3 Questions

Lula has won a historic fourth term, a hopeful signal that the far right can be defeated at the ballot box. Young voters, grassroots activists and more than 10 million members of “Lula’s Army” turned the tide in three weeks. Regine Schönenberg, Director of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung office in Rio de Janeiro, explains what drove this comeback, how civil society can defend social justice, climate and Indigenous rights against a conservative Congress, and what Europe should prioritise now.

The European Commission has published its pre-enlargement policy reviews on 6 October 2026, setting out how the EU should prepare for future enlargements. With gradual integration, possible safeguards in future accession treaties and reforms to the EU’s decision-making rules all under discussion, the reviews put the focus on both the path to membership and the changes needed within the EU itself. We discuss the latest proposals, key reforms and the upcoming European Council summit with MEP Thomas Waitz (Greens/EFA), Chair of the European Parliament's Delegation to the EU-Montenegro Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee.

Iceland has voted against reopening EU accession negotiations on 29 August 2026. Kikka Sigurðardóttir, Leader of the Icelandic Greens Græningjar, explains what really drove the 52.8% referendum result: fishing rights, rural identity, and a simple lack of urgency. She also looks at what deepening ties with Brussels could still mean for Iceland, and how the country should position itself as the US grows less predictable and Arctic tensions rise.

The European Commission has revealed its revision of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), the cornerstone of European climate policy. Since 2005, this cap and trade system has capped greenhouse gas emissions across covered sectors while letting companies trade allowances. But with the Linear Reduction Factor, free allocation and price volatility all up for debate, and a possible extension to private jets and waste incineration on the table, how much climate ambition will survive the rewrite? We put three questions to MEP Michael Bloss (Greens/EFA), shadow rapporteur for the ETS reform, on where the real red lines should be drawn.

Published in 2021, the first European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan set concrete measures for building a strong social Europe as a way to foster Covid-19 recovery and just transitions. Its upcoming revision brings back the attention to the European social model and how this can support the green transition. We explored with Sebastiano Sabato, Senior Researcher at the European Social Observatory, how the link between social and ecological dimensions can be strengthened in the EU policy landscape to advance just transitions.

The NATO Summit in Ankara took place against the backdrop of Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine, growing pressure on European allies to strengthen their own defence capabilities, and continued uncertainty about the future of transatlantic burden-sharing. We spoke with MEP Mārtiņš Staķis about the Summit’s key outcomes, the roles of NATO and the EU in European security, and what new drone initiatives mean for Europe's defence.

Denmark's Green Party (SF) has just made history, entering government as the country's second-largest party after the March 2026 election reshuffled the Folketing. With five ministers in the new cabinet, SF holds more influence than at any point in the party's history. MEP Rasmus Nordqvist reflects on what that means for the green transition, how Danish climate ambition connects to a stalling EU agenda, and how the party is navigating the tension between its values and the security priorities of a new coalition operating in an uncertain geopolitical moment.

The future of Europe's biodiversity may also be decided outside the European Union. In Albania's Narta Lagoon, a conflict over tourism is testing Europe's environmental credibility.