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Some of our recent articles

Youth Recommendations for the Future of the EU: Guidelines for Policymakers 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!	REFERENDUMS: DEATH BY DIRECT DEMOCRACY By Drakoulis Goudis
MAKE ELECTRICITY CHEAP AGAIN! By Drakoulis Goudis	MEET THE NEW COMMISSION! By Drakoulis Goudis
Brussels Youth Take Action: "BXL Votes for EU: GenZ in Action" Empowers Young Voters By Miguel Suárez	Expanding Democratic Participation: A Symbolic Vote for a More Inclusive European Governance By Amedeo Gasparini

The Elephant in the Room: Immigration

DISCLAIMER: all opinions in this article reflect solely the views of the author, not the position of STAND UP FOR EUROPE.

By Drakoulis Goudis

27/11/2024

Over the past decade, no issue has sparked greater controversy or provoked more intense debate in Europe than immigration. It has been weaponized by far-right movements, exploited by populist leaders, demonized by the most unsavory elements of society, and mishandled by mainstream political parties. This contentious topic has fueled friction, unilateral actions, and deep disagreements, emerging as a persistent threat to the European integration project.

 

Trump returns: Welcome to idiocracy

DISCLAIMER: all opinions in this article reflect solely the views of the author, not the position of STAND UP FOR EUROPE.

By Drakoulis Goudis

11/11/2024

 

Convicted felon and sexual abuser Donald Trump won the US Presidential Election on Tuesday and will return to the Oval Office in January. Trump’s triumph (he won the popular vote for the first time in his 3 presidential campaigns) is more shocking and appalling than his 2016 win, because this time everything about who he is, what he represents and what he plans is widely known–he wasn’t hiding it. America chose a vile bigot with multiple convictions, who believes that “the truth is what I say”, admires dictators, despises everything the modern West stands for and has the character we are all aware of, to be their president.

 

The Bloody Handshake: Failing to Condemn War Criminals

By Maksym Valchuk

1/11/2024

 

On 17 March 2023, the International Criminal Court made a historic decision - an arrest warrant was issued against Vladimir Putin. He is allegedly responsible for the war crimes concerning unlawful deportation of population (children) and unlawful transfer of population (children) from the occupied territories of Ukraine to the Russian Federation

MAKE ELECTRICITY CHEAP AGAIN!

 

By Drakoulis Goudis

05/10/2024

 

Make Electricity Cheap Again! would actually be a great slogan, appealing to the type of voters who want three-word solutions to multi-dimensional problems whose root causes can be traced decades in the past. In the real world, driving the electricity prices down is complicated, requires political and financial capital, vision further ahead than the next national elections, and for some governments to unbury their heads from the sand. Nonetheless, courses of action which can turn the tide do exist

 

WHY IS OUR ELECTRICITY EXPENSIVE?

 

By Drakoulis Goudis

29/09/2024

In this two-part article, we will today investigate the reasons European citizens saw their electricity bills skyrocket the last few years, analyze how the electricity market works, why natural gas has a disproportionate impact on the price, and in the 2^nd part we will explore what can be done to shield consumers from rising prices.

 

MEET THE NEW COMMISSION!

 

image copyright: European Commission

By Drakoulis Goudis

20/09/2024

Following two long weeks where one delay succeeded another, full of drama, accusations and last-moment changes (with the highlight being Thierry Breton’s resignation/dismissal), Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced her new Commission, subject to parliamentary approval for each member.

 

SUPER MARIO RINGS THE ALARM BELLS

 

By Drakoulis Goudis

15/09/2024

On September 9^th, Mario Draghi’s long-awaited report “The future of European competitiveness” was released to the public. The 77-years old former ECB president (and former Italian Prime Minister), a well-respected figure amongst European financial and political circles, was tasked by the Commission to diagnose the issues the EU is facing regarding competitiveness on the global stage and recommend courses of action to remediate them.

THE COMMISSION BALANCING ACT

 

By Drakoulis Goudis

08 September 2024

With the summer break over in the EU bubble, September’s spotlight is on the formation of the 2nd Von der Leyen Commission. The European Commission is the primary executive arm of the European Union. It operates as a cabinet government with 27 members (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. There is one Commissioner per member state, but members are bound by their oath of office to represent the general interest of the EU rather than their home country–even though several national governments seem to conveniently forget that.

THE QUEEN’S GAMBIT

 

By Drakoulis Goudis

With a 41 votes majority (401 votes in favour out of 719 MEPs), the European Parliament re-elected Ursula von der Leyen as President of the European Commission on the afternoon of July 18^th. The result of the vote marked the end of one of the most discussed European election-related sagas and found von der Leyen at the helm of the European Union’s executive body for 5 more years.

The 2^nd term of the former Defence Minister of Germany was not at all ensured a few months ago. Parliamentary discontent about her modus operandi, a shifting political environment rearranging the balance of power between the European political groups, and conflicting interests between her own EPP and its coalition partners (social democrat S&D and liberal Renew) had cast doubts over whether she would have enough support to continue leading the Commission after the June elections.

Von der Leyen needed 3 conditions:

• The EPP to be the largest political group after the elections
• The European Council to nominate her for Commission President
• The European Parliament to approve her nomination with a 50% +1 majority

 

THE HUNGARIAN PRESIDENCY: ORBAN AT THE WHEEL?

By Drakoulis Goudis

Introduction

As of the 1st of July 2024, and for the next 6 months, Hungary is holding the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban lost no time in using his new position to meet enemies of the West, like Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping and Donald Trump while pretending to be “EU President”.

Public outrage ensued, with civilians expressing their frustration that the EU appears to be represented internationally by a far-right populist who vocally despises Western liberal values, admires authoritarian leaders and would happily hand Ukraine to Putin given the chance.

