Expectations of the Greek government and Greek civil society of the 2020 German EU Council Presidency Background At the beginning of 2020 it looked as if the Greek economy would recover with above average growth from 10 years of financial crisis.The corona pandemic has shattered these prospects. Greek society is now hoping for support from the German Council Presidency. Olga Drossou
“Trump’s election defeat won’t end structural racism” Interview The murder of George Floyd has thrown the United States into a state of unrest. President Trump is throwing fuel on the fire in an attempt to increase his re-election chances. The main problem, however, is historical, structural racism – and not just in the U.S. An interview with Bastian Hermisson, Head of the Foundation’s office in Washington, and Mekonnen Mesghena, Head of Migration and Diversity at the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Berlin. Bastian Hermisson, Mekonnen Mesghena
Colombia and SARS-CoV-2: Will the storm pass? Background In Colombia too, public life and the economy have been at a standstill due to the coronavirus pandemic. There is, however, hope that the early measures taken to stem the pandemic will pay off in the medium and long term. The country is currently between hope and fear regarding the measures to ease the social and economic lockdown in place since March. Florian Huber
How coronavirus has worsened the plight of refugees in Tunisia Background In the shadows of the Covid-19-crisis, refugees and irregular migrants in Europe’s neighbouring countries are afraid for their very existence and terrified of long-term detention in reception camps. In Tunisia, political provisions are being put into place and emergency plans negotiated to deal with migrants and refugees on their way to Europe. Fabian Heppe
Masculinity as a project – new film series from Russia on gender politics Informative film The new online course on masculinity has now been released in a version with English subtitles, making the cooperation project of the Heinrich Böll Stiftung Moscow available internationally to anyone interested. Katja Giebel
Pandemic management on the backs of women in Hungary analysis The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed and further exacerbated many inequalities - especially the ones concerning woman. Eszter Kováts
A critical point for EU–UK relations: The British perspective on the German Council Presidency Background Britain is in the midst of finalising the Brexit transition process while also being hit especially hard by the Covid-19 pandemic. The German Council Presidency has to protect public health all over Europe while also preventing another financial crisis from happening. But this might also give new momentum to systemic change towards a more sustainable economy. Molly Scot Cato
Home office could be here to stay in Germany – if the internet in rural areas holds up Feature The coronavirus pandemic forced half of the German working population to work from home. A majority was happy with the move, an early study indicates. If the broadband expansion catches up in the countryside, many might never go back. Felix Franz
Care economy: transformations of communities, the civil society and state policies in times of quarantine Analytics Oksana Potapova spoke with activists working for women's and human rights organizations about key changes in their work and life over the recent months. Oksana Potapova
Climate and environmentally ambitious CAP Strategic Plans: Based on what exactly? Article The concept of climate and environmental ambition of the future CAP Strategic Plans is multidimensional, yet clear criteria for guiding a transparent appraisal and approval process are still missing. Matteo Metta