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NL Watch back now: debate with MEP candidates on the Western Balkans
Photo: Flags of EU Member States - Flickr On 26 May in Leiden, the FMS together with PAX, Free Press Unlimited, NHC, Dutch-Albanian Friendship Foundation and Humanitarian Intervention Committee organised a debate on EU integration of the Western Balkans! Teun Janssen (Volt), Ingeborg ter Laak (CDA), Reinout van Malenstein (NSC), Alisha Muller (VVD), Thijs Reuten (GL-PvdA) & [...]
All Eyes on Sudan
In Khartoum, Sudan's capital, heavy fighting broke out in April last year between the government army the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary army Rapid Support Forces (RSF). A bloody war has been raging in Sudan ever since. But even before this escalation in 2023, the country was experiencing major problems. The population of [...]
Oxfam director Michiel Servaes: 'Solidarity is still in our society'
Michiel Servaes was a diplomat, politician, now director of Oxfam Novib, but has "always remained an activist". In conversation with FMS, he speaks out about inequality and climate change and, of course, the lawsuit against the Dutch government over the F35 parts for Israel. Despite the challenges and problems, he remains hopeful: "Solidarity is still in [...]
Marit Maij's mission: 'Europe must be for everyone'
Photo: Marit Maij, candidate #3 for GL-PvdA in the European elections Marit Maij, former diplomat, member of parliament and director of ActionAid, is a candidate for the European Parliament. In an exclusive interview, she explains what drives her, her vision of human rights and how she wants to defend and strengthen these fundamental values within the [...]
Marius Troost, EP candidate: "Europe is so powerful, if you get something done there you change the lives of millions of people for the better"
Ahead of the European elections on 6 June, we speak to Marius Troost (31), who is in position 14 for GroenLinks-PvdA as a candidate for the European Parliament. Cheerfully, Marius arrives at his café around the corner in Amsterdam West, where the interview takes place. It immediately becomes clear that Marius is especially driven [...]
Where do the tensions within the Eritrean diaspora come from?
The clashes in The Hague between people from the Eritrean diaspora are not isolated incidents. Similar tensions occur in several countries. Dutch politicians advocate cracking down, without fully understanding the root causes, especially the role of the dictatorial Eritrean regime. Recently, tensions within the Eritrean diaspora escalated into [...]
Come too! Q&A with Eduard Cousin on the political situation and elections in Egypt
On Tuesday 5 December, at 14:00, writer and journalist Eduard Cousin will be our guest at the FMS to answer questions about the political situation in Egypt! Presidential elections are coming up in the country (10-12 December), in addition the country is also in the spotlight because of the war between Israel and Hamas. Eduard [...]
Security in the Sahel: More soldiers or more development aid?
Photo: MINUSMA troops in 2018 (source: Flickr) In recent years, there have been coups in several countries in the Sahel. At the same time, a UN peacekeeping mission has failed and the security situation of the population is deteriorating. Less emphasis on military means and a renewed focus on development cooperation may offer a solution. In late July this year, a coup [...]
Annual Meeting of the European Forum for Democracy and Solidarity
The Annual Meeting of the European Forum for Democracy and Solidarity took place on 25 November 2023. During the meeting, which was held in Sarajevo, FMS discussed several topics with a large group of Forum members. We started the day with a discussion on training and discussed how to increase synergy [...]
The Africa Day Youth Think Tank in action!
At the FMS, youth engagement is a high priority. For this reason, last summer we launched the Africa Day Youth Think Tank, a project in cooperation with Erasmus+. Thirty young people, from diverse educational and personal backgrounds, united around a shared interest: the African continent. Together, they have spent the past [...]