 

 

Brussels Youth Take Action: "BXL Votes for EU: GenZ in Action" Empowers Young Voters

By Miguel Suárez 

In a powerful initiative to equip young people for civic engagement, EQUAMA, with the support of the European Parliament, partner associations and individual Brussels citizens, successfully concluded the "BXL Votes for EU: GenZ in Action" project. This groundbreaking program targeted first-time voters in the Brussels region, empowering them to actively participate in the recent 2024 European Elections.

 

Expanding Democratic Participation: A Symbolic Vote for a More Inclusive European Governance

By Amedeo Gasparini 

Ahead of the European elections on June 9th, the upcoming symbolic vote organized by ECIT Foundation, Voters Without Borders, and Stand Up for Europe presents an opportunity to advocate for a more inclusive European democracy. Scheduled for April 26th, in Brussels – on the esplanade of the European Parliament and in Place de la Petite Suisse, close to ULB-Solbosch – the event aims to highlight the importance of extending political rights within the EU. Volunteers are free to join and will be asked to hold a symbolic vote on three demands, while a parallel symbolic vote will be held in Paris, Berlin, Bologna, Geneva, and London to celebrate International Voting Rights Day. An online symbolic vote will also be open until June 9th, when a full report on the results of the symbolic vote will be published and sent to the newly elected MEPs.

Debunking the Myth: Does 80% of Legislation in the EU Really Come from the Union Government?

By Miguel Suárez 

In the realm of European Union (EU) discussions, a prevailing assertion stands out: that as much as 80% of the legislation within the EU stems from the Union government. If this statement holds true, it would portray a highly centralized governance system where the Union wields considerable influence over member states. Nevertheless, a more thorough analysis of the EU's legislative procedures unveils a much more complex reality. Along this article, the 80% claim will be put to question, and with the scope of the upcoming European Elections in June, we will try to determine to what extent Brussels actually decides the legislation of the Member States. 

 

Binding the Youth Vote: Belgium's Mandatory Shift in EU Election Participation

By Katarina Stanojevic

Belgium, as a Member State of the EU, has also been at the forefront of discussions surrounding the voting age and electoral participation. In 2022, Belgium enacted a law that expanded voting rights to include Belgian citizens and other EU nationals residing in Belgium, aged between 16 and 18, in European elections (Mańko, 2023). This legislative change marked a significant departure from the previous voting age requirement and aimed to empower younger citizens to participate in the democratic process. Currently, the Court has suspended a provision in the law (see ruling nr. 35/2024), which makes voting mandatory solely for adults and not for 16- and 17-year-olds. This ruling means that voting will now be compulsory for individuals aged 16 and 17, with the possibility of sanctions for non-compliance. However, the implementation of this law has faced legal challenges and ongoing debates regarding mandatory voting and associated sanctions.

 

The 2024 Russian Presidential "Election": A Gangster's Seizure of Power

Vladimir Putin submitting documents to Central Election Commission in December 2023. Photo: Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation

 

By Mariia Orudzhova

The three-day electoral exercise – [the 2024 Russian presidential ‘election’, that was held from 15 to 17 March] - is over. And this article will cover why it was illigimate from the very beginning to the very end.

Let's remember about the legal framework of what was going on in Russia in 2020 - the constitutional changes were taking place. The constitution of the Russian Federation was changed - the word 'consecutive' in: ‘limit to 2 consecutive terms’, - was destroyed. The amendment allowed Putin to run for the presidency in 2024 again by nullifying his terms. Preservation of power is the main purpose and raison d'être of any autocracy.

 

Green Claims Directive: Battling Greenwashing for a Sustainable Future

by Lisa Zadrozny Stausholm

During this Tuesday’s plenary session, 12th March 2024, the Green Claims Directive (GCD) proposed by the Commission in March of 2023 passed. This initiative echoes the objectives of the European Green Deal looking to transform Europe into a circular economy, which means managing resources efficiently, conserving energy and reducing waste, thus benefiting both the economy and the environment. In practical terms, this deal legally requires all EU Member States to reduce Europe’s emissions by a minimum of 55% by 2030.

But what is the GDC and why is it needed? How does it hold companies engaging in greenwashing accountable? And how will small businesses be impacted?

 

The EU construction of corruption deconstruction: Anti-Money laundering authority (AMLA)

By Katarina Stanojevic

 

The proposal made on July 20, 2021 by the European Commission to establish the European Union Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA) marks a crucial stride in addressing the escalating threats of money laundering and terrorism financing in Europe. This initiative is a top priority for the European Union (EU) in combating organized and serious international crime. AMLA is a pivotal component of the comprehensive action plan introduced in 2020 to curb these criminal activities

 

 

Challenges and Demands: Understanding the Farmers' Protests Shaping Europe's Agricultural Landscape

By Miguel Suárez

As almost every EU citizen knows already, European farmers have stood up against the situation of injustice they live in, as a result of some decisions taken by the European Institutions. Protests have been taking place on the continent since at least 2019; however, since February 1st 2024, they have intensified notably, especially in Brussels, where the headquarters of most of the government apparatuses of the Union are concentrated. But it is worth mentioning that they are taking place in practically all countries of the old continent.

This week has seen a new episode of protests in the Belgian capital, as a consequence of the summit of EU agriculture ministers that took place on Monday, February 26th, and based on its result, it does not look like they are going to be the last ones.

We will try to address this broad topic in the best way possible, but let’s take this from the beginning: What are the demands of the farmers? What injustices are we talking about? How long will this wave of protests last? Is there any satisfactory solution in the short term? These questions, and some others that will emerge, will be the ones we will try to answer in this article.