3 Questions

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.

Christian Schmidt's resignation as High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina was not a routine handover. It followed intense US pressure, linked to a controversy over the Southern Interconnection pipeline, where Bosnian legislation handed a major energy project to a Trump-linked company over EU objections. With Republika Srpska's Milorad Dodik presenting the departure as his personal triumph, and European actors conspicuously silent, Bosnia's fragile post-war order is under serious strain. We asked Paola Petrić, Director of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung's Sarajevo office, what this moment means for Bosnia's institutions, for Washington's role in the Western Balkans, and for the EU's credibility as a guarantor of the Dayton framework.

Hungary has voted, and in doing so, sent a message to democratic forces worldwide. Péter Magyar's Tisza Party won a historic supermajority, ending 16 years of Viktor Orbán's authoritarian rule. But rebuilding democracy, restoring the Rule of Law, and repairing Hungary's relationship with the EU will be a monumental task. We asked Adéla Jurečková, Director of our Prague office (covering Czechia, Slovakia and Hungary) what the result means for Hungary, Europe, and Ukraine.