3 Questions on...

South Korea’s presidential election on 3 June 2025 took place amid intense political upheaval and institutional crisis. Widespread public discontent over corruption scandals, executive-judiciary tensions, and democratic backsliding had dominated the pre-election atmosphere. The victory of Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung sends a strong signal about the public’s expectations for reform, stability, and credible leadership, in a context of rising regional and global tensions, challenges to multilateralism, and growing pressure on liberal democracies. We asked 3 questions to Kristian Brakel, Director of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung’s East Asia | Global Dialogue office in Seoul.

The failed Presidential election in Romania last year, fuelled by a wave of disinformation, triggered an unprecedented period of political instability in this EU and NATO Member State. A rerun took place on 4 and 18 May 2025, and the Mayor of Bucharest, Nicușor Dan, was elected. We asked MEP Nicu Ștefănuță (Greens/EFA), Vice-President of the European Parliament, what this result means for the future of Romania and its role in the EU, NATO and with regards to supporting Ukraine.

With a new CDU/CSU–SPD coalition government in Berlin, the future direction of Germany's EU policy is in the spotlight. As the largest EU Member State, any shift in Berlin will inevitably echo across Europe. There are a lot of hopes and expectations and of course challenges that this coalition government will have to navigate. We asked Chantal Kopf MdB, the Europe Spokesperson for the German Green Parliamentary Group in the Bundestag, what this new coalition means for the EU.

The arrest of Istanbul’s Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has sent shockwaves through Turkey’s political landscape. Civil society has been protesting every day, amidst a media crackdown that attempts to contain the unrest. What does this mean for Turkey's democracy and the rule of law, and for EU-Turkey relations? We asked 3 Questions to Dawid Bartelt, Director of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung's Istanbul office.

The European Commission finally unveiled the Clean Industrial Deal, a competitiveness-driven approach to decarbonisation, aimed at securing the EU as an attractive location for manufacturing, including for energy intensive industries, and promoting clean tech and new circular business models. We asked MEP Michael Bloss (Greens/EFA) what to expect, and how to conciliate competitiveness with just transition.

DSA launch, platform obligations, and enforcement challenges – the Digital Services Act is another piece of transforming online regulation in Europe. With the DSA rolling out new rules, many are asking how effectively they’ll be implemented. We posed three key questions to Dr. Tobias Mast, expert advisor to the German Bundestag on the DSA, to get his insights on the launch, the hurdles ahead, and how the DSA aims to balance the scales between platforms and users.

The victory of Donald Trump in the 2024 US elections will undoubtedly have consequences in transatlantic relations, from foreign and security policy to green transition and competitiveness. We asked 3 questions on the consequences of Trump 2.0 for Europe to German Green MEP Sergey Lagodinsky, who is a member of the EP Delegation for relations with the United States.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tasked Mario Draghi, former President of the European Central Bank and former Italian Prime Minister, to write a comprehensive report on the state of the European economy. In this long-awaited report, the Italian economist provides a substantive analysis on how a changing geopolitical landscape, an energy shock, demographic change, climate change, and international competition put stress on the European economy and the European social model. We asked Sander Tordoir, Chief Economist at the Centre for European Reform, for his first reactions to the report.

In 2023, the European Commission published the first EU Space Strategy for Security and Defence, highlighting the need for a shared understanding and approach to space threats, and promoting global partnerships for responsible space conduct. Space technology plays a crucial role beyond military concerns, affecting our daily life globally. Disruptions to satellite infrastructure can lead to severe consequences, ranging from military incapability to supply chain breakdowns. Space has become a global focal point and a stage for geopolitical manoeuvring. Niklas Nienaß, a former MEP (Greens/EFA, Germany), has been a strong advocate for a cohesive EU space policy. We asked him three questions about the future of EU space policy.

On 12 June 2024, the European Commission announced additional preliminary tariffs of up to 38% on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs). This is based on an EU anti-subsidy investigation, which found that China is extensively subsidising its automotive sector. The United States also recently raised comparable tariffs to 100%. At the same time, some large European car manufacturers are anxious about potential retaliatory measures by China.

When the EU accelerates its shift to a clean and efficient energy system, how can citizens benefit better from this transition? Local authorities play a key role in facilitating citizens’ access to renewables and energy savings measures. Jörg Mühlenhoff asked three questions to Claire Roumet who is part of the Overall Coordination Team of Energy Cities, the network of several hundred European municipalities gathering frontrunners and energy transition beginners, city officials and technical experts.

Just under six months ago, Georgia became a formal candidate for EU membership. The Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence, adopted in mid-May 2024, however, hinders Georgian accession to the EU and has drawn massive protests by Georgian society. The bill, which has great similarities to a Russian law, requires non-governmental organisations and media outlets that receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad to register as bodies 'pursuing the interests of a foreign power.' In this context, Zora Siebert and Helena Borst asked three questions to Dr. Sonja Schiffers, Director of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung South Caucasus office in Tbilisi, on how she views the latest developments.

This year’s Rainbow Map by ILGA-Europe, published at a time when Europe is gearing up for 20-plus elections, including the EU elections next month, shows that while authoritarian leaders across the region continue to use the scapegoating of LGBTI people to divide and mobilise their electorates, others are conversely showing robust political will to honour commitments to advancing and protecting the human rights of LGBTI people. Joan Lanfranco asks 3 questions to Katrin Hugendubel, Advocacy Director at ILGA-Europe.