Stand Up for Europe is a non-profit committed to bridging the gap between EU citizens and institutions through active civic engagement. |
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Interview with MEP Rasa Juknevičienė |
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Interview with MEP Marina Kaljurand |
Interview with MEP Damian Boeselager |
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Interview with MEP Vania Neto |
Interview with MEP César Luena |
Our Publications |
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Youth Recommendations for the Future of the EU: Guidelines for Policymakers |
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See how passionate young voices tackled Europe’s biggest challenges—from climate action and security to equality and youth empowerment. Dive into the full report to see the ideas shaping our shared future! |
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REFERENDUMS: DEATH BY DIRECT DEMOCRACY By Drakoulis Goudis |
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MAKE ELECTRICITY CHEAP AGAIN!By Drakoulis Goudis
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MEET THE NEW COMMISSION!By Drakoulis Goudis
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Brussels Youth Take Action: "BXL Votes for EU: GenZ in Action" Empowers Young VotersBy Miguel Suárez |
Expanding Democratic Participation: A Symbolic Vote for a More Inclusive European GovernanceBy Amedeo Gasparini |
24/10/2025
Preview:
The Netherlands will experience a new election on 29th October. After a tumultuous year of right-wing governance under the Dick Schoof cabinet, it seems as if the Dutch public is quite divided. The far-right Dutch Freedom Party (PVV) still leads in the polls at 20%. However, their lead has notably shrunk since the election of 2023, when they won 24% of the vote. Meanwhile, they are challenged by the center-right Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) and left wing Labor&Green (PDVA-Groen Links) who have both reached 16% support - along with other moderate parties. It seems as if no party will win more than 20% of the vote, or come close to a strong plurality for that matter. Can a centrist government be made? Or will the right still hold onto power? If there’s only one given, it's a continued political stalemate.
17/10/2025
Preview:
The EU is under significant pressure from Washington to roll back its climate protections. On certain issues, including Corporate Sustainability Due Dilligence Directive (CSDDD) requirements, it appears that Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has obliged. Indeed, this may allow for an improvement of transatlantic relations and perhaps increased competitiveness for EU firms. However, even if it is not as flashy as the main news stories of the day, climate change is an imminent, ever-worsening threat for EU citizens. It already is augmenting extreme weather events, killing EU citizens ,and fundamentally reshaping member states’ politics for the worse. In the name of ensuring public safety and simply from a cost-benefit perspective, abandoning climate protections would be a mistake for the EU.
03/10/2025
Preview:
On 4 October, Czechia will hold parliamentary elections. From recent polls, Czechia’s largest populist right party ANO (Yes) is on track to win with 31% of the vote - 11% higher than their closest competitor, Spolu (Together). It is all but guaranteed that their leader, Andrej Babiš, will be Czechia’s next Prime Minister. With ANO’s increasingly far-right agenda, Babiš’s personal dealings, and the party’s membership in the far-right Patriots of Europe political group in the European Parliament, it can be asked: Will Czechia follow in Hungary’s illiberal footsteps?
26/09/2025
Preview:
Over the past weeks, Russia has become increasingly bold in its conduct against NATO. Most notably on 9 September 2025, 19 Russian drones infiltrated Polish airspace. These drones penetrated quite deep into Poland, with fragments found as far as Olesno 402 kilometers from the Polish-Ukrainian border. This incident, along with subsequent incidents in Romania and Estonia, has left Europeans wondering if these provocations will become a new normal for Europe. Regardless, it is clear that the Ukraine War presents a clear danger to Europeans, and European countries need to develop autonomous military capabilities to defend their borders.
15/09/2025
Preview:
On September 8th, France experienced the fall of the government of Prime Minister Bayrou, its second Prime Minister to fall in a year. The crisis threatens to exacerbate the country’s political polarization and paralysis, further eroding President Macron’s credibility in governing the country. It is already bolstering France’s rising far-right fringe, posing a major challenge to the country’s commitment to European integration and values. Given France’s crucial role within the EU, this crisis of confidence should serve as a clear indicator of the need for European moderates to reconnect with average voters and reclaim the popular narrative from the alt-right.
18/07/2025
Amidst the daily barrage of headlines—from Trump’s outbursts to fresh violence in Ukraine and the Middle East—something quieter but no less consequential is brewing in Brussels: the next long-term EU budget.
