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NL Vita Kovalenko: From Maidan to the Dordrecht City Council
Kido Koenig (l) and Vita Kovalenko (r) with her book “Truth Under Fire” In 2007, Vita Kovalenko came to the Netherlands, but it was not until 2014 that her social engagement with Ukraine really took shape. The spark struck during the Maidan protests in Kyiv, which she followed via livestreams from her workplace in the Netherlands. “It [...]
Romanian cabinet collapse: PSD breaks with pro-European government through collaboration with far-right
Last week, Romania's centrist, pro-European government led by Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan fell after just 10 months. The cabinet fall caused much consternation both within the country and across the border: Bolojan's government was pawed by a vote of no confidence passed in parliament, which stemmed from a [...]
It ain't easy going green, part 3: Ukraine
EU enlargement is back on the agenda. After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and following 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 and the Western Balkans is seen as important for the continent's security and [...]
Life in Occupied Ukraine: Untold Stories
What is it like to live in the Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine? That is the subject of the newly published book by journalist Ardy Beld, who spoke to former prisoners of war, refugees, collaborators, resistance fighters and abducted children. Currently, Russia controls some 20% of Ukrainian territory, mainly in the region [...]
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 [...]
In conversation with green activist: Andrej Zlatović on Serbian student movement, EU cooperation and neo-idealism
Source: Mašina/People's Dispatch This article is the first in a series of conversations in which International Foundation Groenlinks will engage with green activists from different parts of the world. The series looks beyond specific moments or campaigns and instead focuses on how activists reflect on their work, their context and current [...]
Expansion or stagnation? Our progressive agenda for (Southern) Eastern Europe in 2026
Ukraine: war, reforms and EU accession In Ukraine, war still rages daily. Peace seems far away due to persistent Russian aggression and US aberrations, despite intensive Ukrainian and European efforts to achieve peace. At the same time, Ukraine is fighting on a second front: democratising and strengthening society, institutions and politics with a view [...]
Democracy experienced under pressure in Belgrade
Source: Wikimedia Commons During a recent visit to Belgrade, including participation in an EFDS network meeting on democratic developments in the Western Balkans, the contrast between formal political analysis and the lived reality on the ground was impossible to ignore. Within the walls of a hotel conference room, participants spoke in abstract terms about the ongoing democratic decline in Serbia. [...]