According to Oxford Dictionaries, “climate emergency” is the word of 2019. The expression, used increasingly in the media – including The Guardian – newspaper has been chosen as a substitute for “climate change” in order to better convey the urgency of global warming. Similarly, Greta Thunberg has often evoked the image of a burning house…
We tend to think that in America everything is newer than in Europe. This year the US bill of rights turned 230 years old. In contrast, the EU Charter of fundamental rights only entered into force on 1 December 2009, exactly 10 years ago. Surveys have shown that Americans are more likely to name…
Almost two years ago, in January 2018, I found myself travelling to the other end of the world – Papua New Guinea (PNG), to be precise – to present a report on autonomy arrangements around the world. The Institute I work for, the Institute for Comparative Federalism of Eurac Research, was asked to provide a…
Image: Adam Wilson/Unsplash Two years and counting, just thinking of Brexit now brings on a headache. Many doubts still remain about the potential of an approval of the withdrawal agreement signed by Boris Johnson and the EU, and not only because of the consent withheld thus far by Westminster. The ongoing process of approval of…
Image: Gift Habeshaw/Unsplash Hanging on the building in Addis Ababa that serves as the main office of the European Union’s delegation to Ethiopia there is a big billboard on which is written ‘EU-Ethiopia: Developing Ethiopia together’. This seems to signify that the EU is among Ethiopia’s most reliable development partners. It provides the country each…
Image: Fred Moon/Unsplash *Il presente contributo è in corso di pubblicazione anche su Federalismo in Toscana n. 3/2019, a cura di IRPET. Brexit è uno degli eventi più importanti degli ultimi anni sia dal punto di vista politico che costituzionale. Le conseguenze sono enormi non solo sul piano dei rapporti con l’UE e delle relazioni…
Image: Tomaz Silva/ABr Everything has been said and written about Christine Lagarde – from her success as the first woman to lead the IMF to the doubts many observers have expressed about her lack of experience with macroeconomics or monetary policy. Her assured walk as she entered the European Central Bank for her first day…
Image: Randy Tarampi/Unsplash What happened two weeks ago, from the Turkish operation in the Northern Syria to the rapid cease fire after the visit of American delegation to Ankara, remains quite a puzzle for me, as it does for most of ordinary Turkish citizens for whom puzzles are no longer something unusual since being governed…
Image: Eva Grey/Unsplash On 30 September 2019, the MPs of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) submitted the first part of the proposed amendments laid down in the Judicial Reform Strategy Document to the Turkish Parliament. The new Turkish judiciary reform package, unveiled by the President Erdogan on 30 May 2019, aims to strengthen…
Image: Vince Fleming/Unsplash In separate referenda in 2005, French and Dutch citizenry rejected the “Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe”. The Constitutional Treaty intended to bring the European Union (EU) — a unique international organization because its Member States give it the exercise of political power — closer to the idea of a State. From…
