Upcoming events

March

Online discussion Thursday, 30. March 2023 in

Berlin

Böll.Global 15 | Violence against transgender people: How do we deal with antifeminist and transgender hostile discourses?

A series of online discussions on current international developments

Livestream

April

Conference Thursday, 06. April 2023 in

Paris

Feminist foreign policy: From ambition to action

May

Discussion series Thursday, 11. May 2023

Restitution as an end or starting point: What happens after restitution?

Livestream

June

Discussion series Monday, 19. June 2023

Transcontinental mobility: How much encounter does decolonisation need?

Livestream

September

Discussion series Thursday, 21. September 2023

Human-Nature Relationship: How can the protection of biodiversity in Europe and Africa succeed?

Livestream

Böll·Europe Podcast

Böll·Europe Podcast #6 | The toxic global impact of pesticides

Podcast episode

Pesticides are largely known for their negative effects on people and the environment. These substances are meant to kill pests, but their toxicity also destroys biodiversity and causes poisoning worldwide. Pesticides can be found everywhere: in the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the water we drink. That is why many highly dangerous pesticides are banned in the European Union.

Böll·Europe Podcast #5 | The future role of gas in a climate-neutral Europe

Podcast episode

Achieving a climate-friendly Europe by 2050 is the EU's long-term goal. In the short run, it means stopping using fossil gas almost entirely much sooner. To limit global warming to 1.5ºC above pre-industrial levels and stay in the Paris Agreement, the demand must end by 2035.

Böll·Europe Podcast #4 | Europride in Belgrade and LGBTIQ+ rights in the Western Balkans

Podcast episode

Europride is “the” pan-European international event dedicated to LGBTQI+ pride and since 1992, the event has been hosted by a different European city every year. Serbian capital Belgrade is home to the 2022 edition of Europride, although the Serbian President, Aleksandar Vučić announced that the event would be postponed or cancelled.

Böll·Europe Podcast #3 | Making the Great Turnaround Work part 2: Economic and social policies against climate change

Podcast episode

Climate change and the physical boundaries of our planet make it imperative to transform the way our societies work and produce goods. Gail Rego talks to Anna Coote and Antonio Andreoni about specific frameworks and policy proposals that could make the turnaround become a reality.

Listen to all Böll·Europe Podcast episodes

Latest articles

A vanishing line: the digital sphere and the increasing singularity of state and party

Commentary

The app"Aktiv1st" tracks the social media activity of Socialist Party members and supporters, rewarding them with points for all their likes and shares, and ranking them in a list to foster peer-to-peer competition.

By Alba Çela

Decarbonisation during and after the war: Where Ukraine is headed

Interview

Ukraine needs decarbonisation — the state's goal in combatting climate change and fulfilling its respective international commitments. Meanwhile, Russia's war against Ukraine continues, with infrastructure and housing being increasingly ruined, territories being mine-studded, and natural habitats being destroyed daily. That infrastructure would need rebuilding, which means increased emissions from construction sites and the operation of new enterprises. Alyona Vyshnytska interviews Oksana Aliieva, former coordinator of the Climate Change and Energy Policy Programme at the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung's Kyiv office, and Anna Ackerman, board member of Ecoaction NGO and policy analyst at the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD).

By Alyona Vyshnytska

Germany's feminist foreign and development policy: Need for changes in relations with the South Caucasus

Analysis

The German government is in the process of spelling out a feminist foreign and development policy. This article, aimed at contributing to policy changes based on the new paradigm, suggests how Germany’s policy towards Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, whose political relevance has increased for Berlin due to Russia’s war in Ukraine, could become feminist.

By Dr. Sonja Schiffers

Alignment on values, but not yet on strategy – Green Foreign Policy after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Commentary

The Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung’s Foreign Policy Conference in February gave a snapshot of the German Green Party’s foreign policy priorities vis-à-vis Ukraine and Eastern Europe.

By Teresa Eder

Why renewable energy is a guarantee of security for Ukraine during and after the war

Interview

As of the end of December 2022, Russia's massive attacks in Ukraine had damaged or destroyed about 50% of the power system, including substations and high-voltage power lines. Every day, Russia continues to shell Ukrainian infrastructure, causing new damage. At the same time, Ukraine is already formulating a post-war recovery plan, including in the area of secure renewable energy. How to plan for recovery in the acute stage of war and will Ukraine be able to switch to 100% renewable energy sources after the end of hostilities? What can Ukraine and the European Union do to help? Read about this in an interview with Natalia Lytvyn, project coordinator of the NGO Ecoclub and the Energy Transition Coalition, and Kostiantyn Krynytskyi, head of the energy department at EcoAction.

