Last Thursday, the European Parliament has voted against a proposed reform of the EU’s copyright law, aimed at forcing tech giants like Google and Facebook to share revenues with publishers, broadcasters and artists. The proposed reform was formally intended to “modernise” the overall European copyright system, and to bring it more “in line” to the […]EU Parliament sends controversial copyright law reform back to discussion
July 10, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Last Thursday, the European Parliament has voted against a proposed reform of the EU’s copyright law, aimed at forcing tech giants like Google and Facebook to share revenues with publishers, broadcasters and artists. The proposed reform was formally intended to “modernise” the overall European copyright system, and to bring it more “in line” to the […]EU migration crisis again accentuates lack of unity and solidarity among member states
June 27, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Almost nothing was achieved between the EU member states at the mini migration summit which was convened in Brussels last Sunday. Despite the German efforts, there was no common ground among EU leaders. The latter was mainly due to the fact that Italy’s new anti-migrant government is against the “first country responsibility” rule which obliges […]EU Finance ministers agree on new banking capital rules and move closer to Banking Union
May 29, 2018 by 4 Comments
Last week, European Union finance ministers have reached an agreement on a package of measures to reform bank capital rules in the bloc. The so-called banking package, aimed at creating a sort of “Banking Union” among the Member States, is expected to be a major step towards further strengthening the resilience of the EU banking […]Two days left until General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), lots of newsletter opt-outs but does the EU citizen really know?
May 23, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Just two days left now before the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is fully implemented changing the way companies manage the data of EU citizens globally. A regulation which is much stricter that the current ones is meant to give greater protection rights to individuals from the Old Continent showing that the EU is a […]How Europe beat the financial crisis – and the risks it still faces
May 18, 2018 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you based on the strategic cooperation of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Kalin Anev Janse, Secretary General, European Stability Mechanism (ESM) Ten years after the financial crisis, what is the most important news for me, coming from the other side of the channel? It is that Europe is booming – […]This is what you need to know about the Iran nuclear deal
May 16, 2018 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you based on the strategic cooperation of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Adam Jezard, Formative Content What just happened? President Donald Trump has withdrawn the United States from a deal brokered in 2015 to curb Iran’s ability to produce nuclear weapons. After announcing the US withdrawal on May 8, Trump, […]Does the Erasmus program really contribute to the construction of a solid EU identity?
May 6, 2018 by Leave a Comment
This article was exclusively written for the Sting by one of our passionate readers Mr Luca Arfini. The opinions expressed within reflect only the writer’s views and not The European Sting’s position on the issue. Right now, in a period of several crises challenging the EU’s stability, the sense of belonging that the EU citizens have towards the European […]Vote at 16 in Malta: next stop Europe
April 9, 2018 by Leave a Comment
European Youth Insights is a platform provided by the European Youth Forum and the European Sting, to allow young people to air their views on issues that matter to them. The following article is written by Mr Luis Alvarado Martinez, President of the European Youth Forum, the biggest umbrella youth organisation in Europe and the world. […]EU to Turkey: No other ties than €3+3bn to upkeep refugees
March 29, 2018 by Leave a Comment
The EU-Turkey Summit in the Black Sea city of Varna last Monday was a chance for the Brussels dignitaries to throw a long list of severe European grievances in the face of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Jean-Claude Juncker, the President of the Commission and Donald Tusk, President of the European Council , went to the […]Brexit negotiations: Can May’s Britain bounce back?
March 21, 2018 by Leave a Comment
It was last Monday when the EU and UK announced a transition agreement till the end of 2020 providing thus the opportunity for a smoother Brexit. However, there are still unsolved issues that need intensive discussions such as the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland. The business world saw this accord positively as they will […]Commission’s action plan: financial world mandatory links to environmental targets
March 14, 2018 by Leave a Comment
It was last Thursday when the European Commission revealed its action plan on sustainable finance to deal with climate change. This action plan aims at mobilizing the financial world in order to achieve sustainable growth; something that the UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative has been doing for 26 years already. The huge financial gap towards […]Italian elections: a long political limbo is ahead
March 7, 2018 by Leave a Comment
The outcome of the Italian general elections of last Sunday was disappointing leaving the country and the European Union in shock. The win of the two anti-establishment parties together with the fact that no single party managed to get the mandate of an overall majority leaves the country in a political uncertainty where a coalition […]EU budget: Will Germany alone manage Britain’s gap?
