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More than 400 million people are expected to vote in the European elections on 6-9 June 2024, and decide on the next European Parliament. According to the polls, a shift to the right is expected in many EU countries, with populist, radical far right parties gaining votes and seats across the EU. What impact would this have? Conversation with Roderick Kefferpütz and Sophie Pornschlegel.

Why is legal migration useful to address the EU's most pressuring challenges? What can be done to improve the current policies and to strengthen the respect of human rights, when addressing migration?

20 years after the Thessaloniki Summit, where European Union leaders promised EU membership to Western Balkans countries, the prospects of the region joining the EU in the near future are vague. The EU's credibility has been weakened by constant obstacles, unjustified delays and Member States' vetoes. The Western Balkans, on the other hand, show an obvious stalemate in the EU-related reform process, in addition to ongoing bilateral disputes, unresolved issues of the past and democratic backsliding. Our host Gail Rego talks with members of the Western Balkans Strategy Group about the role of the EU on Bosnia and Herzegovina,...

In this episode, we discuss the relationship between the EU and China, how this relationship is shaped by national strategies adopted by EU Member States, and whether it is possible to imagine a European approach to China. Gail Rego talks to:
Jacob Mardell is a research  analyst with six years’ experience exploring China’s global impact. Jacob is the author of the Heinrich-Boll-Stiftung EU's study "Towards a common European China strategy? Mapping EU Member States’ policy documents on China".
 
Dr Janka Oertel is the director of the Asia programme and a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign...

Climate change and disinformation on social media: at the very first sight, these topics  may appear unrelated. However, fostering the ecological transition in Europe, requires substantial effort  in terms of shaping  public discourse. Notably, debates occurring on social media are part of the public arena where citizens can be convinced about the need for  an ecological transition. And, therefore, disinformation can have a huge impact on climate change-related attitudes. What is online climate change mis- and disinformation? Where does it take place and why? How does EU policy making play into all of this?

In this Böll·Europe Podcast episode, our...

The U.S. and Europe have entered a new trade era under Biden's administration. A new cooperation agenda is being developed to tackle today's challenges, such as climate change and emerging technology, focusing on consumer protection, competition, digital issues, and energy. Despite the positive shift, trade rules are still used by some to influence domestic policies, often weakening regulations. For the citizens, this means that trade rules affect the E.U.'s efforts to protect consumers in the digital market and combat climate change. How to prevent trade rules from creating barriers to regulatory action? Is the new transatlantic cooperation agenda enough? To...

In February 2023, the European Commission presented a Green Deal Industrial Plan to enhance the competitiveness of Europe's net-zero industry and support the fast transition towards climate neutrality. Among other things, the Plan appears to foster the EU’s willingness to lead globally in the race for development of cleantech. Crucially, however, the Plan came in after US legislators passed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in 2022. And, meanwhile, China has also demonstrated its capacity to act on cleantech. This Böll·Europe Podcast episode takes stock of EU actions in the global race for cleantech leadership and what else needs to be on the...

Thirty years ago, in 1993, a cornerstone of European integration was laid: the European Single Market for goods and services. The European Single Market is a tool that facilitates trade between businesses across Europe. More generally, it was built with the idea of making citizens’ lives much easier and fostering prospects of economic growth and, therefore, well-being. Yet, this ground-breaking project of European integration has not been shed by criticism. For some, it streamlined economic integration at the expense of social Europe.  This Böll·Europe Podcast episode focuses on the future of the European Single Market, and how it can help...

Pesticides are largely known for their negative effects on people and the environment. These substances are meant to kill pests, but their toxicity also destroys biodiversity and causes poisoning worldwide. Pesticides can be found everywhere: in the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the water we drink. That is why many highly dangerous pesticides are banned in the European Union. Yet, they are still produced and exported to third countries, and some Member States have found loopholes to allow the use of hazardous substances in agriculture. In fact, the European Union is one of the world’s biggest markets...

Achieving a climate-friendly Europe by 2050 is the EU's long-term goal.  In the short run, it means stopping using fossil gas almost entirely much sooner. To limit global warming to 1.5ºC above pre-industrial levels and stay in the Paris Agreement, the demand must end  by 2035. Yet, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine where gas is one resource caught in the war, is Europe phasing it down? We have seen how climate security and energy security have become two sides of the same coin. Although the EU's answer is renewables, ahead of a cold winter the European Commission has opened the...