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 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 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 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
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?
Commentary by Danaë LAZARI If a week is a long time in politics, the last five have given onlookers enough change and uncertainty to last several months. In the month after it was announced that the UK had voted to leave the EU, Brexit dominated the political sphere – certainly in Europe, but with a … More The Continuing Saga of the Austrian Presidential Elections
Commentary by Louis VIS (Traduction Française) ‘If we do not act, it will be too late. It comes down to what this country [France] stands for. It refuses to reform itself. It is a country that moves forward through revolutions’ (Jacques Attali 2013). With the French Presidential elections less than a year away and Marine Le Pen … More France’s Political Revolution?
Commentaire par Louis VIS (English Translation) “Si on n’agit pas, il sera trop tard. Cela renvoie à ce qu’est ce pays [la France]. Il ne se réforme jamais. C’est un pays qui avance par révolution” (Jacques Attali 2013). À moins d’un an des élections Présidentielles et avec une Marine Le Pen capable de propulser le Front … More Une France en Marche ?
Commentary by Kirsten WILLIAMS On 24th June, Europe woke to the shock decision by the UK – in reality only England and Wales – to leave the EU. International media was quickly consumed by a spate of resignations, angry protests and near-collapses of established political parties. A quick leadership campaign handed Theresa May the leadership of the … More A Troublesome Trio: Italy, Spain and Portugal in the EU.
Commentary by Danaë LAZARI The effect of Brexit on the island of Ireland was an issue which received relatively little attention in both campaigns in the run up to the EU referendum. Nevertheless it is an issue with substantial significance. Northern Ireland is likely to be hardest hit by Brexit, and this has severe political and … More Brexit and Northern Ireland
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