Guest post by Senka Neuman Stanivukovi?, researcher at the University of Groningen. As a part of novelized Enlargement strategy, the Commission has released a set of short videos to communicate the EU’s widening eastwards to the citizens. I suggest that the campaign not only prejudices against the Eastern members and to-be-members by portraying these as [...]

Guest post by Elena Gerebizza, energy and climate finance officer at the ‘Campaign for the Reform of the World Bank’, an advocacy and campaigning group based in Rome, member of the Counter Balance coalition. She is co-author of the policy briefing “Beyond our Borders. A critique of the external dimension of the EU energy policy and [...]

Guest post by Andy Langenkamp, political analyst for ECR Research and Interest & Currency Consultants. Unemployment in the eurozone is at historic highs. Economic growth data are equally depressing while confidence is low among producers and consumers. In short, the stock market rallies of recent months are premature. The European “patient” will not get better [...]

Guest Post by Dan Luca When it comes to involve and engage citizens in the decision-making process on a European level, there is confusion about terminology. Some see “asking the interested citizens what they prefer” as active public participation. It is not: “asking the interested citizen” falls under consultation. Consultation is a top-down professional or [...]

Guest post by Hristiana Grozdanova and Anna Maria Barcikowska. Since the autumn of 2008, the financial crisis and its implications has dictated the EU policies. The pressures on EU governments to control expenditure continue to be enormous. Defence has not remain immune raising important questions how Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) of the EU can [...]