Europe

As Karol Nawrocki assumes office as president, subtle shifts reshape the Polish political landscape in the wake of the election. In the new study summarized here Przemysław Sadura and Sławomir Sierakowski explore the potential collapse of the long-standing KO-PiS duopoly and its replacement by a new duopoly on the horizon.

Poland takes on the EU Council Presidency in January 2025. What does this role mean, and what challenges lie ahead? Our latest article explores the key context and what to expect during this pivotal six-month period.

As Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine reminds European countries about the importance of manpower, many are once again weighing the promise and perils of compulsory military service. 

Few peatlands in Europe are located within protected areas, and even there, they are not always protected adequately. National agricultural policies provide little or no support for the development of sustainable peatland-management practices.

The situation in the energy sector has led to national strategies that often conflict with the policies of neighbours and allies, and at the same time to a significant move away from clean energy sources. In other words, we have a "dirty nationalism", writes Martin Keim.

Anna Lührmann, Minister of State for Europe and Climate at the German Federal government, talks to Christine Pütz about the results of the "Actually European?! 2022" study and what the citizens expect from Germany’s European policy at this “turning point in history”.

The aggravating climate crisis has made the implementation of the Paris Agreement a central issue in German and European foreign policy. Nevertheless, the integration of climate and foreign policy is still fraught with uncertainties, both in its geostrategic and in its operational dimension. The 22nd Foreign Policy Conference of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung will focus on current debates at the intersection of foreign and climate policy and assess the prospects for a new carbon-neutral foreign policy.

The year 2021 was an unprecedented one for the European Green Party (EGP) and its members. The transnational political party organisation of environmentalists in Europe enjoyed some of its best election results in Austria, Denmark, Germany, France, Norway and Switzerland. At the same time, European Greens often failed to meet the high expectations set by polling. Moreover, substantial levels of support remain limited to Western Europe, although the elections in Bulgaria show that EGP member parties can make it to the national parliament, and even into government, in Eastern Europe.

The EU is undeniably crying out for fundamental reforms. The Conference on the Future of Europe, launching on 9 May 2021, is meant to create the first-ever genuine public space between European citizens of all Member States and enable encounters beyond national frameworks. Unlikely to deliver major reform plans, though, this platform still has the potential to provide important impulses to crucial issues for Europe’s future.

The change of government in Austria after the Ibiza affair on the one hand lead to a withdrawal of antifeminist (politically right) populist measures of the prior turquoise-blue government. On the other hand, existing structures of disadvantage and oppression have not been questioned by the successor government.

On July 1st, Germany will take over the EU Council Presidency in midst the Corona pandemic. This presents opportunities for Germany to redefine its European policy. How does Germany perceive its role in the European Union and what are the expectations of other member states for the German Council Presidency?

After the EU accession talks with Albania and North Macedonia have been vetoed by French President Emmanuel Macron, the question remains how and why the EU accession process for the Western Balkans seems to be going nowhere, and what this potentially means for the region.