It’s unloved and misunderstood. It splits time between Brussels and Strasbourg. Its powers have grown, yet voters shun it. It’s the European Parliament. European Parliament, Strasbourg, France, 5 February 2014 (Wikimedia Commons, by Diliff) Voters from the...
We surveyed Danish youth to understand what they know about the EU’s composition and procedures. The results surprised us. French President Emmanuel Macron poses with young EU citizens, Aachen, Germany, 9 May 2018 (EPA-EFE/Ronald Wittek) How much do young people...
The fire at Notre-Dame cathedral moved citizens in France. But an outpouring of donations to fund its reconstruction has stirred controversy. Notre-Dame Cathedral burns, 15 April 2019 (EPA-EFE/Ian Langsdon) I was meeting my parents at a restaurant near the...
I’ve spent the past school year studying overseas. It’s given me a new perspective on my own homeland and on the polarization that divides us. A protest against efforts to repeal the U.S. Affordable Care Act, New York, 24 July 24 2017 (EPA/JUSTIN LANE) I...
I’m a New Yorker studying in France. I now realize a president doesn’t define a country and there are constructive ways to talk about politics. (Courtesy of GetDrawings) Since arriving in France over six months ago, I’ve had the same conversation many times...
NATO continues to grow in size but not necessarily in strength. Can the 70-year-old military alliance withstand forces weakening its foundations? Today, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is celebrating a big birthday: It’s been 70 years since the world’s most...
The EU is partnering with African countries like Niger to stop migration flows. One unintended consequence? Wiping out local livelihoods. Migrants sit on top of a truck about to leave Agadez, Niger, 27 April 2015 (Ali Abdou/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images) Every...
Europeans are being prosecuted for aiding illegal immigrants. EU states had a choice to exempt humanitarian aid from criminal charges. Most didn’t take it An African at a temporary camp for immigrants seeking entry to Europe, in Melilla (Spanish autonomous city...
“Yellow vests” protests have rocked France for months. We watched angry demonstrators march in Brittany — proof the movement is national in scope. Saturday after Saturday since last November, France has seen protesters take to the streets in...
It may not seem like it today — with Brexit, nationalism and a resurgent Russia on its borders — but the EU was created to promote stability. Pro-EU protesters outside parliament in London, 13 March 2019 (EPA-EFE/Andy Rain) It may be hard to believe that the European...