February 21, 2018 by Leave a Comment
The EU budget will be the main topic of the EU summit which will be held in Brussels on Friday. The leaders of the 27 member states have to deal with the annual gap that UK will leave after Brexit occurs ensuring that the priorities set for the Union will be adequately funded. According to […]Permanent structured cooperation (PESCO) on the table of NATO Defense Ministers amid US concerns
February 14, 2018 by Leave a Comment
NATO Defense Ministers are gathered today in Brussels to discuss the modernization of the NATO Command Structure, NATO-EU cooperation, NATO’s defense posture and its role in providing stability and fighting terrorism. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg held a press conference yesterday as a forerunner of the meeting mentioning the issues to be adressed. However, NATO-EU […]Brexit negotiations: back to square one, tougher words, no good faith
February 12, 2018 by Leave a Comment
This past week, the EU and UK Brexit negotiators’ solemn exchanges became for the first time, really aggressive and plain. Since the beginning of September 2017, during the Michel Barnier – David Davis meetings there had being difficult moments. Nevertheless, the two chief negotiators never questioned the good faith of the other side; not any […]A young doctor from Glasgow reports: in the UK refugees are left to rot
February 9, 2018 by 1 Comment
This article was exclusively written for the Sting by Ms Isla Kempe, a 22 year old medical student studying in Glasgow, UK. Ms Kempe is affiliated to the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA). The opinion expressed in this piece belongs to the writer and does not necessarily reflect IFMSA’s view on the topic, nor The European […]Will Western Balkans respond positively to EU initiatives?
February 7, 2018 by Leave a Comment
The European Commission announced yesterday its strategy regarding the perspective of EU enlargement with the Western Balkans within the next decade. Six initiatives will be the guidelines of the EU which must be fulfilled in order to be able for these countries to complete the necessary steps for their accession process. The EU seems to […]Will the end of QE come along with ECB’s inflation target?
January 17, 2018 by Leave a Comment
The European Central Bank (ECB) will end its Quantitative Easing (QE) programme within the year as the Eurozone continues growing. However, the inflation rate which is not increasing as much as the ECB officials would like, stands as a barrier to its monetary policy. According to Reuters, sources close to the ECB mentioned that the […]How a possible EU budget deficit affects the migration crisis
January 10, 2018 by Leave a Comment
The migration crisis has been long plaguing Europe but the year passed revealed that the situation is getting better and better with arrivals and deaths to be decreased to a great extent. According to IOM, the UN Migration Agency, 171.635 migrants and refugees entered Europe by sea during 2017 compared to the 363.504 arrivals in […]Migration crisis update: lack of solidarity not only among EU leaders but also EU officials
December 20, 2017 by Leave a Comment
It was two days ago, on the anniversary of the International migration day, when the United Nations urged everyone to contribute to make migration safer in the world. The EU leaders gathered on December 14-15 in Brussels to discuss among others how to tackle refugee crisis. The key point which created disagreements was the letter from the […]VW diesel scandal and climate change: can increased independent car checks lead to cleaner mobility?
December 13, 2017 by Leave a Comment
It was last Thursday when the European Parliament together with the Council and the Commission agreed to enhance the car testing system by providing extra checks to the cars that are or will be placed in the market based on the proposal of the European Commission made on January 2016. Despite the fact that this […]Energy Union: EU’s effort towards a cleaner climate with integrated energy market
November 29, 2017 by Leave a Comment
The European Commission published its third annual energy report last Friday showing the progress that has been made so far since the last report in February of this year. Many policies’ amendments have been proposed for the next decade towards a greener environment and a more harmonised EU gas market. The majority of the EU […]Climate change update: will the UN member states regain momentum despite the little progress at COP23?
