All posts tagged: EU27

It’s still hooked – POLITICO

It’s still hooked – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Unions and opposition politicians echo this sentiment: Labor union ver.di warned of a “high workload” and “insufficient training,” while Kianusch Stender, the Social Democratic Party’s regional spokesperson for digital affairs, argued the rollout was rushed and poorly prepped because of “time pressures,” technical shortcomings and a lack of consultation. “Employees, representatives from the justice and police departments reported limited workability, missing functions, incompatible specialist applications and a high level of additional effort in their daily work,” said Stender. For Schrödter, the lesson to be learned is this: “The challenge in making the switch is not that the solutions are not available, but mainly the question of political will to take responsibility,” he said, calling on Berlin to follow suit. Dutch Digital Minister Willemijn Aerdts, who said “the U.S. is still a valued ally, but we want to be able to make choices”, looks on during a debate in parliament in The Hague in February 2026. | John Beckmann/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images Indeed, the German federal government also started trying sovereign alternatives to power its …

EU wants Hungary’s next leader to support Ukraine. It should be so lucky. – POLITICO

EU wants Hungary’s next leader to support Ukraine. It should be so lucky. – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

On Ukraine, he hasn’t framed Kyiv as an enemy — but has studiously avoided any positive appraisals, knowing they would play badly at the ballot box. That’s because anti-Ukrainian sentiment is deeply rooted in Hungary. According to an autumn 2025 poll by the Policy Solutions think tank, half of Hungarians consider Ukraine dangerous for Hungary, while 64 percent oppose Ukraine’s EU accession and 74 percent believe the Hungarian government shouldn’t send financial aid to Kyiv. Notably, Zelenskyy is one of the most hated politicians in the country, level with Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Péter Magyar really doesn’t have big room for maneuver on Ukraine,” said Policy Solutions Director András Biró-Nagy. Orbán’s anti-Ukraine campaigning via Fidesz-aligned media over the last four years has sharply eroded support for Kyiv, he explained. “On Ukraine, there was no competing narrative … Magyar tries to avoid the issue because he thinks this is a lost cause; he cannot turn it around.” During the Tisza-organized National Day events in March, a big Ukraine flag was unfurled among the crowd in protest. …

Why the center left is succeeding in Kosovo – POLITICO

Why the center left is succeeding in Kosovo – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

It seemed Kurti was in politics for the right reasons — and he had the past to prove it. A former political prisoner under Serbian rule, he spent years in opposition as one of the only credible voices speaking for true independence in Kosovo. And the promise he represented was different: prosperity, modernity, non-corruption. The kind of politics that increases turnout and pulls back those who had disengaged. Kosovo had declared independence, but it had never quite received a fresh start — until then. Kosovo became an independent country in the 21st century. Its political identity has never been about settling for the crumbs of the 20th. And Kurti avoided the fate of many first-term reformers because he delivered. Fulfilling the promises you’ve set out for the people that count on you the most isn’t just the right thing to do — it’s also good politics. That mandate wasn’t built on spectacle or shiny mega-projects. It focused on the unglamorous work of governance: building a non-corrupt government, expanding social protection, making public higher education free …

Time for a Brexit reckoning – POLITICO

Time for a Brexit reckoning – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney recently received a lot of acclaim for citing Czech playwright and former President Václav Havel’s “The Power of the Powerless” in his speech at the World Economic Forum, inviting the world’s nations and businesses to stop living in the lie of the rules-based international order. And that lesson applies here too: For the U.K. to finally move on, it must choose not to live in lies — especially the ones that fueled Brexit. And yet, both of the U.K.’s main political parties, Labour and the Conservatives, are treating Brexit as a sacred cow rather than grappling with the enormity of its failure. The Conservative leadership that oversaw the U.K.’s shambolic withdrawal from start to finish, and purged any internal dissenters in the process, are now owning its dismal results. The current Labour government, meanwhile, is taking baby steps to reintegrate the U.K. into the eminently valuable parts of Europe’s architecture, like the Erasmus program. Mark Carney recently received a lot of acclaim for citing Czech playwright and former President Václav …

