Democratic backsliding has become such a defining trend in global politics over the past decades that the democratisation of the European Union has gone largely unnoticed.[1] After the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon on 1 December 2009, however, the EU has been advancing its transition from a [...]
In this video, the Federal Trust's Chairman John Stevens and and its Director Brendan Donnelly discuss the impact of the war in Ukraine on the European Union. They argue that the war has tended to make Europe more integrated, but it has also exposed flaws in the Union's decision-making process [...]
From 'Unidentified Political Object' to European Democracy Essay on the Unforeseen Democratization of the European Union A Federal Trust Essay by Jaap Hoeksma September 2022 This essay aims to draw attention to the far-reaching implications of the recent jurisprudence of the EU Court of Justice (ECJ) concerning the democratic [...]
The verdicts of the EU Court of Justice (ECJ) in the cases of Poland and Hungary concerning the rule of law, which have been delivered on 16 February, are not only consequential for the functioning of the EU but also shed new light on the relation between the UK and [...]
In all its atrocity, the Russian invasion of Ukraine may serve to recall that the democratisation of Europe is both a momentous achievement and an ongoing challenge. The democratisation of Europe, which started in the middle of the 20th century in reaction to the atrocities of the Second World War, [...]
During the last meeting of the European Council, which she attended, Angela Merkel raised the perennial question as to what the European Union is. Reflecting on the debate in the Council about the objections of some member states against the introduction of the conditionality mechanism, she asked whether we are [...]
The extraordinarily tight outcome of the German elections has created the danger for the European Union of prolonged negotiations before the next federal government can be formed, lasting even as long as until Christmas. However, it also contains a most significant opportunity. This is not merely due to the defection [...]
This article was first published by The Brussels Times. Tourists are flying into space and life on Mars seems a less distant possibility. Meanwhile Europeans are busy trying to create a buzz about our future here on earth. With the first Europe-wide transnational panels taking place in Strasbourg (17-19 September), [...]
The Treaty of Lisbon sheds fresh light on the purposes of EU citizenship education. The hallmark of the 2007 Lisbon Treaty is that it construes the EU as a dual democracy. The EU is not merely a Union of democratic States, but also functions as a democracy of its own.[1] [...]
Held on 22nd June 2021 Jointly organised by The Federal Trust, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung and Global Policy Institute 75 years after the multilateral international order was established through the foundation of the United Nations, it is now facing major challenges. Under attack from unilateralist leaders such as Donald Trump, and faced [...]
