Decarbonization in Europe is progressing at different speeds. The challenge is to transform coal-based economies through investment and retraining. Asturias, in Spain, shows the way: existing infrastructure can be repurposed for new uses
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people have been celebrating Pride across Europe, but the landscape is divided between national bans and institutional pinkwashing. A look at how the European Union’s work on protecting LGBT+ rights is perceived by civil society
If there is something that unites all those who overlook the same sea, it is the waste that ruins it. Six countries overlooking the Adriatic have joined forces in the European project Bluecircle to minimize its presence on their beaches
An in-depth interview with Luka Zanoni, editor-in-chief of OBCT, collected by the Bosnian portal Buka: from political developments in Bosnia and Herzegovina to the hypocrisy of EU policy towards South-Eastern Europe, passing through the student protests in Serbia as a possible turning point
Obtaining renewable energy from the wind by installing turbines in the open sea will be increasingly necessary, but so is respecting biodiversity. In the Adriatic, this challenge is still open: the Beyond project was born to win it, starting from Italy and Croatia
In times when fire reaches previously unknown intensities, fighting it with force is not enough: scientific knowledge and collaboration are needed to question old strategies and develop new ones
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited Armenia last week, signalling a potential thaw in ties after years of some strain. Prime Minister Pashinyan now appears to be pursuing a pragmatic foreign policy, balancing relations with both Russia and the West ahead of the 2026 elections
The EU Just Transition Fund supports the European regions most affected by the abandonment of fossil fuels, financing green innovation, job retraining and environmental clean-ups. Its implementation, however, is proceeding very slowly
From education to workforce retraining, national programmes can attract investment and support the development of disadvantaged areas. An interview with Zornitsa Roussinova, President of the Economic and Social Council of Bulgaria
European states and regions are having issues using the 526 billion Euros made available to them by the cohesion policy for 2021-2027. A challenge of a technical nature that however also has a strong political value
Decades of merely utilitarian management have made forests in Europe more vulnerable to extreme fires. To address this threat, a change of direction is needed that respects their complexity, also addressing the taboo of controlled fires
According to the European Commission, cohesion policy should invest more in defence companies and infrastructure useful for military purposes. However, the decision is up to national and regional authorities
Andranik wanted to go to Italy but ended up in Belgium, Mariam wanted to go to France and after various wanderings she eventually succeeded. Two stories of migrants who left Armenia years ago in search of better living conditions
Thanks to cohesion funds, the EU states of south-eastern Europe are implementing many projects to prevent or combat floods, fires and other risks related to the climate crisis. Namely, the commitment by Greece and Cyprus stands out
Băile Herculane is among the oldest and most popular spas in Romania. It reached the peak of its splendour in the second half of the 19th century, when the region was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
After decades of severe decline, the historical spa town of Băile Herculane is gradually flourishing again. The credit goes to the efforts by a group of young people who mobilised to save the heritage and reclaim the spaces, and to EU funds
EU funds can have a real impact on the lives of citizens and local communities, provided they are spent taking into account the specific needs of each territory. Interview with Jasna Gabrič, former mayor of Trbovlje
Many low- and mid-altitude ski resorts, due to global warming, remain without snow, but not necessarily without tourists. There are ways to reinvent the mountain: an ongoing cross-border project, BeyondSnow, helps some Alpine resorts understand how to do it
In the European Union there is enormous potential for the production of renewable energy, still only partially exploited. It is concentrated above all in rural regions: with adequate investments, it could create a precious opportunity for development
The new Bulgarian government has relaunched a rapid entry into the Eurozone as a strategic priority for the country: Sofia meets the formal criteria, but for experts and public opinion the adoption of the Euro remains a controversial issue
Danish diplomat Peter Sorensen is the new EU Special Representative for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue. The appointment was welcomed in Pristina, but the outlook for the future of the negotiations remains murky
Europe’s rural areas could produce up to 30 times their energy needs with photovoltaics, but technical, environmental and social obstacles complicate their development. Networks, storage and community involvement will be crucial for a sustainable future
Europe aims to obtain 42.5% of its energy from renewable sources by 2030, but there is still a long way to go. While oil dominates the national energy mix, very different territorial realities are emerging, with rural areas ready for the ecological transition
Armenia has entered the pre-election year with all to play for. Yet, despite constantly declining ratings, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan could benefit from a new inadvertent supporter – the European Union
The absence of EU flags at anti-government demonstrations shows that accession has become a divisive issue in the candidate country. Interview with Srđan Majstorović, president of the board of the European Policy Centre (CEP)
The temptation to centralise the management of EU cohesion funds is a mistake, argues economist Andrés Rodríguez-Pose, who has edited a report on the future of this policy for the European Commission. An interview
Armenia has announced its intention to become a member of the European Union, however close relations with Moscow, particularly in the economic and energy spheres, complicate the possibility of Yerevan taking the European path
Increasingly hot summers and crops at the mercy of extreme events challenge growers in cross-border areas. In the face of the certainty of climate uncertainty, forces and data are being joined with the European AI-GRAPE project, created to introduce digitalisation into viticulture
Native to Siberia, the red-breasted goose winters on the western coast of the Black Sea. Threatened by poaching and climate change, this endangered species has benefited from various conservation projects in Bulgaria in recent years
Ahead of the discussions on the future EU budget, we interviewed Oliver Röpke, President of the European Economic and Social Committee, on the principles that should guide the way cohesion funds are delivered
