Commentary by Louis VIS Whilst the idea of a single currency for the whole of the European Union (EU) gained momentum from 1969 onwards, it had to wait until the signing of the Maastricht Treaty in 1992 and the strong leadership of Jacques Delors, then President of the European Commission, to become a concrete European … More Who is to Blame for the State of the Eurozone?
Commentary by Gabriella AKTINS Whilst the negotiation of an EU-Canada trade deal may seem of little significance to the UK in the light of Theresa May’s first EU summit as Prime Minister, the difficulties the EU is facing should be a grave warning for the UK. Currently, the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement with Canada (CETA) … More Why Wallonia’s Blocking of CETA is a Concern for the UK
Commentary by Gabriella ATKINS Ask parents of the millennial generation how they feel about the prospects for their children and the majority will answer with a reticent scepticism. House prices mean many will be unable to afford to enter the property ladder; climate change means children are paying for the sins of their parents; and … More The Re-emergence of the Zero-sum Economy
Commentary by Gabriella ATKINS The 2016 US presidential elections have provided entertainment watching for observant countries. However, whilst the rise of Donald Trump initially proved diverting, the worrying reality is that Mr Trump is now one of two remaining presidential candidates. And he isn’t going away. His performance in the most recent presidential debates might seem … More The Rise of Donald Trump, Marine Le Pen and Nigel Farage… Why Now?
Commentary by Louis VIS During the UK’s EU referendum campaign, many argued that a Brexit vote would put the country’s universities at risk. Last month, the University of Oxford became the first UK University to top a global league table. So what can explain Oxford’s success? The key to this is that Brexit has not … More What Will Brexit Mean for UK Universities?
Commentary by Danaë LAZARI The Brexit referendum has dominated EU media for many months, but upcoming referendums in other EU Member States also have the potential to uproot the conventional policies of those states, with significant consequences for the EU. On Tuesday, it was announced that the Italian referendum on constitutional reform will take place on … More The EU’s Next Referendum: Hungary and the Migrant Relocation Mechanism
Commentary by Louis VIS In a recent series of articles on Euroscepticism, I demonstrated that the United Kingdom was the European Union’s most Eurosceptic Member State. In light of these findings, I also tried to explain that ultimately a mix of political, social and cultural factors are also needed to fully explain people’s perception of … More Why is the UK so Eurosceptic?
Commentary by Kirsten WILLIAMS On 16 September, EU officials will meet in Slovakia’s capital, Bratislava, for an informal ‘summit’. While a seismic change in the way the EU functions is not on the cards, European leaders will be discussing some of the issues currently challenging the bloc. First on the agenda is likely to be … More EU Leaders in Bratislava: What to Expect
Commentary by Louis VIS Three months ago, the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union by the smallest of margins. Following the latest speech of Brexit Minister David Davis, one could honestly wonder whether the government knows what Brexit means. But what, if anything, can we learn from the result of the EU referendum? … More Time for a New Political Spectrum
Commentary by Ryan HILL On Tuesday 30 August 2016, the European Commission ordered Ireland to begin proceedings to collect up to €13 billion in taxes. The ruling is the culmination of a three-year long inquiry into the legality of Apple’s tax deal with Ireland. Yesterday, that deal was deemed to be one which granted Apple … More The European Commission and Apple
Commentary by Gabriella Atkins The recent decision by 26 mayors in the south of France to ban the ‘burquini’, and subsequent photographs appearing to show armed police forcing a woman to remove her clothing, has precipitated controversy and outrage. In London, in a protest outside the French embassy women united to demonstrate for their freedom to … More The Burquini Was Designed to Liberate Women, Not Enslave Them
Commentary by Louis VIS Had it not been for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil not much news would have happened. Who could complain? Yet whilst the world had turned its attention to the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, a few politicians managed to make headlines and ruin the Brazilian party. On Monday, the … More The Olympic Games: Challenging Identity
Dear readers, On the 19th August 2015, we officially launched Young Europeans Network in London. It has been a tumultuous year in European – and world – politics, and we have thoroughly enjoyed bringing you up-to-date with events on a weekly basis. We expect to have no shortage of topics over the next year, … More Our First Milestone
Commentary by Kirsten WILLIAMS Austria and Turkey have long endured a somewhat fractious relationship. As the seats of the Habsburg and Ottoman empires, the nations were frequently at war with each other, vying for influence and power. The downfall of both dynasties came almost simultaneously, at the end of the First World War. In the … More Austria and Turkey’s Big Falling Out
Commentary by Louis VIS Defining the boundaries of a country or nation state is vital to help build a sense of identity, because it helps distinguish between insiders and outsiders; ‘us’ and ‘them’. A ‘frontier’ can be defined as ‘a line or border separating two countries’, and therefore a ‘final frontier’ implies a static or immovable … More Does the European Union Have a Final Frontier?
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