EU/North America

Although the European Union is facing enormous political challenges, Germany has shown little initiative in European politics in recent years. Proposed reforms of other member states, such as France, have been mostly opposed on the grounds that «the German taxpayers» must not be even further burdened. This study investigates the factual and popular basis of this narrative.

In this policy paper “A Local Turn for European Refugee Politics” the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung puts forward proposals for a more active role of the municipalities in refugee and asylum policy.

It is vital to intensify the work on an architecture for peace across Europe. The purpose of this report is to provoke further discussions on how this can be done without losing sight of the causes of the current crisis.

This synopsis paper provides a summary and analysis of papers produced by the Heinrich Boell Foundation offices in eight countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico and South Africa. The scope of this synopsis is limited to these countries and focuses primarily on the need for a transition to renewable energy in the context of economic growth and climate change.

The European Energy Atlas shows a clear alternative: It not only provides a compass on the different energy discussions in different Member States but also reveals how a Europeanization of the energy transition will be the more efficient and cost-effective option for all Europeans.

Liberal democracies are under pressure, both worldwide and in Europe. For example, in Hungary and Poland, farright nationalist to nationalistic parties are in government and propagate an ‘illiberal’ democracy. The dismantling of democracy in an EU member state is not a national problem – it is a European one. The study makes clear the dilemma in which the EU finds itself and what possibilities for action are available to it.

How far does Budapest's influence extend? How has the "refugee crisis" affected regional cooperation? This study gives background information, facts and data on the last three years of the “refugee crisis”: its social, political, policy and diplomatic repercussions.

Oil industry actors had early knowledge of climate risks and important opportunities to act on those risks, but repeatedly failed to do so. Those failures give raise to potential legal responsibilities under an array of legal theories.

In many southern montane regions of the EU, the growing presence of immigrants has come to counterbalance the decline and ageing of the local rural populations and agricultural workforce. The paper examines problems as well as potentials of this development.