Polish President Andrzej Duda’s focus on the “LGBT threat” is a retreat to a well-used trope ahead of the presidential elections. But will it work, asks Martin Mycielski. Martin Mycielski is a former Brussels correspondent for Gazeta Wyborcza, and now Public Affairs Director and Board Member at the Open Dialogue Foundation, a Brussels-based NGO defending human rights and the rule of law. In my commentary on the swapping of presidential candidates by the opposition Civic Platform (PO) – from the lacklustre Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska to Warsaw mayor Rafał Trzaskowski – I…
Read MoreDay: June 22, 2020
Merkel on the EU Recovery Fund: “The bridges we need to build are big”
The European Council summit ended on Friday (19 June) without agreement on the EU recovery fund. However, German Chancellor Angela Merkel made it clear that she wants to act quickly, and the next round of negotiations is scheduled for mid-July. Merkel spoke of “very constructive” talks and expressed confidence that the circumstances were such that “negotiations could start well,” adding that everyone was aware of the extraordinary situation. But the Chancellor conceded that “the bridges we have to build are large”. The German government is striving for a quick agreement,…
Read MoreHomelessness cannot continue to be just another “fact of life” in the EU
Homelessness is increasing across the EU. It’s time for the Commission and governments to turn the tide, write Nicolas Schmit, Ana Mendes Godinho and Yves Leterme. Homelessness is on the rise in the European Union with numbers increasing consistently in 24 Member States over the past decade. Studies reveal that at least 700,000 people are homeless on any given night in the EU, 70% more than a decade ago. Something has gone drastically wrong. COVID-19 has demonstrated beyond all possible doubt how essential a decent home is to health and…
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