The wave of demonstrations against racism and police brutality that started with the murder of George Floyd in the United States has sparked a much-needed public discussion about these issues in Europe as well. Protest marches in many cities across the continent in recent weeks have echoed calls for justice that were made in the… » read more
Posted by europainmundo
There has been a lot of commentary on the political impact of the ongoing coronavirus crisis on international relations lately. Two main themes have emerged in this debate: whether globalisation will be reversed, and whether autocratic regimes will win the rising propaganda war against democracies. I believe there is a third, equally important consideration to… » read more
Posted by europainmundo
December 13, 2019
Boris Johnson’s landslide victory in yesterday’s UK parliamentary election effectively ended years of political uncertainty since the fateful Brexit referendum of 2016. Britain will leave the EU after all, this time for real. The likely economic consequences of leaving the world’s largest trading bloc and becoming a peripheral third country with less privileged access to… » read more
Posted by europainmundo
May 17, 2019
Socialist Spitzenkandidat for the presidency of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans, has many good ideas, but one of them is misguided. It was last reiterated yesterday, in a televised debate between himself and Manfred Weber, the conservative Spitzenkandidat. Timmermans called for an environmental tax on jet fuel, thereby making flights more expensive in order to… » read more
Posted by europainmundo
August 26, 2018
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas recently authored an op-ed calling for a rebalanced transatlantic relationship between Europe and the United States. The op-ed was a remarkable departure from conventional doctrine for a high-level German diplomat, who openly questioned America’s role in the world and sees the EU as an alternative defender of liberal values and… » read more
Posted by europainmundo
January 26, 2018
After much public hesitation, official negotiations between Germany’s conservative CDU/CSU and progressive SPD parties finally begin today. Within the SPD, the issue has polarised the party’s membership, with some supporting another grand coalition and others vehemently opposing it. Internal debates and external analysis typically focus on questions of responsibility – towards the party, the nation,… » read more
Posted by europainmundo
December 16, 2016
The election of Donald Trump as the next president of the United States came as a shock to the political establishment on both sides of the Atlantic, just as the Brexit referendum surprised many who underestimated the level of public discontent that lead to the result. 2016 has been a difficult year in many respects,… » read more
Posted by europainmundo
July 4, 2016
Nigel Farage’s decision to end his leadership of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) is the latest aftershock of the political earthquake triggered by the Brexit referendum’s outcome. As the Eurosceptics’ victory threatens to disintegrate not only the European Union, but also the United Kingdom itself, even the Leave campaign’s most prominent figures are unwilling to… » read more
Posted by europainmundo
February 12, 2016
NATO’s quick decision to create a new maritime operation in the Aegean Sea to counter migrant smugglers is Europe’s (particularly Germany’s) latest attempt at reducing refugee flows to its shores. While the initiative is unlikely to be very effective given its limited scope (mainly surveillance and information collection) and size (only three ships, at least… » read more
Posted by europainmundo
September 1, 2015
Faced with the brunt of asylum applications made in Europe this year and increasingly violent far-right reactions to newcomers, Germany has called for front-line migrant registration centres in Italy and Greece and a more even distribution of refugees across the EU. Such demands are understandable, but fail to consider the needs, motivations and tactics of… » read more
Posted by europainmundo
Analysis and commentary on EU current affairs, particularly events that affect Europe’s relations with the wider world.