By Alyona Vyshnytska

Ukraine's recovery needs a gender-sensitive approach

Interview

The precondition for a real and sustainable recovery of Ukraine is, above all, the victory over the Russian aggression against the country. Still, the discussion on the vision and specific steps for reconstruction cannot wait as residents of damaged towns and millions of internally displaced persons need viable living conditions already now, while the war is still ongoing. Ukrainian society needs to build up resilience in many aspects. This interview presents a feminist perspective on the priorities of reconstruction and the importance of international support and allyship among communities. An interview with Galyna Kotliuk, Programme Coordinator - Gender Democracy/Women Rights/LGBT-Rights at the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Kyiv office. Українська версія | Auf Deutsch

By Anna Lysiak

Read all our latest articles

#StandWithUkraine

We declare our full solidarity with Ukraine. We stand by the side of our Ukrainian partners and colleagues, and at the same time also by the side of our partners in Russian civil society who are under harsh state repression.

Read our statement

Latest dossiers

The European Single Market at 30

Making the great turnaround work: Economic policy for a green and just transition

Ending Russia's war in Ukraine: are we using all economic and energy policy options?

European Mobility Atlas 2021: Facts and Figures about Transport and Mobility in Europe

Drowning in disinformation: how homegrown state-sponsored disinformation threatens EU democracy

Pesticide Atlas 2022: Facts and figures about toxic chemicals in agriculture

Digital rights post-Brexit

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European Feminist Platform

The EU's Fit-for-55 package: The European Green Deal's fitness test

The Rule of Law in the EU

Read all our dossiers

Latest publications

Annual Report 2021

Annual report

As we write this in March of 2022, our review of the year 2021 is overshadowed by Russia’s brutal war of aggression against Ukraine. Because of this, not only foreign policy, but also domestic politics have now entered a new era.

pdf

The dynamic of youth activism in Afghanistan: A journey between hope and desperation

E-paper

This e-paper is written based on interviews conducted with young activists, journalists, human rights defenders and academics from Afghanistan (all under the age of 35), who have been actively involved in the process of democratisation and committed to liberal values over the past 20 years in Afghanistan; it highlights the twenty years of achievements by Afghan youth and explores their hurdles and challenges under the rule of the Taliban’s de facto regime.

pdf

Actually European!? 2022

Summary

This year's representative survey shows that citizens expect Germany to play a more active role in the EU in this "Zeitenwende". In addition, the study identifies three trends under the impression of the current threats and challenges for Europe.

pdf

All publications on Democracy

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30 years of the European Single Market

Report

2023 marks the 30th anniversary of the European Single Market. To celebrate this occasion, and to develop new ideas for the future of European integration, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung’s European Union office asked its partners for their visions for the future of the Single Market. This collection of brief essays shows the diverse views on the European Single Market, whilst unveiling green visions for the next 30 years. What unifies these different takes — ranging from environmental and consumer standards, Brexit, lobbying and more — is the understanding that the European Single Market remains a cornerstone of European Integration.

pdf

The EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism and its implications for a global Just Transition: The case of South Africa

Summary and findings

As part of the “European Green Deal”, the European Commission committed to introducing a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) in late 2019. It tabled the legislative proposal in summer 2021. The measure is controversial, and many questions remain. What is the right timeframe for its implementation? How to use the generated revenues? What about climate justice considerations?

pdf

Europe Sustainable Development Report 2022

Report

The Europe Sustainable Development Report 2022 is the fourth edition of our independent quantitative report on the progress of the European Union, its member states and partner countries towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This year's report is a special edition in support of the upcoming EU Voluntary Review and the next United Nations' Heads of State Summit on the SDGs. To that end, this year's edition also presents 10 contributions from scientists and practitioners on ways to strengthen the EU's SDG leadership at home and internationally.

All publications on Ecology

Watching the “Donors’ Conference for the People of Turkey and Syria”

Factsheet

The EU will host a Donors’ Conference for the victims of the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes next Monday, 20 March. Check out our new factsheet by Onur Bahçecik to learn more about the background of the high-level conference. What do international donations cover? Through which mechanisms are they distributed? And how are they monitored?

pdf

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Access denied: Secrecy and the externalisation of EU migration control

E-paper

For at least three decades, the EU and its Member States have engaged in a process of “externalisation” – a policy agenda by which the EU seeks to prevent migrants and refugees setting foot on EU territory by externalising (that is, outsourcing) border controls to non-EU states. This report aims to contribute to public and political debate on the transparency, accountability and legitimacy of the externalisation agenda, based on case studies on three key target states for the EU – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Morocco and Niger.

pdf

Beyond the Crisis Mode of the EU-Turkey Refugee Agreement

E-paper

This policy paper assesses the effects of the EU Turkey Refugee Agreement for Greece, Turkey and the European Union. It provides an overview of the 2015 context and the development of the agreement and analyses its repercussions in the region as well as for the EU as a whole. It concludes that the EU needs a strong alternative to the current agreement with Turkey, which is rights-based and sustainable.

pdf

All publications on International Relations

Contact us

Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung European Union
Rue du Luxembourg, 47-51
BE-1050 Brussels, Belgium
Map

Phone: + 32 (0)2 743 41 00
Fax: + 32 (0)2 743 41 09
E-mail: info [at] eu.boell.org