Clean energy is Europe’s only route to security and prosperity – POLITICO

Clean energy is Europe’s only route to security and prosperity – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Even as Europe rapidly cut its dependence on Russian gas and is now swiftly moving toward a complete phaseout, exposure to fossil fuels remains the Achilles’ heel of our energy systems. The reality is that relying so heavily on fossil fuels — whether from Russia or elsewhere — can’t give us the energy security and prosperity we need. It leaves us incredibly vulnerable to international market volatility and pressure from external actors. Like European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: “As our energy dependency on fossil fuels goes down, our energy security goes up.” This is why Britain and the EU are committed to building Europe’s resources of homegrown clean power, looking to increase our energy security, create well-paid jobs, bring down bills and boost our industrial competitiveness, all while tackling the climate crisis to protect future generations. Today, nine European countries, alongside representatives from NATO and the European Commission, are meeting in Hamburg for the third North Sea Summit to act on this shared understanding. Together, we can seize the North Sea’s vast …

Separated by war — and by Schengen – POLITICO

Separated by war — and by Schengen – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Vitaly and Bogdan Osipov found refuge from Russia’s full-scale invasion in central Germany, but for nearly two years the father and son have been waiting for Yuliia Hetman — Vitaly’s partner and Bogdan’s mother — to join them. What keeps the family apart is no longer the war itself, but a European Union database.  The family is among a growing number of Ukrainians caught in a trap created by the bloc’s security architecture. Ukrainian nationals serving sentences in Ukrainian prisons seized by Russian forces — or who were forcibly transferred to Russia by occupying forces during the war — are being flagged in the EU’s Schengen Information System as potential threats to public order and internal security. Hetman, who was serving a sentence for violent crime in a Mariupol prison when the war began, completed her sentence under Russian occupation. She has since managed to leave the occupied city, but she cannot reunite with her family in Germany, stalled at the Polish border by a German-issued alert that bars her from entering much of Europe. …

This is what the EU’s trade bazooka was meant for – POLITICO

This is what the EU’s trade bazooka was meant for – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The fact of the matter is, if the EU sidesteps the ACI and genuflects, Trump will feel encouraged to be even more disrespectful toward Europe than he already is; the EU will lose all credibility as a moderate but forceful player in a world of autocrats; and European citizens will be even more disillusioned with European institutions unwilling to protect them and their dignity. It could also make them more likely to seek protection from nationalist parties and governments — those that may well be against triggering the ACI in the first place, devout as they are to Trump’s hostility toward the EU. Many in Europe are, indeed, adopting an attitude of subordinate acceptance when it comes to Trump’s wishes, either because of ideological affinities or because they feel more comfortable being close to those in power — as political theorist Etienne de La Boétie stated in the 16th century, servitude is generally based on the “voluntary” acceptance of domination. Then there are those who are ready to align with Trump invoking Realpolitik — a …

Cutting back election observation would be a grave mistake – POLITICO

Cutting back election observation would be a grave mistake – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

At the same time, election observation is being actively threatened by powers like Russia, which promote narratives opposed to electoral observations carried out by the organizations that endorse the Declaration of Principles on International Election Observation (DoP) — a landmark document that set the global standard for impartial monitoring. A few years ago, for instance, a Russian parliamentary commission sharply criticized our observation efforts, pushing for the creation of alternative monitoring bodies that, quite evidently, fuel disinformation and legitimize authoritarian regimes — something that has also happened in Azerbaijan and Belarus. When a credible international observation mission publishes a measured and facts-based assessment, it becomes a reference point for citizens and institutions alike. It provides an anchor for dialogue, a benchmark against which all actors can measure their conduct. Above all, it signals to citizens that the international community is watching — not to interfere but to support their right to a meaningful choice. Of course, observation must evolve as well. We now monitor not only ballot boxes but also algorithms, online narratives and the …

Europe’s year of existential risk – POLITICO

Europe’s year of existential risk – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Activists protest outside Downing street against the recent policies of Donald Trump. | Guy Smallman/Getty Images Meanwhile, European leaders will be forced to publicly ignore Washington’s support for far-right parties, which was clearly spelled out in the new U.S. national security strategy, while privately doing all they can to counter any antiestablishment backlash at the polls. Specifically, the upcoming election in Hungary will be a bellwether for whether the MAGA movement can tip the balance for its ideological affiliates in Europe, as populist, euroskeptic Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is currently poised to lose for the first time in 15 years. Orbán, for his part, has been frantically campaigning to boost voter support, signaling that he and his inner circle actually view defeat as a possibility. His charismatic rival Péter Magyar, who shares his conservative-nationalist political origins but lacks any taint of corruption poses a real challenge, as does the country’s stagnating economy and rising prices. While traditional electoral strategies — financial giveaways, smear campaigns and war fearmongering — have so far proven ineffective for Orbán, …