Future EU Archives

As Europe is confronted by different visions about its future, the question remains how these different visions will affect the developments in the Western Balkans. The Balkans remain fragile, and the external pressures and internal divisions could deliver fresh instability in the region.

Last week, the Commission announced a budget that ‘’protects, empowers and defends’’. But who exactly are we protecting empowering and defending? Not Europe’s children nor their counterparts in the developing world. Children are not even mentioned in this proposal.

The idea of making EU funding conditional with respect of the rule of law seems logical as legislatives changes adopted in Hungary and Poland are worrisome. But will it tackle the root of the problem? Ramona Coman and Nathalie Brack have the answer.

Let’s involve more people in decision making and inspire all levels of government, be they local, national or European, to put people first, writes Anna Lisa Boni.

A vital social democracy will play a decisive role in shaping the future of the European Union. The goal of a united Europe, contractually agreed by all EU member states, is to promote participatory democracy, writes Norbert Kluge.

The EU’s next Multi-Annual Financial Framework (MFF) must reflect the commitment the EU has made to decarbonise its economy, in line with the aims of the Paris Agreement. Strong overall coherence to ensure that funds are spent in targeted and intelligent ways is the key to its success, writes Jonathan Gaventa.

It is high time the European Commission stops dragging its feet and present a legislative proposal to ensure the corporate respect for human rights and to establish binding human rights for European companies, writes Heidi Hautala.

The fact that the Western Balkans is being increasingly prioritised on the European agenda is no longer sufficient To achieve real progress in EU integration, the Western Balkan countries need a clearly defined plan that includes a concrete timeframe for all six countries, writes Ilhan Kyuchyuk.

The number of poor countries facing major debt crises has doubled since 2013, and only 1 in 5 are now considered to be at low risk of crisis. With some countries in the midst of crisis and others on the brink, meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) remains a pipe dream, writes Mark Perera.

Although talks on the EU's next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) might appear dull on the surface, we should force ourselves to take notice of them and emphasise the long-term importance of the external tranche of the budget, writes Susi Dennison.

As Roma week 2018 comes to a close, Violeta Naydenova calls on the member governments and the Commission to use their influence to persuade the Bulgarian Presidency to increase their efforts against anti-Roma hatred in Bulgaria.

To ensure the security and stability of the Western Balkans, the perspective of membership may no longer be enough. The EU should push back against Russian propaganda and engage in smarter outreach. It needs a new, more confident approach, writes Sir Graham Watson.

Much ado about nothing. This is how we could sum up one of President Macron’s first citizens’ consultations, held in Croatia, writes Mario Munta.

Brexit's focus on minutiae is an unnecessary distraction from the more pressing challenges Europe must meet. Unity is crucial to Europe's security and well-being, writes Giles Merritt.

We have to value EU membership and avoid behaviour that undermines its success, writes Slovakia's European affairs chief, Ivan Korčok.

The EIB is a public institution and supports projects in the name of EU policies. Therefore it is high time for the EU bank to ask for more than what commercial banks do for the sake of justice and broader public interest, write Xavier Sol andAntonio Tricarico.

Policymakers on both sides of Brexit negotiations owe a duty of care to the young Britons who overwhelmingly voted “Remain” by delivering a fair deal and putting the future above political intentions, writes Andrianos Giannou.

On this single issue, David Cameron was right. Member states must have the option to index child benefits to the cost of living where the benefits are paid out, write Morten Loekkegaard and Troels Lund Poulsen.

Fundamental rights and values are currently under attack across the European Union. In order to work in these aggravated conditions, funding is often key, writes Terry Reintke.

Without a deeper political agenda, the EU might rapidly lose ground in Greenland to the benefit of China, write André Gattolin and Damien Degeorges.

If we want to reduce the use of natural resources and energy in absolute terms, a sufficiency strategy is needed to complement the eco-efficiency and circular economy approaches, write Riccardo Mastini and Leida Rijnhout.

This week’s developments might cheer those who want to see the UK leave the EU. But they are a rude awakening for those who argued leaving the EU had no costs and a sad reminder that leaving the EU will be an act of self-harm, writes Petros Fassoulas.

A Brexiternity beckons for the years ahead, well past the next general election, as political, economic and policy shapers will debate and disagree on what kind of Brexit the UK wants and needs, writes Denis MacShane.

The resolution on Brexit voted with a large majority in the European Parliament today (March 14) sketches the outlines of a new EU-UK association agreement and brings us one step closer towards a dynamic post-Brexit relationship, writes Andrew Duff.