Democracy Impacts

11 Countries tell Brussels to Respect National Sovereignty

April 28, 2021

In a joint statement issued ahead of the EU leaders’ summit in Porto, 11 member countries warned Lisbon and Brussels to respect national authority over policymaking in areas such as labor and employment, pensions, education and childcare.
Politico: EU climate Deal Aims to Transform ‘Every Single Sector’

April 28, 2021

Under a new political deal, EU policymakers agreed to speed up the bloc’s emission reductions to slash greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2030.
Polish, Slovenian PMs Call on Germany to Withdraw from Nord Stream 2

April 26, 2021

Polish Prime Minister and Mateusz Morawiecki and Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa have called on Germany to pull out of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project which will take Russian gas to Germany under the Baltic Sea, declaring that it will destabilize Europe.
Mortimer in The Spectator: France’s growing German Skepticism

April 21, 2021

Gavin Mortimer writing in The Spectator examines how Brexit and Covid 19 have challenged relationships within the European Union and in particular the relationship between France and Germany.
ECtHR Ruling May Lay the Ground for Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination

April 19, 2021

A landmark ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruled that compulsory vaccination can be considered « necessary in a democratic society » potentially setting a legal precedent that will serve as a reference in the ongoing debate on whether COVID-19 vaccination should be made compulsory.
Politico: European Sovereignty has Lost Macron

April 12, 2021

Politico reports that since his election in 2017, Emmanuel Macron has been a champion of the concept of “European sovereignty” but recently the French President has signaled in speeches and interviews that national sovereignty and national politics are growing in the EU and are here to stay.
Populist Leaders Meet Seeking ‘European Renaissance’

April 07, 2021

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban hosted talks with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Italy’s former interior minister, Matteo Salvini, in hopes of creating a new nationalist political force on the European stage which Orban described as a « European renaissance ».
EU Leaders Struggle to Grip Coronavirus Crisis

March 29, 2021

As European leaders continue to deal with the Coronavirus crisis, country leaders are divided on how best to resolve many issues including vaccine production and distribution.
Hungary, Poland win Top Court Fights with EU

March 24, 2021

Hungary and Poland won separate tax disputes with the European Union after the two nations were accused by the EU Competition Commissioner of alleged unfair fiscal arrangements.
Visegrad Group Marks 30 Years

March 24, 2021

Leaders from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia gathered in the Polish city of Krakow to mark 30 years of the Visegrad Group, an informal body of political and economic cooperation in the region founded in 1991.