Leaks and whispers about the 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) are beginning to surface across news sites and social media feeds. Yet as usual, most coverage serves up little more than vague figures and recycled diplomat quotes. What’s missing? A clear explanation of how the EU budget is decided—and why it matters for every European citizen and business.
That’s where Stand Up For Europe steps in.
27/06/2025
One of Europe’s oldest Pride marches—first held in 1997 and the first of its kind after the fall of the Iron Curtain—will go ahead tomorrow in Budapest, despite aggressive attempts by Viktor Orbán’s regime to repress and outlaw it. A large turnout is expected, defying a police ban enforced under draconian new laws passed by Orbán’s ruling party Fidesz. Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony has confirmed that the Pride march will proceed on June 28, 2025, as a municipally organized event—an open challenge to the government's authoritarian crackdown. The ban and accompanying legislation have drawn fierce condemnation from Brussels and civil society organizations across Europe and beyond.
22/06/2025
Next week, on the 24th and 25th of June, NATO leaders will gather in The Hague for an important summit that’s meant to be more than just another high-level meeting. With war still raging on our doorstep in Ukraine, tensions rising globally and pressure mounting within the alliance itself, this summit is a serious moment, especially for Europe.
13/06/2025
On June 3, 2025, the Netherlands witnessed the abrupt collapse of its government as Geert Wilders’ far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) withdrew from the ruling coalition. This move led Prime Minister Dick Schoof to resign, leaving the country under a caretaker administration and prompting calls for new elections later this year.
The coalition, a fragile alliance of PVV, VVD, NSC, and BBB, had been in power for just 11 months. Tensions peaked over disagreements on asylum policies, particularly due to Wilders’ push for stricter measures, such as revoking citizenship in cases of criminality and deporting certain asylum seekers directly at the borders through permanent check points operated by the Dutch army. These proposals met strong resistance from coalition partners, leading to an impasse.
6/06/2025
“The European economy is at a turning point”. It was with these words that Poland's Minister for Economic Development and Technology, Krzysztof Paszyk, described the crucial moment that Europe's industrial economy is currently experiencing, during the Competitiveness Council for Internal Market and Industry meeting held on 12 March, 2025 (Council of the European Union, 2025).
The problems are clear, as the minister describes, “High energy prices, unfair competition from third countries, and a growing innovation gap with global rivals.”
31/05/2025
No one expected the EU and UK to warm up to each other so soon after Brexit, but the recent summit at Lancaster House showed that political will and shared interests can shift things faster than expected. In a current political climate where division often dominates the headlines, this summit offered something different: a cautious but promising shift toward rebuilding. Many European officials saw it as the beginning of a more structured and promising partnership. Additionally, the location being Lancaster House, which has a long history of hosting important diplomatic gatherings, was not just chosen for symbolic reasons. It demonstrated that both parties were prepared to have a meaningful conversation.
16/05/2025
Poland and Romania stand at critical junctures as they enter their respective 2025 presidential elections–contests that carry far-reaching implications for their political trajectory in Europe. These elections function not merely as national referendums. They also reflect deeper structural tensions: between liberal institutional reform and conservative resistance; between alignment with the European Union and the appeal of nationalist sovereignty; and ultimately between a Western-oriented future within the EU and growing Russian influence and interference in their domestic policies. As Polish and Romanians prepare to vote, the outcomes will determine not only the region’s political configuration but also the future of the European democratic architecture.
Stand Up for Europe is a movement of citizens reclaiming their hope for a better future, something only a united Europe can provide. Stand Up for Europe unites citizens from across the continent who are ready to build such a future through a more democratic and federal Europe, a Europe more in touch with the needs of its people, and thus a Europe that is better equipped to tackle global challenges.
With the occasion of the Conference on the Future of Europe (2021-2022), Stand Up for Europe has been active in creating information flows between citizens and European civil servants, civil society organizations, the EU institutions, and has supported and coordinated the creation of spaces (online and in-person) for citizens to voice their opinions and share their ideas about this European project. The Conference on the Future of Europe is an unprecedented occasion to increase deliberative democracy in the EU.
Join us to discover ways to actively participate in citizens' activities and stay up to date with the latest developments at our shared European transnational spaces. The future is yours!
