Opinions
Chinese diplomat: To fight the pandemic, put trust and cooperation before politics
This spring is never going to be the same again. The explosive spread of COVID-19 caught the world by surprise, and it couldn’t show more clearly just how closely connected we are. As the pandemic looms large, China and the...Promoted content
Protecting children now and in the future
Children infected by COVID-19 are likely to only have mild symptoms. Nonetheless this crisis is having, and will continue to have, an enormous impact on their lives. The challenges of staying home are compounded for children living in poor housing, and for those for whom school lunches were the only hot meal a day.
How a green recovery can help modernise Europe
EU institutions and member states must act quickly and coherently in response to the COVID-19 crisis, writes Mats Engström. He suggests six points to consider when EU institutions work out post-crisis recovery plans.
COVID-19 emergency makes EU budget deal more urgent than ever
The seriousness of the coronavirus outbreak makes hefty cuts to cohesion policy in the EU's next long-term budget all the more unjustified, writes Enrico Rossi, the governor of Italy's Tuscany Region.
Is Bulgaria getting EU help to fight coronavirus impact?
Bulgarian PM Boyko Borissov has made public statements about the EU not providing adequate help in Bulgaria's fight with the coronavirus crisis. Former Deputy Prime Minister Ivailo Kalfin, who is the chairman of EURACTIV Bulgaria's board of directors, looked into these statements.
COVID-19 has exposed the fragility of our economies
The human dimensions of the COVID-19 pandemic reach far beyond the critical health response, as all aspects of our future will be affected - economic, social and developmental. Our response must be urgent and coordinated on a global scale, and should immediately deliver help to those most in need, writes Guy Ryder.
A new type of virus is upon us, and it is not corona
The whole world is preoccupied with the coronavirus pandemic. Every day, we experience apprehension and our thoughts focus on how we can protect ourselves, our families and countries. Yet, while nations struggle to mobilise their resources to fight this unparalleled epidemic, another virus is spreading almost undetected, Daniel Milo argues.Promoted content
A competitive European industry: the contribution of gas technologies
The EU industry is the foundation of the European economy, providing 80% of the block’s exports and 35 million of its jobs. It is now called on by the European Commission to be at the forefront of the fight against climate change. The secret weapon? Industrial innovation.
Beyond the corona darkness: Bringing light, air and sustainability into people’s homes
The European Green Deal must be central to the recovery programme needed to transition out of the crisis caused by COVID-19, writes Oliver Rapf. And the European Commission's upcoming building renovation wave should be at the centre of it, he argues.
COVID-19 means confining ourselves, not abandoning refugees
The image of three-year-old Alan Kurdi dead on the shore in 2015 sticks in our memory as a collective failure. Five years later, it looks like we haven’t done much to improve the situation of thousands of migrants who are either still trying to escape war or wait on asylum-seeker centres already on European soil, writes Iratxe García Pérez.
Health, trust and journalism: a Coronavirus Plan for the Media
In this Open Letter to the President of the EU Commission, media stakeholders and experts, in a personal capacity, along with MEPs and former MEPs ask for the Commission to support trust in public action, and to help sustain the media in this testing time.
How biofuels enter the race against the coronavirus pandemic
For 2020, hand sanitisers and disinfectants are what new iPhones and electric vehicles were for 2019. So, who are the Apples and Teslas of ethyl alcohol, asks Zoltán Szabó and explains how a climate solution is being turned into health assistance.
Embracing innovation for a stable and secure food supply
Amid the uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic, Europe must invest in innovation to enhance food security, as the ongoing crisis has laid bare the vulnerabilities of our seemingly strong system, writes Igor Teslenko.
Emergence from emergency: The case for a holistic economic recovery plan
If you think the coronavirus is scary – it’s only the training day for what will happen if we don’t stop the climate crisis: Global warming is far more dangerous, write members of The Club of Rome.
The Commission’s Eastern Partnership strategy is disappointing
Distance should not be a criterion: Georgia is better prepared for EU membership than the frontrunners of the Western Balkans, writes Andrius Kubilius.
Misguided ‘solution’ to terrorist content will have bad consequences for our rights
One year ago, on 15 March 2019, a terrorist entered a Christchurch mosque, murdering more than fifty people. Beyond the atrocity of such a hate crime, it hit the whole world for two reasonsPromoted content
Nigeria’s Silent Slaughter: Indifference is not an option
As different global crises jostle for the international limelight more than ever, a humanitarian disaster intensifies in Nigeria, gaining little attention among the international community and suffering crucially from the inaction of the country’s own federal government. The International Organization...
There is room to democratize EU integration process in Kosovo
It is not surprising why Kosovo lags behind in the EU enlargement process, having in mind that many civic society actors were excluded from previous consultation processes, write Svjetlana Ramic Markovic and Agon Demjaha. Svjetlana Ramic Markovic is MA International...
How coronavirus brought realism back
The coronavirus has already done more to unravel a borderless Europe than all the far-right politicians combined. The pandemic only reaffirmed Politics 101: only strong and effective states are able to cope with crises, writes Hamza Karčić.
COVID-19 stimulus should address health, economy and climate together
Governments around the globe are quickly designing some of the biggest economic stimulus plan ever seen in peacetime in response to the COVD-19 pandemic. But while the health crisis has forced all concerned to take swift action, we are still moving too slowly when it comes to the climate crisis, writes María Mendiluce.
Green Deal deserves a better Energy Taxation Directive in 2020, not years from now
Europe has a choice between getting a good taxation directive this year or waiting years for something not yet defined that may never win agreement. For the sake of climate progress, it should take its chances with what it has now, writes Jim Power.Promoted content
Building momentum with the private sector to speed up progress towards gender equality
Women’s economic empowerment is a driver for sustainable economic growth and central to realizing women’s rights, but progress in this area has been far too slow. In the context of the International Women’s Day, it is time for companies to step up and do their share for gender equality. #WEPs | #EnterpriseForEqual | #EqualityMeansBusiness | #IWD2020 | #GenerationEqualityPromoted content
What is genetic engineering? A plea for a rational definition of what it is and what it isn’t
The public debate on genetic engineering in agriculture is largely characterised by misinformation, myths and a confused understanding of nature, writes plant breeding and gene editing expert, Professor Hans-Jörg Jacobsen (PhD).