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Articles

Geert Wilders, EU migration policy, and what’s next for the Netherlands

3 weeks ago | theparliamentmagazine.eu | Arno van Rensbergen |Federica Di Sario

After just 11 months in office, the Netherlands’ four-party coalition led by technocrat Dick Schoof has fallen apart. Leiden University’s Tom Louwerse explains why far-right leader Geert Wilders pulled the plug. The Netherlands’ government collapsed Tuesday after Geert Wilders pulled his far-right Freedom Party (PVV) out of a fragile four-party coalition, citing a breakdown in talks over migration policy.
Poland’s presidential election could decide the country’s democratic and European future

4 weeks ago | theparliamentmagazine.eu | Arno van Rensbergen |Matt Lynes

Rafal Trzaskowski and Karol Nawrocki are neck-and-neck going into Sunday's vote — a contest that could shape Poland’s European future. Election posters of Rafal Trzaskowski (KO) and Karol Nawrocki (PiS), the two main contenders in the 2025 Polish presidential election campaign. (Wojciech Balsewicz / Alamy Stock Photo)WARSAW—In the Polish capital’s bustling city centre, glass-and-steel office towers reflect a country transformed.
Why member states are the biggest obstacle to the EU's plan to finish the single market

1 month ago | theparliamentmagazine.eu | Federica Di Sario |Arno van Rensbergen

As the the European Union contends with Donald Trump's tariffs, it's turning inwards to deepen its own economic integration. Hapag-Lloyd containers at the container terminal in the German port of Duisburg on the Rhine in April. (Agencja Fotograficzna Caro / Alamy Stock Photo)As the EU plots how to respond to Donald Trump’s escalating trade threats, the bloc is wasting no time insulating its economy from future shocks.
Serbia’s Vučić faces growing protests as he courts the EU, Russia and China

1 month ago | theparliamentmagazine.eu | Eloise Hardy |Arno van Rensbergen

BELGRADE, Serbia—Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić is riding the multipolar wave, stringing along EU accession talks while also forging closer ties with the US, Russia and China. Serbia is among ten countries negotiating EU membership, a process it began in 2014. For Vučić, membership promises funding, market access and legitimacy — but also demands reforms and a resolution of the Kosovo question. Publicly, Vučić has maintained a pro-European stance, framing EU accession as a national goal.
German rearmament tests time, money and resolve

1 month ago | theparliamentmagazine.eu | Arno van Rensbergen |Eloise Hardy

As Germany prepares to spend 5% of GDP on defence, Chancellor Friedrich Merz must overcome scepticism both within his governing coalition and in the country at large. German soldiers march during the inauguration of the German Brigade ceremony in Vilnius, Lithuania, in April. (SOPA Images Limited / Alamy Stock Photo)Friedrich Merz’s ambition for Germany to build the strongest conventional army in Europe marks a historic break after decades of post-war restraint.
Poland’s presidential vote puts reform agenda to the test

1 month ago | theparliamentmagazine.eu | Arno van Rensbergen |Wojciech Kosc

With Poland’s presidency up for grabs, this Sunday's election could unlock long-stalled reforms – or deepen the political gridlock hampering Warsaw’s pro-European course. Polish presidential candidate Rafal Trzaskowski speaks to supporters during a campaign stop, in Lodz, last week. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)Poland’s presidential election this weekend isn’t only a referendum on Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s reform agenda: It will determine whether his most ambitious plans can go ahead.
Why going cold turkey on Russian fossil fuels is harder than it looks

1 month ago | theparliamentmagazine.eu | Federica Di Sario |Arno van Rensbergen

The European Commission unveiled plans this week to cut off all imports of Russian natural gas by 2027, despite ongoing resistance from some member states. Employees walk along the freight train with the last pipes for connecting the Brunsbüttel LNG terminal to the German gas network after arriving at the Elbe port, Feb. 2023.
How Carney's win in Canada can be the EU's, too

1 month ago | theparliamentmagazine.eu | Eloise Hardy |Arno van Rensbergen

Canada’s new Liberal leader is good news for EU trade and diplomacy in the Trump era. However, a united front between the two will face plenty of challenges. Old boss, same as the new boss: Mark Carney celebrates his Liberal Party's hold on power after recent elections, setting him up to become prime minister. (Associated Press/Alamy Stock Photo)Mark Carney, a Europhile liberal, won Canada's federal elections — and has US President Donald Trump largely to thank for it.
Denmark becomes first EU country to stop letter delivery, ending 400-year tradition

2 months ago | theparliamentmagazine.eu | Eloise Hardy |Arno van Rensbergen

When December rolls around this year, it might be the last time people in Denmark can easily participate in a beloved Christmas tradition: sending and receiving Christmas cards. That's because PostNord, the state-run national postal service, plans to stop delivering letters by the end of the year. The decision reflects a 90% drop in letter demand over two decades.
The EU’s thirst for natural gas risks swapping one dependency for another

2 months ago | theparliamentmagazine.eu | Arno van Rensbergen |Eloise Hardy

The bloc's effort to kick its addiction to Russian LNG has given US suppliers a stronger position in the market — just in time for Trump's tariffs. The LNG Tanker FSRU Toscana arrives at the French Mediterranean port of Marseille in June 2024.