Symbolism matters in politics and there is perhaps no greater negative image shaping perceptions of the European Union than what has been dubbed the 'travelling circus': twelve times a year members of the European Parliament relocate from Brussels to Strasbourg for a plenary session.
European trade policy is the object of numerous critiques, particularly concerning its lack of transparency and democratic control.
With no common industrial policy and given the great openness of its internal market, Europe has missed the latest waves of technological innovation: microelectronics, computers, mobile telephones, internet.
The Spitzenkandidat system has been criticised by a number of heads of state. Will it be applied this year?
Will the European Union muster the ambition necessary to tackle climate change, and can it provide itself with the means to do so?
While social Europe may have finally woken from its slumber, progress hasn’t come easy.
Europe facing the refugee crisis.
A European army? It won’t be happening overnight.
The European Union remains an area in which there is fierce tax competition between its member countries.
In the run-up to the European elections, populists are gaining ground in many countries. But their slogans are not winning through everywhere. Where are they successful, and what makes them dangerous?
