Inside Europe

Pittsburgh attack proved why we can’t ignore anti-Semitism. The Anti-Defamation League warned that there was an increase of anti-Semitic incidents in the United States in 2017 compared to the previous y... Be More Curious...

The Threats from Within: Road to the 2019 EU Elections

Elisa Telesca

24/10/2018

The elections are approaching. On 23-26 May 2019, the citizens of the European Union will be called to vote for their representatives in the European Parliament. The elections take place every five years, where 751 MEPs have been elected since 1979. ... Be More Curious...

Nigel Farage Pleads for a Europe of Sovereign Nation-States

Yoeri Maertens

12/10/2018

Listen the entire speech by Nigel Farage Two weeks ago, Nigel Farage was invited by the Flemish nationalist and conservative student association KVHV to give a guest lecture at Ghent University, Belg... Be More Curious...

EU-movie quotas are cultural protectionism

Bill Wirtz

10/10/2018

The European Parliament calls for a 30 per cent mandatory quota of European productions for audiovisual content providers, surpassing the Commission's suggested 20 per cent. We have to call this proposa... Be More Curious...

Franco’s will

Arnau Perello

09/10/2018

It has become customary in Spain, whenever a so-called socialist cabinet starts its new mandate, to approve some eye-catching law. In this way, the new government always looks more liberal than the previous one – invariably controlled by the Popular Pa... Be More Curious...

Riace case: Are pro-migrant authorities under attack?

Zeynep Mentesoglu

08/10/2018

Inside Europe, Society

"What will all the do-gooders who want to fill Italy with immigrants say now?" wwrote Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini referring to the arrest of Domenico Lucano, known by his migrant frie... Be More Curious...

Was it a coup d’état on 10 August 2018, in Victory square, Bucharest?

Ana-Maria Caminski

06/10/2018

After more than a month, the military prosecutors did not make light in the opened file for vandalism acts that took place in the night of 10 August 2018, in Bucharest. Who bears the responsibility for ... Be More Curious...

Kicking out at Britain won’t save the European Court of Human Rights

Ebubekir ISIK

01/10/2018

Five years after Edward Snowden released his incendiary cache of documents, the mass surveillance programme run by Britain’s GCHQ has been deemed illegal by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). In a landmark judgement this month, the Strasbourg c... Be More Curious...

The reasons why the EU mustn’t be gentle on Climate Change

Richard Senneville

30/09/2018

American cellular biologist, college professor and politician Barry Commoner claimed that the first law of ecology is that everything is connected to everything else. It took decades for the environment... Be More Curious...

As Europeans, we are living in a unique experiment that we should be proud of

Vladan Lausevic

30/09/2018

Five years ago Croatia became EU's 28th member-state. The accession process was seen as in important step for the Balkan region and the “Ex-Yugoslav area” to become Europeanized. One interesting thin... Be More Curious...

Following an Illiberal Path: Dragnea and Romania’s Judiciary Reforms

Xavier Palacios

30/09/2018

The latest demonstrations that took place in Romania this last summer have showed that the figure of Liviu Dragnea is polarising Romanian society. As in other cases of power accumulation in political figures, a detriment to institutional politics, Drag... Be More Curious...

The EU should embrace Allan Savory’s Holistic Management in its sustainable development policy

Richard Senneville

30/09/2018

There is a much bigger problem than global warming that humanity must overcome: changing mindset is the biggest challenge in all cultures and societies. When we think about the causes of global warming we... Be More Curious...

Germany is delaying the adoption of the “Google tax”, and that’s a good thing

Bill Wirtz

25/09/2018

Business, Inside Europe

While France and Spain are heavily lobbying for the adoption of a "GAFA" tax (Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple), also known as "Google tax", Germany has chosen a more careful approach. Rightfully so. ... Be More Curious...

Is the European Arrest Warrant Becoming a Political Tool?

Joseph Hammond

25/09/2018

All opinions in this column reflect view of the autor(s), not of Vocal Europe The saga of one of the European Union’s most problematic policies took an unusual turn late last month with an EU judicial body announcing that the European Arrest Warrant (... Be More Curious...

Will a European Plastics Ban really help the Environment?

Richard Mason

22/09/2018

Over the course of this year, it seems as though the debate on environmental protection has greatly shifted to the issue of plastics, namely the effects of ill-disposed of waste on marine life. This... Be More Curious...

The lady’s not for turning

Julien Hoez

21/09/2018

Theresa May’s disastrous participation in the Salzburg summit was evidently fresh in her memory. She was described as having “showed too much arrogance” in a miscalculation similar to David Cameron, had... Be More Curious...

