The New Federalist

This author's articles (282)

Eine Abstimmung über den finalen Brexit Deal wäre alles andere als undemokratisch

Vor kurzem erschien bei The New Federalist ein Text von Lukas Martini, in dem er argumentiert „ein zweites Brexit Referendum wäre undemokratisch“. Er schrieb, dass ein erneutes Referendum die gleichen Probleme aufwerfe, wie das Referendum des 23. Juni 2016, nämlich dass die Öffentlichkeit nicht (…)

Wednesday 21 November 2018

“Vaccination against the desire to make war”: Remembering WWI through art in Paris

On 10 November, a day before 80 world leaders gathered at l’Arc de Triomphe to celebrate the centenary of the Armistice, the Parisian JEF sections and Les Veillées du Cénacle arranged an event pleading us to “Make art, not war”. The Europa 18 Paris event predominantly featured discussions but also a small art exhibition and, most importantly of all, a moving live DJ performance.

Thursday 15 November 2018

Spitzenkandidaten : une comparaison entre Manfred Weber et Frans Timmermans

La course pour la Présidence de la Commission européenne après les élections de 2019 s’accélère, alors que les candidats tête de liste (ou Spitzenkandidaten) des deux plus grands partis (le Parti Populaire Européen (PPE) et le Parti Socialiste Européen (PSE)) ont été annoncés la semaine dernière. Le PPE, parti de droite et de centre-droit, a élu Manfred Weber, chef actuel du parti au Parlement européen. Le candidat du PSE sera quant à lui l’actuel vice-président de la Commission, Frans Timmermans, qui s’est retrouvé seul candidat au sein du parti après que Maroš Šefčovič, également vice-président de la Commission, ait finalement décidé de quitter la course.

Tuesday 13 November 2018

Spitzenkandidaten head-to-head: Manfred Weber and Frans Timmermans compared

The race for the European Commission leadership after the 2019 elections is heating up, as the lead candidates (Spitzenkandidaten) of the two biggest parties – the European People’s Party and the Party of European Socialists – were announced last week. The centre-right EPP selected Manfred Weber, the party’s current leader in the European Parliament. The PES will run with the current Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans, who was left as the last social democrat candidate standing when his Commission colleague Maroš Šefčovič quit the race.

Monday 12 November 2018

One war, 6,100 tweets (and counting): Interview with Mechthild Herzog, @RealTimeWW1

One hundred years ago, soldiers were forced to lie in filthy trenches and senselessly charge to their deaths on plain fields. Europeans in the battlefield and on the home front suffered from disease and privation. Today, we have the duty of remembrance – and the opportunity to follow events from precisely a hundred years ago “in real time” on Twitter. On the centenary of the Armistice, Mechthild Herzog, manager of the @RealTimeWW1 Twitter account, looks back on the past five years spent between the keyboard and the warzone.

Sunday 11 November 2018

On unceremonious days we either defend our freedoms or we don’t – on memorable ones we either win or lose them

9 November is a highly symbolic date in the history of the Western world, particularly Germany. In Germany, the date is known as the Schicksalstag or “day of destiny”. 9 November was when the Weimar Republic replaced the monarchy in 1918, when Nazi SA forces attacked Jews on the Kristallnacht in 1938, and when the Berlin Wall was torn down in 1989. Two years ago, it was 9 November when Europeans woke up to announcements of Donald Trump’s election to the US presidency on a pro-wall, anti-minority platform.

Friday 9 November 2018

There’s nothing undemocratic about letting the people vote on the Brexit deal

While there are clear caveats with the idea of a ‘People’s Vote’ on the Brexit deal, it is the most legitimate and practicable way out of the current stalemate in British politics.

Tuesday 30 October 2018

Europeans demonstrate for openness and unity on 13 October

Saturday 13 October saw demonstrations across Europe in favour of an open, free society and European unity. The umbrella of 13-10.org promoted events held in cities such as Berlin and Florence, gathering hundreds of thousands of people on the streets.

Sunday 14 October 2018

Un week-end aux urnes en Europe : Roumanie, Bosnie-Herzégovine, Lettonie et République Tchèque

Le week-end dernier, plusieurs élections se sont tenues en Europe. En Roumanie, le seuil de 30% de participation nécessaire pour valider le résultat du référendum contre le mariage homosexuel n’a pas été atteint. En Bosnie-Herzégovine, le nationaliste serbe pro-russe Milorad Dodik a été élu au siège serbe de la présidence. En Lettonie, le parti pro-russe Harmonie est arrivé en tête des élections législatives, mais n’apparaît pas en mesure de former un gouvernement, alors que la coalition au pouvoir a perdu des sièges. Aux élections municipales tchèques, le parti ANO du Premier ministre Andrej Babis est arrivé en tête, alors que les sociaux-démocrates sont en recul aux élections locales et au premier tour des élections sénatoriales.

Tuesday 9 October 2018

Brexit: Will the Internet continue to work like at home?

The Brexit negotiations are still far from reaching a definitive conclusion, but what seems certain, if the United Kingdom is to leave the EU at all, is that the UK is on its way out of the European Single Market. The UK Parliament has already voted against EEA membership and, depending on the (…)

Tuesday 9 October 2018

Europeans at the ballots: Romanian anti-gay referendum fails, Serb nationalist elected to Bosnian presidency and more

Last weekend saw a number of elections and votes across Europe. In Romania, the 30% threshold was not met in the two-day anti-gay referendum. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the big news was that the pro-Russian Serb nationalist Milorad Dodik was voted into the country’s three-person presidency. In (…)

Monday 8 October 2018

L’initiative “Citoyenneté permanente de l’UE” : une exception pour la Grande-Bretagne ou un appel à la solidarité européenne ?

Depuis juillet dernier, l’initiative “Citoyenneté permanente de l’UE” est une Initiative Citoyenne Européenne (ICE) en cours sur le site de la Commission européenne. Elle a déjà accumulé près de 100 000 signatures. L’initiative, qui cherche à assurer l’impossibilité de perdre la citoyenneté (…)