How to (not) win back trust
As many of you know, still in February we are grappling with the fact that Eva Kaili, a former VP of Parliament, allegedly took bags of cash to work for Qatar. For me, the vote on a new Vice-President was no ordinary vote. This could have been a strong signal that we understand how serious […]
Making voting easy for 11 Million Europeans
Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy reminded us in the European Parliament last week of what it means to be European and part of this Union. Europe represents the ideals of diversity, the rule of law, social justice, and above all peace and democracy. Yet, our own European democracy leaves some space for improvement: There has been no […]
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Corruption scandal in the EP | What we need to do now!
Many of you have asked me about the corruption scandal in the European Parliament. I have to say I am still super shocked by what happened. Here are some first thoughts: What happened: Apparently, 6 people got arrested and 4 charged this weekend, likely for receiving money from Qatar. Among them are former assistants, a […]
4 learnings from the Italian elections
WE ARE STILL AT A CROSSROADS, AND IT’S UP TO YOU WHERE WE WILL END UP The election result in Italy will have consequences for all of us across Europe. Below are my takeaways from Sunday’s election. Sorry if it’s not the most uplifting read… but you have the power to make things better! […]
Ukraine’s future is European – A summary of my trip to Kyiv
Last week, we spent two days in Kyiv. The aim was not a publicity stunt, but to push for more visibility on the situation in and around Kyiv and to get a better idea of what we can do from an EU policy-making perspective. Below is what I took away from my trip and what […]
Historic deal on new electoral law | 28 MEPs to be elected via European ballot
We have a deal! After intense negotiations, the negotiators of the largest four political groups agreed yesterday night on a new and very ambitious electoral law act. This deal defines Parliament’s position, which will have to be confirmed by the committee and plenary within this and the following month. The French presidency will then take […]
2021 review
Hey everyone – after a busy year, here is a little recap of what happened and what’s to come. We negotiated 5 laws this year: ❤️🩹Recovery Fund: developed a new methodology for 256bn green spending 🍀💪 👩💻Blue Card: turned into a tech visa (no degree needed) & allowed people to take ‘years’ towards long term […]
Fortress Europe’s ‘emergency measures’: Europe limits asylum protection at the Belarus borders
Six years ago, the European Commission used Article 78.3 as a basis for a relocation mechanism that brought thousands of vulnerable people to safety. Yesterday, Von der Leyen’s Commission used the same legal basis to allow Poland, Lithuania and Latvia to completely disregard asylum protection and punish people used for political gains. Von der […]
The European Commission fails to listen to political newcomers!
Ambitious reform ideas for democracy vanish into minimal tweaks Today, the European Commission agreed on its Democracy Package aiming to strengthen Europe’s democratic foundations and institutions. The package includes a reform of the statute of European political parties and political foundations (European Parties) (Regulation 1141/2014), a reform of rules for the way European citizens vote […]