Fighting Online Terrorist Speech

20/09/2018

William Echikson, a former senior policy manager at Google, is head of the Digital Forum at the Centre for European Policy Studies. David Ibsen is Executive Director for the Counter Extremism Project (CEP), a not-for-profit, international policy organiz... Be More Curious...

Why they just don’t get it

Julien Hoez

20/09/2018

Another suffocatingly hot day in the Palace of Westminster and another all-party parliamentary group meet in committee to discuss Brexit. Stephen Kinnock, Labour MP for Aberavon and Chairman of the All-... Be More Curious...

Sweden Elections: One Crisis, Two Major Parties, Numerous Outcomes

Christina Cigir

14/09/2018

Sweden’s recent elections has left a dual impression among many people: impressed and unimpressed. Ever since the 2015 migration crisis, Sweden has been placed in a predicament. This exact predicament h... Be More Curious...

Politics of the Street: How to respond to Germany’s far-right revival?

Julius M. Rogenhofer

13/09/2018

The German far-right successfully instrumentalises crimes allegedly committed by refugees to mobilise its supporters. These often violent rallies reveal an open affiliation of members of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) with neo-Nazi groups. To revers... Be More Curious...

Juncker’s State of the Union Speech: Time for European Sovereignty

12/09/2018

This morning was marked by the annual State of the Union speech to the European Parliament by the President of the European Commission in Strasbourg. Jean-Claude Juncker spoke for the fourth and last ti... Be More Curious...

EESC — Youth, digital and cooperation as pills to foster the European spirit

Sergio Caliva

12/09/2018

After the Commission’s adoption of the “Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on specific provisions for the European territorial cooperation goal (Interreg)”, on the 7... Be More Curious...

Can Macron still create a political cataclysm for the European election?

10/09/2018

With the European elections coming up in 2019, Emmanuel Macron’s possibilities to change the political landscape at the European level seem to not be as easy as expected. The last week of August was marked by the resignation of Nicolas Hulot, the quite... Be More Curious...

Can a Bavarian Make Europe Great Again?

Christina Cigir

07/09/2018

As the 2019 elections for the European Union’s commission president approach, the ongoing talks about an ideal candidate has granted its attention to leader of the European People’s Party, Manfred Weber... Be More Curious...

Polish and Romanian civil society in fighting for the freedom of Justice

Ana-Maria Caminski

05/09/2018

The times when the Law protected their citizens are passed away. With more than a century ago, nobody would ever thought after the falling down of the Czarist Imperium that a Law could be given in order... Be More Curious...

Looking Globally – Europe with Hard Power

31/08/2018

There have been a few moments in the last century of Modern Europe’s history that shaped the structure of the continent for the next decades. Without any doubt, World War One and World War Two have truly been defined as cornerstone of the destiny of Eu... Be More Curious...

Europe’s Concerns about Maldives Are Growing

24/08/2018

Europeans do not usually think about the Maldives in geopolitical terms, but rather as an idyllic holiday destination in the middle of the Indian Ocean. However, the fact is that this tiny island nation... Be More Curious...

Nearly a year of pre-trial imprisonment with no legal grounds, despite German Court ruling

Arnau Perello

23/08/2018

Two events have weakened Spain's reputation in the last month. The first one is the case of the €4 billion submarines that are too big for its own dock - after the modification that allowed them to floa... Be More Curious...

Four countries, one threat

Ana-Maria Caminski

22/08/2018

On the chessboard of the world, every pawn seems to be an important pawn. Especially when the stake of the game is the expansion of the political power by gaining of the old sphere of influence and the new ones. In February-March 2014, Peninsula Crimea... Be More Curious...

Robbery at Portuguese Base offers lesson for NATO

Joseph Hammond

08/08/2018

Grenades and high-explosives taken from Portuguese military base in a brazen heist are still unaccounted for over a year later. Portugal marked the first anniversary of a series of deadly wild fires ear... Be More Curious...

EU elections: what remains to be known before 2019

05/08/2018

The European Union is at a turning point, and 2019 will be the major benchmark in this process. If it all goes according to planned, the UK will leave the EU in March, and two months later, the European... Be More Curious...

Puigdemont is back, what is next?

Alessio Tardivo

03/08/2018

On Saturday 28 of July, the former President of the Generalitat de Catalunya Carles Puigdemont came back to Brussels after being detained in Germany. His return to Belgium was possible after the Spanish Supreme Courted lifted the European Arrest Warran... Be More Curious...

