Is the German presidency succeeding to consolidate the Union and reinforce the European institutions? by Nicola Beer MEP, Vice-President of the European Parliament, Strasbourg/Brussels Big plans lie ahead. They set the EU’s direction for the next six months. As a German pacemaker on the European stage, they create a stronger, united Europe. The German Council…
Concrete solutions for concrete challenges by Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, Brussels The urgency of the EU’s security and defence initiatives is not diminishing. On the contrary: recent events in Mali, Libya, Ukraine and Nagorno-Karabakh confirm how deeply unstable countries and regions…
by Cyrille Schott, Préfet (h.) de région, Member of Board of EuroDéfense France, Paris If the performance of authoritarian regimes and democracies in the face of the pandemic has been questioned, another subject deserves consideration: that of the comparative effectiveness of unitary states and federal states. An accurate study of the issue will require sufficient…
by Professor Dr Ulf Dittmer, Director of the Institute for Virology, University Medicine Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen Viruses are very small pathogens that cannot be seen without significant magnification. However, modern borders do not stop these small pathogens from traveling around the world causing massive damage to human health and economies. We are currently still…
The Covid-19 pandemic has given powerful impetus to the digital transformation of health and care by Dr Roberto Viola, Director-General, DG Connect, European Commission, Brussels Digital technologies promise to make the work of medical personnel easier, including during a pandemic. In fact, the Covid-19 pandemic has shown that data and digital technologies are key for…
A n improved common EU health policy would not only be helpful – as has become more than clear against the background of the current pandemic – but is actually a downright vital necessity. Different approaches to the attempts at containment and treatment of the coronavirus, or the competing procurement of personal protective and urgently…
by Federico Fabbrini, Full Professor of EU Law at Dublin City University and Founding Director of the Brexit Institute, Dublin The withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) on 31st January 2020 represented an historical moment – but it did not represent the end of Brexit. On the one hand,…
Solidarity between the peoples of Europe is the overarching aim of European integration. Its fundamental treaties refer to it and include it in many of their articles – the preamble to the Treaty on European Union (TEU) makes it an official objective: “… DESIRING to deepen the solidarity between their peoples while respecting their history,…
The European: Minister Asselborn, you are Luxembourg’s Minister of Foreign and European Affairs and Minister for Immigration and Asylum. You are largely known in Europe as the personality embodying the voice of solidarity and humanity. The pictures of the situation in refugee camps and especially the fire in Lesbos’ camp Moria, where nearly ten thousand…
The Covid-19 pandemic has become the generational public health crisis we all feared. A crisis that has changed all aspects of life. Over the past nine months, we have witnessed unbearable human suffering, with over a million people having tragically lost their lives. This is not a statistic. Behind each number is a unique story,…