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 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 Gabriella ATKINS Last week witnessed a leak unprecedented in size and scale. 11.5m files were obtained from one of the most secretive offshore law firms, Mossack Fonesca, by the German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung. Seuddeutsche Zeitung shared the information with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) which then worked with journalists and media … More The Panama Papers
Analysis by Gabriella ATKINS The ownership of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, is burgeoning at an unprecedented rate. Traditionally limited to military usage, dropping costs and increased production means drones are becoming within the reach of a significant proportion of the population. In the run-up to Christmas 2015 it was estimated 400,000 drones were going … More A Sky Full of Drones: Drone Usage and the Law
Commentary by Alex IRELAND Climate change has been in the news recently due to the UN Climate Change Conference held in Paris, but is an issue of enduring importance. However, the effects of climate change are often hard to visualise, leading people to underestimate the scale of the problem. Maps of rising sea levels can … More Climate Change: A Threat to National Security
Commentary and Analysis by Danaë LAZARI From the beginning to the end, 2015 was a tumultuous year, characterised by new and continuing crises in political, economic, and moral terms. The worsening of the war in Syria led to the worst refugee crisis seen in Europe since the Second World War, whilst anti-establishment feeling peaked among … More A Review of 2015 and Implications for 2016
Analysis by Kirsten WILLIAMS As the exhausted and overworked delegations at the UN’s 21st annual climate conference came to an agreement, the world’s media erupted into a frenzy of analysis and commentary. After two solid weeks of negotiations between 196 countries, a deal was finally struck last week, with the aim of curbing global warming … More COP 21: A Round-Up
Interview and commentary by Gabriella ATKINS 26th October 2015 witnesses Routledge’s publication of EU Climate Policy Explained, edited by Jos Delbeke and Peter Vis. Young Europeans Network has kindly been granted an exclusive interview with editor Peter Vis about this technical work regarding the European Union’s climate policy aimed at students and policy-makers. The significance … More More than International Hot Air? An Exclusive Interview with Peter Vis
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