Ukraine and the redefinition of sovereignty

Source: FMT In the week of 14 March 2022, a few weeks after Putin's invasion of Ukraine, Time Magazine published an issue entitled The Return of History. This was a clear reference to Francis Fukuyama's famous work The End of History and the Last Man, in which he argued that liberal democracy after the fall of the [...]

With the honest story, Lara Sibbing cycles through the EU and the Netherlands

The European Parliament elections are coming up. Also on 6 June, Green-Left-PvdA will appear on the ballot paper with a shared list in which 'green' and 'red' come together. In the run-up to these elections, we therefore speak to several GL-PvdA candidates. In this interview Lara Sibbing - number 16 on the list - about [...]

Major concerns after Serbian election manipulation - 'Assertive EU is crucial'

Photo: The Serbian flag flies at a government building in the capital Belgrade. Source: Flickr The December 2023 Serbian elections, marked by large-scale fraud and manipulation, are a new chapter in the country's worrying development. Serbs took to the streets en masse in protest against the fraud, the uneven playing field and the overall state [...]

Tough stance against Azerbaijan crucial after ethnic cleansing in Karabakh

Photo: Ilham Aliyev and Charles Michel during a meeting in Brussels (2022) - Wikimedia Commons Less than a week after Azerbaijan's military offensive in the ethnic Armenian region of Nagorno-Karabakh and the subsequent capitulation of the Armenian authorities, Azerbaijani President Aliyev is meeting with his Turkish counterpart Erdogan. On the agenda are talks on [...]

New European publication on the way forward in Ukraine

Russia's aggression against Ukraine in February 2022 shocked the world and brought great devastation and trauma. The war continues in 2023, characterised by an unruly Ukraine, fighting courageously and energetically for its sovereignty, rule of law and self-determination. Western forces, with the European Union at the forefront, play an important role in [...]

How walls are still seen as a solution in 'Fortress Europe'

Today marks exactly 23 years since the Berlin Wall fell. For Europe, it seemed the impetus to blur borders and bet on unity and free mobilisation. Divisions caused by physical walls seemed to be a thing of the past. Today, however, walls are on the rise again Between Poland and [...]

A concrete perspective is necessary for EU integration of the Western Balkans

It has been almost 20 years since the EU met in Thessaloniki, Greece, in June 2003 to discuss the integration of the Western Balkans. This included a promise that Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, northern Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia would have a clear perspective towards EU membership. After two decades, only Croatia joined in 2013 - the other countries are still in the waiting room, leading to great frustration.

European Court: EU may cut Poland and Hungary subsidies for violation of principles

In a long-awaited ruling, the European Court of Justice has allowed the European Commission to cut billions of euros from member states that violate democratic and rule-of-law principles. The case focuses in particular on Poland and Hungary, which had challenged the conditionality of subsidies before the Court. The ruling takes place within a wider debate in Brussels on how to deal with various authoritarian powers that challenge the Union from both inside and outside.