Reports

By declaring a state of climate emergency, the European Parliament opened the door to excessive measures that could ultimately violate individual freedoms and erode democracy in the European Union. The climate debate has become a political means to implement a populist agenda.

The absorption of social democratic ideas into Europe’s mainstream has made its continued existence as an organized movement superfluous. As recent elections have shown, the unmet demand for political ideas and representation is appearing on the center-right of the political spectrum, among Christians, conservatives and supporters of free markets.

Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini has revived a five-year-old proposal to use his country’s gold reserves to bring down the budget deficit. The idea is problematic for several reasons – but that is not the point. Mr. Salvini is likely using this controversial plan to make headlines and burnish ...

Politically and financially, Italy has come to be regarded as a weak link in the European Union. Its shaky banks and enormous public debt almost blew apart the euro area during the debt crisis of 2010-2012, and could still do so. Its government, a marriage of populists on the left ...

With this year’s European Parliament elections, the EU may be approaching a watershed moment on migration. Voters and politicians are questioning the fundamental assumptions of globalized approaches like the UN Compact on Migration and the EU Trust Fund for Africa, which may do more to encourage than curb the migrant ...

The European Union, which still lacks a post-Brexit vision of itself, will be changing the leadership of almost all its leading institutions over the next few months. Candidates are already jostling for position to take over at the European Commission and the European Central Bank, and surprises could be in ...

There are plenty of signs of trouble ahead for the European Union in 2019. Unstable leadership, rampant populism, strikes and demonstrations, migration disputes, security challenges, Brexit, an economic slowdown and the makings of another financial crisis are just a few of the challenges that await. For EU institutions, perhaps the ...

Europe’s dysfunctional political system has created a deep rift between centralized governments and their citizens. Trying to marginalize new parties that express this discontent will only make the problem worse.

The European Union spends some 2 billion euro each year on its more than 40 quasi-autonomous nongovernmental organizations, or “quangos.” They are spread out across the continent and have overlapping responsibilities.

The success of separatist parties in September’s regional elections in Catalonia sent jitters throughout Europe, as many wondered whether other independent-minded regions around the continent would follow its lead. However, Brussels’ response – essentially remaining silent – deprived the separatist movement of a casus belli, allowing it to degenerate into ...

Tunisia was the scene of the first uprising in the Arab Spring, but three years on it still has an interim parliament, high unemployment – especially among young people – and foreign investment is drying up. International donors have been encouraged by the new constitution to offer loans and aid, ...

Vladimir Putin’s annual television appearance was a well-choreographed show which provided an overview of the Kremlin’s thinking on the situation in Ukraine. But despite the rhetoric, even those who sympathise with Ukraine must recognise that the Russians can put forward arguments that are troubling for the Kiev government, and which ...

The European Parliamentary elections in May are likely to see a record number of eurosceptic or populist parties elected from both the political right and left. This could force a grand coalition of the major centre-right and centre-left groups in the parliament. But what impact will this have on national ...

Elections for the European Parliament in May 2014 are likely to see a record number of eurosceptic or populist parties from both ends of the political spectrum. This will mean no clear majority for a centre-right / liberal or a centre-left / Green coalition so what impact will this have ...