By Niamh Ni Bhriain. Covid-19 is causing thousands of deaths every day, but the pandemic is killing in other ways too. Governments around the world responded to the pandemic by shutting their borders to international arrivals and severely restricting people’s freedom of movement. While for some this was unprecedented, for […]
EU-Mercosur agreement will devastate industries and environment in Latin America
By Veronica Ocvirk. The free trade agreement between the European Union and the Mercosur bloc of Latin American countries will benefit EU multinationals but pose serious disadvantages for local industries in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. “President, we have an agreement!” This WhatsApp audio message went viral in Argentina with […]
For an ambitious EU Financial Transaction Tax worthy of the name
Ireland’s Apple antics fuel global race to the bottom on corporate tax
By Mairéad Farrell TD. Last Wednesday, July 15, there was a collective sigh of relief from the government. The European Union’s General Court had ruled against the EU Commission in Ireland and Apple’s appeal against its state aid ruling. The Court found that the 0.005% corporate tax rate that Apple […]
Behind the spin on the EU’s recovery plan
By Emma Clancy. Addressing members of the European Parliament on 27 May, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed the creation of a ‘Next Generation’ European Union recovery fund worth €750 billion, to be raised by the Commission – a temporary Eurobond. The funds would be disbursed as €500bn in […]
Uniting the Left to fight for an ecosocialist united Ireland
By Cian McMahon. After December’s Westminster general election, which returned a majority of nationalist MPs in the North for the first time ever, it’s clear that the entire Brexit debacle has dealt a potentially fatal blow to political unionism. As DUP MLA Edwin Poots commented, reflecting on the historic and […]
Why is the EU so interested in the Sahel region of sub-Saharan Africa?
I4C Trouble – the podcast that brings you behind the scenes of the EU
The EU’s Stability and Growth Pact must go – or we face a future of austerity and pain
By Emma Clancy. A decade of austerity imposed by the European Union institutions and EU member state governments has caused significant deterioration in healthcare services across the EU. The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the EU’s healthcare and public sectors to be ill-equipped to respond to the outbreak in accordance with […]
Solidarity is the cure: Radically reimagining post-pandemic Europe
By Manon Aubry and Martin Schirdewan Covid-19 has brought the world to a standstill, claiming thousands of lives and bringing economic hardship to millions. As EU governments now take steps towards reopening, the need to avoid the mistakes of the past and reimagine the European project is greater than ever. […]