Social Fabric and Equal Footing

Italy’s Subtle Path to Autocracy.

The rise of right-wing extremism and right-wing populism is not exclusively a German phenomenon. German political parties are actually quite united against collaboration with right-populists in comparison with other countries. We don’t need to look over the pond to the USA or Brazil to (…)

Thursday 11 April 2024

Orban’s Tactics and EU’s Dilemma: Addressing Hungary’s Challenges

Hungary might soon face dire consequences for rule of law violations based on Article 7 of the EU Treaties. In an extreme scenario, Hungary’s next Council presidency could be denied. Viktor Orban and Hungary’s leadership have deliberately undermined the EU’s efficacy, most recently evident in (…)

Wednesday 27 March 2024

MIGRATION IN EUROPE : WHERE HAS OUR HUMANISM GONE ?

Weeks go by and look just the same. In the mouths of our political leaders, exiles are no more than figures and statistics. On our television screens, the focus is no longer fighting against the extreme-right’s political agenda, but rather on demonstrating the utmost toughness on migration (…)

Tuesday 26 March 2024

Democracy Under Pressure: Slovak Presidential Election and Robert Fico’s “mafia state”

This text is written and published as part of the Democracy Under Pressure Campaign of JEF Europe On Saturday, Slovaks will go to the polls to elect their next President. While the presidency in Slovakia has historically been a largely ceremonial institution, this year’s election will (…)

Saturday 23 March 2024

PRESENTATION OF THE SAKHAROV PRIZE: A PRIZE FOR FREEDOM

Every year, the European parliament presents the Sakharov prize, dedicated to the freedom of thought. With last year’s winner being Ukraine, the honor has now been awarded to the Iranian civil society. A prize for the freedom of women The Sakharov prize of 2023 has been dedicated to the (…)

Tuesday 6 February 2024

When dystopia becomes reality: Segregation in European Capitals

In the popular book and movie franchise “The Hunger Games”, the story takes place within a fictional country called Panem which is divided into 13 regions, a rich capital and 12 districts of varying poverty. Where one lives determines the position within the social hierarchy, and it is nigh on impossible to climb from one level, or move from one district, to another. This system is quite clearly a dystopia. However, we might actually see something similar within some of our major cities. But when we do, we instead speak of segregation.

Tuesday 6 February 2024

A DECENT WELCOME FOR EVERY IMMIGRANT INSIDE THE EU : AN IMPOSSIBLE PROMISE ?

On December 20, 2023, an agreement was reached among the 27 member states and the European Parliament regarding the challenging issue of immigrant reception. While Fernando Grande-Marlaska Gómez, the Spanish Minister of the Interior, hails it as a “promise fulfilled by the European Union,” this (…)

Wednesday 31 January 2024

How to regulate sex work? EU countries can’t agree

Last September, a divided European Parliament adopted a report on the regulation of prostitution in the European Union (with 234 votes in favor, 175 against, and 122 abstentions). The text, which aims to reduce demand and “punishment” of clients, was confronted by multiple sex workers’ associations and NGOs. And despite having no legislative effect, the chamber’s decision has sparked a discussion that European countries have been dealing with for years: How to regulate sex work?

Thursday 11 January 2024

A cry for help from Belgrade: the post-elections protests in Serbia

Parliamentary elections were held in Serbia on December 17, 2023 for the renewal of the National Assembly, the country’s parliament; according to the latest official data, the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), led by Aleksandar Vučić, emerged as the winner with 46.7% of the votes. The opposition (…)

Monday 8 January 2024

“Beyond borders, beyond exploitation”

In Spain, the biggest strawberry export country in Europe, strawberries are called “the red gold” since this industry was worth 1.69 billion euros in 2021.

Thursday 17 August 2023

Will the EU adopt offshore handling of migrants?

Australia has been sending asylum seekers to remote countries for more than ten years now. The procedure, known as offshore handling of migrants, has been preached by some countries: Denmark and the UK have passed laws towards this direction. Will we see offshore handling of migrants in the European Union anytime soon? Human rights organisations hope not, as they have repeatedly criticised these offshore processing systems for their impact on the rights and well-being of asylum seekers.

Sunday 30 July 2023

Migrant shipwreck in Greece: another tragedy occurred on the Mediterranean Sea

On Wednesday the 14th of June, just a few days before World Refugee Day, an overloaded boat sank off the coast of Greece. On the night of Tuesday 13th to Wednesday 14th, the Mediterranean was once again the scene of a tragedy. A fishing boat bound for Italy from Libya sank off the Greek coast (…)

Wednesday 28 June 2023
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