Polish court rules foreign same sex marriages must be recognised
Poland’s top administrative court (NSA) ruled that the country's public authorities must recognise same-sex marriages performed elsewhere in the European Union…
Democracy
Latest reporting and analysis on democracy.
Major win for privacy? EU chat control hits wall
European Union lawmakers have moved to block untargeted mass scanning of private communications, a practice that would have allowed authorities to screen messages…
Home office working increases fertility rate, international study finds
A study covering 38 countries by the German economic think-tank ifo Institut in co-operation with Stanford University shows couples who work from home are more likely…
ECJ says member states must change gender of citizens even if national laws forbid it
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled member states must allow their citizens to have their gender changed in official documents – even if this contravenes…
Major police operation targets France’s ‘DZ Mafia’ drugs gang
French authorities have launched what officials describe as the largest operation ever carried out against the criminal group known as the DZ Mafia, as part of an…
Swiss vote to enshrine use of cash in Constitution, end tax penalty for married couples
Swiss citizens have voted on several contentious issues in four nationwide referenda – approving a constitutional right to use cash, ending tax penalties for married…
Concerns grow over influence on EU of foreign propaganda and new media
A panel discussion hosted by MEP Dominik Tarczyński yesterday explored growing concerns about foreign influence in Europe and the role of new media in addressing…
Belgian media outlet officially reprimanded for publishing JD Vance speech in full
A right-leaning news outlet in Belgium, 21News, violated journalistic ethics by publishing the complete transcript of the speech made by US Vice-President J D Vance…
US tradition of respecting European leaders in danger of being squandered
Some readers will recall that last week I posed the question of what sort of an alliance the British government might think it had with United States after denying…
Warrant or not, the cops are coming: Polish government breaches ban on double jeopardy
In recent months Poland has seen an unprecedented situation.
EC says European Social Fund can be used to fund abortions
The European Commission has confirmed that European Union member states may use the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) to support access to legal abortion services,…
French prosecutors probe Al-Fayeds over sex trafficking
He traded on the glamour of owning Harrods, the Paris Ritz and luxury yachts, but Mohamed Al-Fayed was at the centre of a dark web of alleged abuse, say French lawyers…
AfD avoids immediate ban after German court suspends its ‘extremist’ status
A German administrative court in Cologne ruled yesterday that the country’s domestic intelligence agency may not classify the right-wing Alternative for Germany…
Young men without purpose mean lethargy or rage across Europe
In 2002 Fox aired one season of a remarkably entertaining science fiction show created by Joss Whedon.
The decline of liberty
Never was there more high-minded talk about republican ideals in ancient Rome than in the age of Augustus, the first de facto emperor who definitively buried the…
Polish Government says President’s rule of law proposal would mean ‘Polexit’
The Polish Government has accused President Karol Nawrocki of leading the country towards "Polexit" with his proposal to make questioning of judicial appointments…
Fears of extremist violence: After Deranque, how can National Rally officials stay safe?
Fears over the safety of France's National Rally (NR) party have led the party president, Jordan Bardella, to bar all elected party officials from public tributes…
Part of German CDU wants to end online anonymity and make Big Tech pay for ‘news they steal’
As the German Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party’s congress nears, the local CDU branch of Schleswig-Holstein is pushing to scrap online anonymity.
Italy introduces new ‘law and order’ measures amid left-wing violence
Italy has introduced a “law and order” package in response to violent incidents linked to far-left groups in Italy and across Europe.
Macron wants officials guilty of ‘anti-Semitic and racist acts’ to lose eligibility
French President Emmanuel Macron wants elected officials convicted of anti-Semitic or other racist acts to face automatic disqualification from holding office.
Iranian regime lands ‘social inclusion’ role at UN
The Iranian regime has secured two notable diplomatic acknowledgements at the United Nations, despite violently suppressing dissent and reports of lethal force against…
‘EU veto must stay’: Slovakia
The right of individual nations to veto key European Union decisions must remain in place, says Slovakia, because EU members "do not forfeit their sovereignty" when…
Japan election proves Trump pumps up the populist-right vote
The Liberal Democratic Party of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi had a resounding victory in her country’s elections over the past weekend.
French Government historically unpopular, political mistrust unprecedentedly high
French people are increasingly turning their back on French politicians, having a very negative view on both politics and the government.
Italian journalists declare strike over Olympic gaffes
Sports journalists at Italian public broadcaster RAI are going on strike over a gaffe-filled commentary of the Winter Olympics opening ceremony by the head of their…
The fragile ‘We’: What is at stake is the symbolic boundary of membership
The crisis in liberal democracies is not just about inflation, migration, or polarisation.
The endpoint of history, or why Epstein shows what happens when belief dies
The world did not end in a mushroom cloud or a clash of grand ideologies.
Conductor on German train allegedly battered to death by fare dodger
A train conductor died after he was reportedly viciously attacked by a passenger without a ticket on a German regional service.
Long-term Belgian unemployed rush to social welfare after entitlements run out
Belgian local social services are seeing a sharper-than-expected influx of long-term unemployed people after the country’s recent reform ended unlimited unemployment…
Twisting history to dishonour history’s victims and democracy’s principles
Across the Western world, a troubling pattern has emerged: Historical memory is being weaponised against democratic preferences.