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European Union

February 12, 2026

What The Economist magazine's coverage reveals about the European Council

Lucas Schramm Based on a 67-year arc of reporting by British magazine The Economist, Lucas Schramm analyses the European Council, a key institution of the European Union. He shows how that coverage explains why the European Council was created, how it evolved, what it does, and why its dominance is both useful and unsettling Read more

January 27, 2026

🔮 How left-wing populism replaces security threats: Jean Luc Mélenchon on Muslims

Ugo Gaudino Left-wing populists tend to be inclusionary and egalitarian towards ethnic minorities. But Ugo Gaudino points out that their defence of Muslim communities’ religious grievances often clashes with their secular agenda. While they may de-securitise Islam, they frame other issues and groups as urgent security threats, in line with the populist friend-versus-enemy conception of politics Read more

January 22, 2026

Has Chega changed the Portuguese parliament? What parliamentary votes reveal

Nelson Santos Nelson Santos, Sofia Serra-Silva, and Tiago Silva analysed voting patterns in Portugal’s parliament. They found that the legislative behaviour of populist radical-right Chega contradicts the party’s anti-system rhetoric. Meanwhile, conflict has reached unprecedented levels in what was historically a consensual parliament Read more

January 7, 2026

The social cost of the UK’s approach to transport policy

Will Edmonds The UK’s car- and London-centric transport policy undermines accessibility. It is pushing millions into effective poverty and entrenching transport emissions through forced car ownership. Will Edmonds argues that prioritising public transport, and equalising accessibility, would break Britain's reliance on the car Read more

December 24, 2025

Lessons from Sahel Niger for EU crisis management

Elise Ketelaars The rapid contraction of EU presence in the Sahel has sparked debate over Europe’s diminishing influence. But what did these missions get right? And what did they get wrong? EU capacity building in Sahel Niger, says Elise Ketelaars, offers important lessons for EU Common Security and Defence Policy design, and for broader security sector reform efforts Read more

December 5, 2025

🧭 Why enlargement is EU geopolitics

Veronica Anghel The Russia-Ukraine war forced the EU to speak the language of power, but it didn’t turn the EU into a state. Veronica Anghel argues that EU geopolitics looks different: dense ties, not just hard power. Enlargement is the EU’s prime relational technology – binding security to markets, institutions, and publics Read more

November 28, 2025

The failure of social housing in the UK and the abandonment of the the poor

Will Edmonds Will Edmonds argues that the UK’s targeted, means-tested social housing is permitted by a culture that criminalises poverty, and has enabled tragedies like the Grenfell fire. A look through the history of UK public housing shows that the government should adopt a humane, universalist approach Read more

November 20, 2025

🧭 The negative consequences of rule transfer in EU enlargement

László Bruszt László Bruszt and Julia Langbein argue that EU market rules, when applied to weaker economies, can trigger damaging side effects. Unless anticipated and managed, these risks threaten not just candidate countries but the European Union itself. Lessons from the 2004 enlargement are vital as Ukraine moves closer to membership Read more

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