Anton Koninckx

Much like its fragile economy, the EU finds itself in a ”democratic recession”. That's the damning verdict of a new report released by the Civil Liberties Union for Europe. The NGO found that authoritarian tendencies are rising across the continent, chipping away at the fundamentals on which the Uni…

In the name of ”family values” and social stability, politicians across Europe seek to ban queer topics from sex education or restrict access to healthcare for transgender people. A new report by LGBTQ+ rights group ILGA-Europe finds that hate crimes against queer people have reached ”record levels.…

What does lobbying actually look like? Is it really a bunch of men in dark suits buying their way into a covert meeting with policymakers in secret rooms of the European Commission to push for their malicious interests? Not quite, yet Brussels' lobbying landscape remains largely elusive to citizens …

Time for a second helping of the who’s who in the next European Commission. If you missed our first batch of profiles last week, you can catch up on them here. Raffaele Fitto Portfolio: Executive Vice-President for Cohesion and Reforms | Country: Italy | Age: 55 | Political faction: European Conserv…

Lead Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), <a href=”https://www.ftm.eu/articles/european-parliamentarians-involved-in-hundreds-of-scandals?share=XxRp%2BPyg0HiXuQgolZEjEbz6KYu5by7FbhIzXDb7p1cxhMWQPkSkNC5v8trYWH0%3D” style=”text-decoration: underline !important;”>no strangers to scandal,</a> find…

A Green growth engine The Green Deal arose from the realisation that to avoid total climate catastrophe, we need to switch things up – change what and how we produce and consume, and move towards more sustainable alternatives. This is absolutely necessary if we want to keep global heating within the…

LGBTI rights group ILGA-Europe recently launched its ‘Come Out 4 Europe’ campaign, an initiative that urges European Parliamentary candidates to sign a pledge to defend and advance the human rights of LGBTI people. Katja Štefanec Gärtner, the NGO’s spokesperson, explains that the campaign aims to “p…

Is Ursula von der Leyen going to stay on her throne as President of the European Commission for another five years, or is anyone else taking a shot at it? Who even decides who gets the EU’s top job? That’s where the Spitzenkandidaten system comes in – how does it work (if at all) and who is vying fo…