European Union (EU)

The Heinrich Böll Foundation focuses in its work programme 2016 on the impacts of the fossile ressource coal, and on ideas and opportunities a European energy union could offer to its citizens.

The programme "Europe for Citizens" pools activities fostering tolerance promotion, gender equality and the protection of fundamental rights.

In this core area of the work programme “Europe for Citizens” activities are pooled that focus diversly on various aspects of the European asylum and refugee policy.

The work programme "Europe's Future - Rethinking Europe" is pooling activities that focus diversly on various aspects of European policies, its perspetives and future prospects.

The EU wanted to exert international pressure to speed up the reduction of carbon emissions in air traffic. However, it failed because its climate policy met with existing conflicts of interest.

Before the Spanish reelections on 26. June 2016 the democratisation of the European institutions and the solution of the refugee crisis became relevant issues of the political debate.

In his new book A Heart for Europe. The Case for Europatriotism, Dick Pels postulates a new Europatriotism in times of doubt and uncertainty. Politicians and intellectuals should take responsibility of charismatic and visionary leadership to oppose the politics of fear by rising nationalist movements.

Since late 2015, the Heinrich Böll Foundation is in the process of setting up a new office in Paris, which will focus on four main activities: energy transition and climate protection, greening the economy, democracy’s crisis of confidence, and European politics.

Currently the debate on nuclear weapons in the European Union is not making any progress, this could be due to the failure of the Non-Proliferation Treaty in 2015. Nevertheless, a nuclear-weapon-free zone in Europe should still be envisaged.

The Minsk agreement has come to a standstill. From Ukraine can't accept bogus elections in Donbass and grant autonony to puppet republics while Russia simultaneously expand its power in the region.

The European Union’s climate policy aims for lower emissions, lower consumption and an increase in renewable energy. The targets are achievable – but they ought to be more ambitious.

Xenophobia and efforts to turn public opinion against “social welfare migrants” are not a new invention. But the fact that every solution that comes from the EU is ignored – this is something new.

Will the Greek crisis return? Will Tsipras be able to stave it off? The road to national dignity is paved with good intentions and even better proclamations.

A special EU summit of heads of state and government will take place on 23 September. After years of neglect, however, a solidary EU refugee policy cannot be elaborated in summary proceedings and under pressure. A commentary by Eva van de Rakt.

After images of Budapest’s Keleti train station illustrating the need for a fast EU assistance programme for refugees: the governments of Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia reaffirmed their vehement “no” to refugee quotas.

From my hotel room in Budapest at the weekend, I followed the images of Germany’s Willkommenskultur, the country’s policy and manner of welcoming refugees and migrants. They have now been granted permission to travel via Austria to Germany.

For four days now I have been in Budapest, a witness to a drama that I would have considered impossible in an EU capital not long ago.

Greek society is divided over the question of the referendum. The Syriza government ended up toying with democratic processes and institutions, says Dimitri A. Sotiropoulos. A commentary.

Our main areas of activity are the EU’s common foreign and security policy, energy and climate policy, as well as the promotion of democracy and human rights.

At the southern border of “Fortress Europe”, the Mediterranean has turned into a graveyard. The current migrant crisis in Europe is about more than a risk to the EU’s reputation. It strikes at the core of the EU’s founding values.  A continuation of its half-hearted response to the migration crisis is out of question.