After months of tension and four days of intensive negotiations, the EU Member States came to a deal on the multiannual financial framework (MFF), and a coronavirus recovery package. The conflict centered around one of the most contentious questions in Europe: could the European Monetary Union be joined by a public debt union? […]
In 2015, around one million refugees and migrants reached Europe by Sea. People from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq were forcibly displaced from their home countries due to war and conflict and came to Europe through Turkey to seek Asylum. Many of them, however, lost their lives in their journey to Greece in the Aegean Sea. […]
On 16th July 2020, in almost total silence and disinterest, the Italian Chamber of Deputies approved the so-called Decreto Missioni (“Missions Decree”). With this political decision, Italy renewed its strategic interest in Africa and, in particular, its support to the Libyan Coast Guard (LCG), a military body responsible for controlling the Libyan borders and combating irregular migration from its shores. […]
The European Union is operating under the Coronavirus Crisis framework, with most of the public discourse focusing on tackling the effects of the recent health crisis. In this context, the European Commission was able to pull a white rabbit from its hat: a 2020-2025 Security Union Strategy. […]
In the words of ecological economist Giorgos Kallis, “if humanity is not to destroy the planet’s life support systems, the global economy should slow down.” This simple premise is the seed of a new school of ecological economics – “degrowth” which aims to disrupt many of the traditional assumptions around economic growth. […]
The European Union has developed a solid legal framework that clearly proscribes labour exploitation and promotes equal opportunities and access to the labour market. The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union prohibits slavery and forced labour (Art. 5). Further, it promotes fair and just working conditions to protect workers, their dignity, health and safety (Art. 31). […]
The 20th of May, 2020 was marked by several notable events: the global number of coronavirus cases hit 4,789, 205; the hashtag #hydroxychloroquine started trending after American President Donald Trump’s controversial admission that he was taking antimalarials as a prophylaxis for SARS-CoV-2; and Brazil became the pandemic’s third most affected country. […]
In light of the spate of protests following a rigged election in Belarus, its citizens have taken to the streets enmasse to protest its outcome. The numbers are estimated to be in the tens of thousands, and they only seem to be getting stronger. Amidst all of the chaos, the EU still does not have a clear position, nor does the US who is still on the sidelines. […]
Give no respect, get no money. This seems to be the new and strongest stance so far adopted by EU institutions in the face of countries violating the rule of law. Yet, is this a true commitment or mere window dressing? It would appear that, in the hierarchy of EU issues, rule-of-law violations have been put aside by the Covid-19 pandemic, the following economic downturn and the impending climate crisis. […]
The European Citizens’ Initiatives is an instrument of participatory democracy that European citizens can use to submit a proposal to the Commission. In particular, the initiative named “We are a welcoming Europe, let us help” has been submitted by European citizens with the goal of asking the European Commission for a common and more comprehensive European law on immigration. […]