November 22, 2017 by Leave a Comment
The 23rd conference of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP23) concluded last Saturday in Bonn but little progress was achieved and everyone is now awaiting next year’s negotiations in Poland where a rule book for the Paris agreement has to be finalised. All member states should reconsider their emission cuts upwards via […]Brexit: UK business fear of a no-deal scenario preparing for the worst
November 8, 2017 by Leave a Comment
The Confederation of British Industry annual conference which took place last Monday in London was a chance for Prime Minister Theresa May to ask for more patience from the business world. Something though that seems to have been lost as negotiations show no significant progress and time presses both sides. A survey by the Chartered […]Entrepreneurship in a newly shaped Europe: what is the survival kit for a young Catalan and British entrepreneur in 2018?
November 7, 2017 by 1 Comment
This article was exclusively written for the Sting by João Malhadeiro, member of LisbonPH, the Junior Enterprise of Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Lisbon. Mr Malhadeiro is affiliated to the European Confederation of Junior Enterprises (JADE). JADE is a cordial partner of The European Sting. The opinion expressed in this piece belongs to the writer […]Climate change: Will COP23 be able to accelerate the implementation of the Paris agreement?
November 1, 2017 by Leave a Comment
The next UN climate summit (COP23) will take place in Bonn, Germany from 6 till 17 November with everyone to await its outcome and whether it will be beneficial for the global warming adding to the Paris agreement. It is a crucial year for the climate as the US has declared to leave the Paris […]EU Trust Fund for Africa: Can it be beneficial for Italy and tackle the migration crisis in the Mediterranean?
October 25, 2017 by Leave a Comment
It was last week when the EU leaders met in Brussels to discuss how to support Italy with managing the refugees’ crisis in the central Mediterranean. The increase of the financial aid in the Trust Fund for Africa is believed to be one of the main ways to deal with this long-lasting issue. However, this […]EU-Turkey relations: Will Turkey manage to revive the EU accession process talks?
October 18, 2017 by Leave a Comment
The EU leaders meet tomorrow in Brussels in a two-day summit where the relations with Turkey and particularly the accession procedure is going to be one of the main topics. The European Commission has been supporting the freezing of the EU membership talks as Jean Claude Juncker condemned President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s crackdown on political […]E-energy declaration: will energy digitalization be beneficial to the climate?
September 27, 2017 by Leave a Comment
It was last Wednesday when the EU energy ministers met in Estonia with industry representatives to sign the Tallinn energy declaration targeting at the digitalization of the market. This declaration aims at helping the EU to meet its climate and energy targets via digital and innovative solutions. This action is meant to add significantly to […]UK’s PM Theresa May asks for a two-year Brexit transition plan as negotiations round kicks off
September 26, 2017 by Leave a Comment
UK’s Prime Minister Theresa May delivered a much-awaited speech last Friday in Florence, where she set out a plan on how to progress in Brexit negotiations. Ms. May proposed delaying a full Brexit for a two-year period to smooth the impact of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, as well as to “end the deadlock” […]State of the Union 2017: Juncker’s optimism about EU growth and Brexit’s impact
September 21, 2017 by Leave a Comment
It was last Wednesday when the president of the European Commission made his annual State speech address to the European Parliament pointing out the top priorities for the next year. Jean-Claude Juncker expressed his optimism for the boosting of the EU economy, trade, investment, cybersecurity, industry and democracy. The president of the EC respected the […]Refugee crisis update: EU still lacks solidarity as Hungary and Slovakia refuse to accept EU Court’s decision
September 13, 2017 by Leave a Comment
It was last Wednesday when the Court of Justice of the European Union rejected a challenge by Hungary and Slovakia regarding their denial on relocating refugees from Greece and Italy. Both countries though do not intend to change their position on the issue. Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos mentioned that there has […]EU and African leaders to jointly tackle the migration crisis across the Mediterranean
September 6, 2017 by 1 Comment
It was last week when the leaders of Italy, France, Germany and Spain met in Paris with the African leaders of Chad, Niger and Libya to discuss on how to manage the influx of migrants through Libya and across the Mediterranean. Emmanuel Macron, the French president, hosted the summit and mentioned that refugee crisis is […]
