“The EU expresses its grave concern at the steps taken by China on 28 May, which are not in conformity with its international commitments,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Friday 29 May after chairing a video conference of EU foreign ministers. The EU top diplomat was referring to China’s decision to impose a strict new national security law on Hong Kong. […]
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the only emerging consensus when it came to climate change and airlines, was that airline greenhouse gas emissions needed to be reduced – however, no one could agree on how to achieve this. […]
“The Western Balkans belong in the EU” – this statement was made by European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during the recent EU-Western Balkans summit held on May 6th. The Zagreb Declaration reaffirms the EU’s “unequivocal support for the European perspective of the Western Balkans”, highlighting increasing calls for strong solidarity with these nations in regard to the coronavirus pandemic. […]
The concept of European integration emerged after the Second World War and was designed to promote prosperity and peace among member states. However, considering the series of crises the EU has been facing over the past few years, the European project is in jeopardy. […]
A few weeks ago, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas made clear that the highly anticipated German Council Presidency will turn into a “Corona Presidency”. Meaning that, Germany’s carefully planned agenda will be dominated by ambitious new tasks to overcome the pandemic and tackle the socio-economic consequences of the crisis. […]
President Macron‘s visions for a new European nuclear strategy come at just the right moment. In the wake of Brexit and growing ruptures in the transatlantic alliance, EU members are more willing than ever to invest in a more integrated European defence architecture with a European-wide role for French nuclear deterrence. Yet, in order for the project to succeed, Macron needs to convince his European counterparts that his prime concern is European security rather than legitimising French nuclear power. […]
The global spread of Covid-19 not only threatens our health (systems), but it also constitutes a major challenge to the stability of the European Union and reveals unsolved problems. The current crisis demonstrates that national decisions have a global impact. Rapid national lockdowns, a high mortality rate, wildly fluctuating stock markets and constitutional reforms are only some of the negative consequences that have appeared during the recent weeks. […]
The 9th of March marked the first 100 days since the new Commission took office. This is an important mark as it gives an indication of the future direction of political initiatives and their possible success. The 100-day promises made by the Commission President Ursula von der Leyen were characterised by a will to become an important global actor that spearheads responsible governance. […]
The digitization of healthcare in the European Union is proceeding at a brisk pace but is also fraught with challenges. The European Commission is seeking to provide EU citizens with comprehensive, and easily accessible digital healthcare through its Digital Single Market strategy. The creation of the Digital Single Market will involve the integration of countless healthcare tools, insurance companies, and national systems which are at varying stages of digital capacity. […]