Will the Salvini-effect spread to Europe?

Valeria Mingardi

31/07/2018

The new Italian government, result of an extenuatingly long negotiating process between the League and the Five Star Movement (M5S), has been now in office for the past two months. Even though the role ... Be More Curious...

Can cyber attacks cause a major war?

Valeria Mingardi

30/07/2018

In the last two decades, the world has seen a rapid digitalization of services, both in civil society and state functions, thanks to the Internet and to the world wide web. As much as this is considered a p... Be More Curious...

American unilateralism vs. European multilateralism: the world is watching

26/07/2018

As the great powers keep on leaning towards nationalist and unilateralist positions, the world becomes an increasingly polarised – and thus more dangerous – place. It is no surprise for countries like China to question the international status quo, built b... Be More Curious...

Polish women’s rights are European women’s rights

19/07/2018

During his last visit to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Mateusz Morawiecki, the Polish Prime Minister, gave a speech in which he addressed the critics made against the Polish state regarding its... Be More Curious...

NATO Summit: The Atlantic Drift

19/07/2018

Since he took office, President Trump has called on European NATO members to increase their military spending, in order to fulfil the pledge of 2% of national GDP assigned to defence, made during th... Be More Curious...

Spain: everything must change, so everything stays the same

Arnau Perello

18/07/2018

One of the greatest novels of all times is 'The Leopard' by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa. It is set in Sicily during the Italian unification, as the old regime comes to an end. The main character, the Sicilian prince Don Fabrizio, is initially reluctan... Be More Curious...

Catalonia — the growing role of the EU

17/07/2018

Last Thursday, the State court of the northern Schleswig-Holstein formally accepted the petition made by Spain, through a European Arrest Warrant (EAW), to extradite Carles Puigdemont. The former presid... Be More Curious...

Theresa May’s “turmoil”

Giles Marshall

12/07/2018

Donald Trump performed his usual pre-international meeting diplomacy this week, when he had a go at his allies and commended an authoritarian former enemy. If you’re a NATO ally, you got the full Trump ... Be More Curious...

Sanchez and Torra: two sides of the same coin

Alessio Tardivo

11/07/2018

Last Monday the new Spanish President Pedro Sánchez and the President of the Generalitat of Catalonia Quim Torra met in Madrid for the first time after the establishment of the new government in June 2018. The most evident outcome from this first meetin... Be More Curious...

US divorces Europe

10/07/2018

Viktors Domburs is an expert on the Baltic Countries and a political commentator. Europe is in the anticipation of NATO summit which will take place on June, 11-12 in Brussels. Before this meeting the Pentag... Be More Curious...

Could the Chequers Summit be the Brexit Breakthrough that Theresa May Needs?

Julien Hoez

10/07/2018

The new “Facilitated Customs Arrangement” that has been conceived by Theresa May may be seen as a success for the embattled Prime Minster. The result of the make-or-break Chequers cabinet meeting on 6 June ... Be More Curious...

Poland’s dilemma: Euro-scepticism and US cooperation

06/07/2018

As Poland is more and more on the conservative side and becoming a tenacious partner in European discussions, it seems, however, that it is open to a deeper cooperation with the United States. Since 2015 and the coming into power of the nationalist-cons... Be More Curious...

Why the UK needs to Commit to Cannabis

Richard Mason

04/07/2018

As one of the most widely-used drugs around, the criminalisation of cannabis is blocking an untapped goldmine of potential for Britain. Swathes of money are diverted to the traders of the black market, user... Be More Curious...

Where are Europe’s Christian democrats?

03/07/2018

The politics of migration have triggered a resurgence of identity based appeals to the European populous. The political right, in particular, uses Christian values and heritage as a rallying cry against soc... Be More Curious...

When will migration determine the EU’s fate?

Alessio Tardivo

02/07/2018

On 28 June 2018, EU heads of state or government met in Brussels following the necessities to start a discussion on the current hot themes regarding the Union such as migration, security and defence, Russia’s sanctions, Brexit, economic and financial affai... Be More Curious...

Can Intelligence Agencies Really Protect Us?

Yvonnemarie Antonoglou

29/06/2018

Inside Europe, The Opinion

Generally speaking, the intelligence management cycle refers to the continuous process of tasking, collecting, processing, analyzing, and disseminating intelligence information. It constitutes the overa... Be More Curious...

Council distrusts parents with junk food proposals

Bill Wirtz

27/06/2018