Macron seizing the moment

Macron seizing the moment French President tactic in a leaderless Europe For the first time since his election, President Emmanuel Macron visited the city of Calais to address, in front of the Gendarmerie, a key issue of his government: the immigration policy. His...

There’s nothing simple when I’m not in the EU

There’s nothing simple when I’m not in the EU Ireland’s commitment to EU membership     This week the Republic of Ireland has been in the minds of many people. Hearing about the sudden loss of The Cranberries singer Dolores O’Riordan made numerous music fans...

Why do they come here?

Why do they come here? Lessons of human nature   Source of the picture: The Atlantic   “Why do we want all these people from shithole countries coming here?”, was the million-dollar question by the US President Donald Trump at a closed-door meeting. After...

Ready, set, PROMISE!

Ready, set, PROMISE! Italian election campaign begins Fifty-two days until the Italians will cast their vote to decide their next government. Much has changed since the last time they did that. It was 2013, Mario Monti’s “technical” government was coming to an end,...

Where will it lead us from here?

Where will it lead us from here? Some thoughts on German politics     When I was following the recent German elections, I could not even imagine that it would produce never-ending coalition talks. My first thought was that Angela Merkel has been around for...

Si vis pacem, para bellum

Si vis pacem, para bellum EU’s role as a leader in the region The launch of the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) on Defence is the last step of a long process that started decades ago and the first step towards a real integration and cooperation in terms...