European Union (EU)

The Kosovo war of 25 years ago serves as a reminder that frozen conflicts and bilateral disputes cannot be swept under the rug for long. In the current geopolitical environment, they will blow up in Europe’s face.

The EU's Critical Raw Materials Act is peppered with commitments to “value-addition” in the countries where critical minerals will be mined and processed. But there is reason to believe that this means little.

The European Union has understood the importance of critical minerals in building a sustainable future. But neglecting to address the mining industry’s human-rights violations and environmental destruction could harm the ensure access to raw materials and boost the climate change.

The full and strategic alignment of policies and strategies between the United States and the EU regarding the Western Balkans region needs to be prioritized in the current challenging security context. It has worked before and will work again.

Whether hard power projection or diplomacy, Europe’s role on the world stage might already have evaporated. This article analyses three aspects of a dwindling Europe in the global security realm.

Ever since its first proposal in the 1950s, the European army has been a ghost in the system of European Defence debates. But it is an unhelpful and distracting concept for the challenges that the EU and Europe more broadly are currently facing.

Italy's media is in crisis, battling legal onslaughts and facing a surge of censorship one year after the establishment of the far-right government led by Giorgia Meloni.

Interview with Hamide Ayaz, whose house collapsed in the conflicts in Sur, Sociologist Mihriban İlbaş, and Selma Aslan, Co-Chair of the Diyarbakır Branch of the Chamber of Architects, about the earthquake houses undertaken by TOKİ and their impact on women's lives. 

In August, wildfires in Evros killed a group of people, including children, passing along a well-trodden migration route. Locals and politicians made the victims scapegoats for the disaster. First piece of our 2023 Climate Disinformation Fellowship by Giorgos Christides and Katy Fallon. Photos by Alexandros Avramidis.

With the return of former Prime Minister Fico, old authoritarian patterns could resurface in the upcoming elections. However, progressives also have a chance to win.

The Dutch Greens and Labor Party are joining forces. Short-term to win the upcoming elections, form a left-wing, progressive coalition government, and reclaim the Prime Ministership. Long-term to offer a comprehensive, compelling vision for the future, in which a green well-being economy, security of existence, and social and climate justice are central. An exciting development with valuable insights for coalition-builders anywhere.

The Agenda 2030 is at its half-way point, yet the 17 goals for sustainable development remain a distant proposition. In the following conversation, Imme Scholz discusses the causes and points out how the global community may speed up their realisation.

The recent election in Greece and the victory of Nea Dimokratia has strengthened Conservatives in Europe. The opposition in Greece is in a dire situation. They won't be able to put pressure on the new government, as they are too weak. 

The national elections of May 21st led to a historic victory of the conservative Nea Dimokratia, seem to have reshuffled the political landscape in the country, yet Greece is set for a second election in a month time. Michalis Goudis, Director of the Heinrich Böll Foundation, Thessaloniki Office - Greece, provides a read of the election result.

This year`s representative survey reveals that citizens expect Germany to play a more active role in the EU.

The Heinrich Böll Stiftung’s Foreign Policy Conference in February gave a snapshot of the German Green Party’s foreign policy priorities vis-à-vis Ukraine and Eastern Europe.

A recent opinion poll by 21 Research Centre investigated how Hungarian people perceive different media outlets in the country and how they access political information.

The Russian aggression against Ukraine weakens Russia's hegemony in the post-Soviet space. Countries such as Turkey and China are becoming important players in the reorganization of the regional order. The EU must improve its policy towards the eastern neighborhood in order to remain a relevant stakeholder.

Countries such as Poland or Hungary frequently face criticism for a lack of media freedom. Their governments dispute that they oppose critical media. Yet, restrictions on media freedom come in many shapes and sizes.

The once lively scene of local and national Ukrainian media is threatened by the brutal Russian invasion and occupation. War has changed the work of journalists and media business models are under threat.