Democracy

The new Hungarian legislative package known as the "Protection of Sovereignty Act" contains some legitimate elements. However, while serious dangers to the country's sovereignty are outside its purview, a new agency is now empowered to harass anybody accused of "serving foreign interests."

This article chronicles how European Green Party (EGP) members performed in the 213 national, regional and major local elections in Europe in 2023. While EGP members were voted out of government in some of their strongholds, they maintained or increased their fringe influence through arrangements with larger parties in Eastern and Southern Europe.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine did change how Germany thinks about its own security and its relationship with Russia, says Christina Keßler. But the country is still wary of playing a major role in European defence. With Russia unlikely to attack NATO territory soon, Britain should not assume that Germany will take on a leadership role on European security.

In August, wildfires in Evros killed a group of people, including children, passing along a well-trodden migration route. Locals and politicians made the victims scapegoats for the disaster. First piece of our 2023 Climate Disinformation Fellowship by Giorgos Christides and Katy Fallon. Photos by Alexandros Avramidis.

Enlargement regained prominence of the European Union agenda after Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. However, the window of opportunity for moving forward will not stay open forever.

US President Joe Biden issued an Executive Order on artificial intelligence that, while different in form and enforcement authority from the EU’s AI Act, targets many of the current risks of the technology. With policies in effect soon, the EU and US have the chance to work together.

These days it is easy to become pessimistic about social cohesion and the state of democracy. But the results of the recent Polish elections show that it pays to fight for democracy.

Giorgos Christides and Katy Fallon are our 2023 Climate Disinformation Media Fellows! They will pursue on-the-ground reporting on climate disinformation case studies. Their articles will be published as part of a web dossier on battling climate disinformation.

Brexit and Britain’s Indo-Pacific tilt may have convinced Germany that the UK is no longer interested in defence co-operation, writes James Rogers. That would be a mistake. The two can build on each other’s strengths in NATO and in the defence of Ukraine.

People who are keen to see an improvement in UK-EU relations should not overestimate the power of the European Political Community, says Luigi Scazzieri. It is not a route to rejoining the EU. Nonetheless, on some foreign policy issues and especially those affecting the EU’s borders, it could prove very useful.