. Some people schedule their Sundays around Formula 1 races, some people live for the Champions League, and some wait all year to see people from all over Europe (and beyond) perform on a stage.…

Eurovision 2022: The year Europe will stand in solidarity

Posted on 14 May 2022
by Finn McCartney

Dates of Eurovision: Semi-finals: 10/05 and 12/05. Grand Final:14/05 This year has seen Europe face the possibility of all out war on the continent, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Relations between Russia and the rest of the world are at an all time low. Financial…

Good evening Europe!

Posted on 10 May 2022
by Linda den Bol and Loes ter Horst
with 0 Comments

All you need to know about the Eurovision Song Contest 2022. Dust off the silver glitter dresses, because it's almost time for our favourite time of the year: the Eurovision Song Contest! You know, the one week when Europeans are reminded that Moldova exists, the…

The Grand Finale: Who will take the 2021 Eurovision title?

Posted on 22 May 2021
by Finn McCartney

The Grand Finale This year's Eurovision Song Contest is taking place in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. After 44 years without a win, Duncan Lawrence’s Arcade broke the drought. For the first time in the competition’s history, due to the Covid pandemic, the competition was cancelled and…