Opinions
The Brief – Is ‘peace’ a dirty word?
Several EU leaders have voiced ideas for a ceasefire and peace agreement in Ukraine, but Kyiv dismissed them out of hand, comparing them to the attempts to appease Hitler in 1938.Promoted content
Collaboration delivers digital skills for a digital Europe
There is a significant digital skills gap in Europe. To overcome this problem, strategic collaboration between public and private actors is key. Overcoming the digital skills gap will ensure that technology will continue to be beneficial for an inclusive and fair society, today and tomorrow.
The Brief – The German fiscal hawk returns
The European Commission's announcement that the EU's rules on debt and deficits will remain suspended for another year has triggered a fierce reaction in Germany, whose finance minister - the liberal Christian Lindner - employed language reminiscent of Berlin’s austerity policy under Angela Merkel.Promoted content
The road ahead to be Fit for 55
The timely deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure across the EU, and smart taxation and charges, which encourage operators to decarbonise, are paramount for successfully decarbonising road transport. Raluca Marian is the Director EU Advocacy and General Delegate of IRU’s Permanent...
G7 leadership is critical to put the brakes on deforestation
Deforestation is happening at a rapid pace and threatening food security everywhere. With the G7 Summit Meeting in June approaching, leaders are responsible for tackling deforestation as a major driver of climate change, writes Ani Dasgupta.
EU must put oil, gas, and mining companies in the spotlight
EU lawmakers have a chance to mitigate the dangers posed by extractives. Oil, gas, and mining operations present major risks and need stricter controls, write Elisa Peter and Robert Pitman.Promoted content
Digestive cancers: Turning the tide through prevention
Leading digestive cancer experts, policymakers and the MEP Digestive Health Group (MEP DHG), discuss challenges and policy opportunities for digestive cancer prevention across Europe, prompting action to reduce the burden of digestive diseases.
The EU must do more to protect Ukraine’s children
A common and uniform registration process and more national protection centres are needed in the EU to help protection children fleeing the war in Ukraine, write Dragos Pislaru and Adrián Vázquez Lázara.
The Brief – Demoralising is ugly, not delivering is worse
Why do some European leaders keep saying that it may take decades before Ukraine can join the EU? Out of a pure sense of self-preservation.
A vision to democratise Europe from Brussels to Brussels
In her closing speech at the Conference of the Future of Europe (CoFoE), Ursula von der Leyen made a historic declaration on the fundamental role of citizen participation. This has allowed reflection on another historical instant in the Brussels Parliament, writes Magali Plovie.Promoted content
The Future of Europe: time to choose
“It is our moral obligation to create what I would call a European Political Community”. The words used by Emmanuel Macron as President of the Council of the European Union, to wrap up one year of work of the Conference on the Future of Europe (COFOE) confirms that a profound reform of the EU is becoming a moral imperative.
How new rules to define renewable hydrogen could shape the market
Late on Friday 20 May, the European Commission published rules for calling transport fuels of non-biological origin, including hydrogen, renewable. The criteria is strict, despite industry lobbying, write Corinna Klessmann, Felix von Blücher, and Malte Gephart.Special ReportPromoted content
Pointing to the right solutions for improving cardiovascular health
In the report we published on “Health Systems After COVID-19” last year, we had suggested that evaluating the impact of a pandemic was going to require significant untangling of events that were still under investigation.
Erdogan’s NATO expansion roadblock will only harm Turkey
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan tends to shoot first and ask questions much later, and he is clearly making the same mistake once again with the NATO enlargement issue, writes Henri J. Barkey.
The Brief – Russia’s hub in the heart of Europe
The European Union has gone to great lengths to sanction Russia over its military aggression against Ukraine and the war crimes committed there. Some of the sanctions are very painful for EU countries, as many of them depend on Russian...Promoted content
Fair play out of REACH? The EU’s approach to restricting ammunition
A case of EFSA’s maladministration has disadvantaged the public consultation phase concerning the ongoing restriction procedure on lead in ammunition and it risks undermining the resulting legal framework with unreliable data.
‘The key moment for Ukraine is the growing international support’
The only way to stop Russian fascism is to make Russia suffer deep military defeat in the war against Ukraine, writes Roman Rukomeda.Promoted content
Simply the Best: How to Make a Circular Economy Work for Buildings
EU thinkers and policy makers love to talk about Best Practice. As Europe looks for ways to cut carbon emissions in a circular economy, it is important to remember that “practice” here doesn’t mean rehearsal. It means action.
Rethinking the EU’s role in European collective defence
The EU’s response to the war in Ukraine shows that there is space for a European security provider in addition to NATO. The key issue is how NATO and the EU can complement each other, argue Lucia Retter and Stephanie Pezard.
What Europe’s next steps should be after Russia’s aggression against Ukraine
Europe must realise that with the current criminal Russian regime, it will not be possible to restore relations with Moscow even when the war in Ukraine ends, writes Urmas Paet. MEP Urmas Paet (Renew) is Vice-Chair of the European Parliament’s...
The Brief – Borrell gets his hearing for the defence
When the EU’s chief diplomat, Josep Borrell, concluded the bloc’s first defence policy review, more than 18 months ago, he warned that “European defence suffers from fragmentation, duplication and insufficient operational engagement.”
Is nuclear the overlooked solution for Europe’s energy woes?
Following the Fukushima disaster in 2011, Germany sped up plans to shut down all its nuclear plants. Given the current energy crisis, such decisions should be revisited,writes Timur Tllyaev.Special ReportPromoted content
Euro 7 is a chance for the EU to set global standards by tackling one of the most toxic air pollutants
The public discourse over air quality in Europe has become fiercer in recent years. More and more, the right to breath clean air is being fought out in courts, including the EU’s top court – the European Court of Justice...