Kaja Kaźmierska
As Hungary's authoritarian leader prepares to take up the EU presidency on 1 July, European Parliament leaders have been attempting to block his appointment. This, argues Kaja Kaźmierska, is not necessary. Any 'real damage' that the Hungarian presidency can do is limited. Indeed, Orbán's presidency could have a positive impact on the Hungarian people, bringing the EU closer to them. Read more
Catherine E. De Vries
Following the European election results, Ursula von der Leyen faces a rocky road to confirmation as President of the Commission for a second term, writes Catherine E. De Vries. The key question is how she is going to be able to satisfy very different demands from the various groupings. Read more
Marco Giani
Studying long-run patterns of public opinion in Europe shows that reintroducing compulsory national service would not counter the worrisome trend of declining trust in institutions among young generations. In fact, warns Marco Giani, the effect could be quite the opposite Read more
Aida Halilovic
Aida Halilovic argues that Putin’s (flawed) narrative of his invasion of Ukraine is best understood through a historical lens. She highlights the substantial minorities who now live in non-kin states in Europe, and their place in the security landscape of Europe To understand Russia’s rhetoric, it is important to grasp the role that minorities have […] Read more
Christoph Arndt
Recent European elections have revealed that voters are increasingly polarised on environmental protectionism. Christoph Arndt, Daphne Halikiopoulou and Christos Vrakopoulos contend that local opposition to climate change measures is reinforcing a centre-periphery cleavage in Western Europe Read more
Stefan Wallaschek
Stefan Wallaschek, Kavyanjali Kaushik, Monika VerbalytÄ— and Aleksandra Sojka highlight how gender equality campaigns, especially around International Women's Day, are only effective by adapting their messages to the national contexts. These campaigns must incorporate initiatives that allow more citizens to mobilise and take action Across Europe, progress towards gender equality has met with resistance from […] Read more
Albrecht Rothacher
Albrecht Rothacher argues that Putin’s power play over Ukraine, while being driven by the West’s current weakness, serves neither Russia or the West. The two sides should, instead, lower tensions and address together several long-standing issues at the heart of current international instability Read more