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NL It ain't easy going green, part 2: Albania
This series is written in collaboration with International Foundation GroenLinks (IFG). EU enlargement is back on the agenda. After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and amid growing uncertainty about the United States’ role in Europe, EU leaders have increasingly stressed the need to expand the Union. Closer cooperation with countries in Eastern Europe [...]
US does not want allies, but followers
“Passing ships will be burned”. Those were the words with which the Iranian Revolutionary Guard announced on 2 March that the Strait of Hormuz would be blocked. Ships that tried to cross anyway would be set on fire. US President Trump made it clear that his allies would have to help open the Strait of Hormuz, and acting passively would be “a foolish decision”. Yet Germany, Spain and Italy indicated no mission [...] (yet).
It ain't easy going green, part 1: Montenegro
This series is written in collaboration with International Foundation GroenLinks (IFG). EU enlargement is back on the agenda. After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and amid growing uncertainty about the United States’ role in Europe, EU leaders have increasingly stressed the need to expand the Union. Closer cooperation with countries in Eastern Europe [...]
Von der Leyen's self-interested thinking is a danger to everything Europe stands for
What does Europe stand for in the world? It is a question that seems increasingly and increasingly difficult to answer. The identity crisis our continent is caught up in is becoming increasingly visible in the foreign policy of European countries and EU institutions. Previously self-evident principles, such as protecting and upholding international law and promoting [...]
Diploma ceremony of the Progressive Ukraine Programme
The online graduation ceremony of the Progressive Ukraine Programme, organised within the Open Progressive University (OPU), took place this week at the European Parliament in Brussels. The ceremony was organised by the Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS), in cooperation with the S&D Group in the European Parliament and the Max van der Stoel Foundation (FMS). [...]
Ukraine after four years of war: “We need new arguments”
This article is also available in English. Tomorrow, four years will have passed since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began. What began as a shock in February 2022 has turned into a protracted and exhausting reality - for Ukrainians, but also for Europeans. While European governments have consistently continued financial and military support, it seems [...]
Coalition agreement: “Getting started” in Europe, at your own pace?
D66, VVD and CDA this week presented their coalition agreement for the upcoming minority government that will govern the Netherlands under Rob Jetten's leadership. That the cabinet will have a significantly higher pro-European signature than its predecessor is clear from the outset. The three coalition parties devote considerable attention to geopolitical and European affairs, with the aim of putting the Netherlands back in [...]
EU Africa Youth Think Tank 2025: young people in action for future-proof EU-Africa relations
2025 marked the second edition of the Africa Youth Think Tank at the Max van der Stoel Foundation. Thirty enthusiastic young people dived deep into the question: how can Europe and Africa build a sustainable, future-proof cooperation in autumn 2025? Getting to work on real policy dilemmas The project started in August with [...]
Why the Netherlands avoids the debate on extreme wealth
Source: Flickr Extreme wealth inequality is detrimental to societies. It leads to less trust in the government, less social cohesion and a greater risk of politicians being influenced by a small group of wealthy individuals. This is a hotly debated topic in Europe, but in the Netherlands it seems to have little political influence and is dismissed as a […]
New EU rules on political ads: protecting democracy or fighting symptoms?
Source: Wikimedia Commons This article was posted as part of our work in the Dutch Democracy Coalition. This project was created with support from Democracy & Media Foundation. This article is based on conversations with Pieter van Boheemen (Post-X Society) and Alice Stollmeyer (Defend Democracy) about the impact of new EU regulations on political advertisements and resilience [...].