Böll·Europe

We analyse the 2025 Dutch snap parliamentary election results with Noortje Thijssen, Director of the Wetenschappelijk Bureau GroenLinks, the political foundation of GroenLinks, the Dutch green party.

We analyse Czechia's 2025 parliamentary election results with Adéla Jurečková, Director of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Prague office.

We analyse Poland's 2025 presidential election results with Maciej Makulski, Head of Europe and International Politics at the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung's Warsaw office.

We analyse Germany's 2025 snap parliamentary election results with Dietrich Herrmann, Head of the Government, Administration and Political Parties Division at the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung's headquarters in Berlin.

We analyse Kosovo's 2025 parliamentary election results with Granit Gashi, Kosovo Contact Point at the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung's Belgrade office.

In 2025 we are launching this new Böll·Europe Podcast series focusing on national and federal elections taking place in Europe and around the world.

In this episode, Roderick Kefferpütz and Reinhard Bütikofer delve into his insights on evolving global challenges, the trajectory of Green EU policies, and the future of EU-China relations, in a conversation filled with reflections, and strategies for addressing pressing global issues.

In 2023, Javier Milei, a self-described “anarcho-capitalist” surprised Argentina’s political establishment and won the presidential elections. What is going on in Argentina and what are the implications for human rights, digital rights and the environment? We explore these dimensions with 3 Argentinian civil society representatives.

The fertile soils in which our food thrives are threatened. Not only is arable land being sealed for road construction and settlements, but the nutrient-rich humus layer in the fields is also dwindling. Politicians in Berlin and Brussels now want to address soil health, but are the measures sufficient?

Land is becoming an increasingly scarce commodity. Land use demands for housing and transportation but also solar energy production are making arable land scarce. Land speculation is on the rise all over Europe and the purchase and lease prices for arable land are skyrocketing. With dire consequences: small, family-run farms can barely survive on their agricultural yields. Democracy is also weaken...

Chemical inputs - such as fertilisers and pesticides - disrupt soil health in the long term, and the carbon footprint of synthetic nitrogen fertilisers is devastating. Despite this, more and more artificial fertilisers are being used in many regions of the world to increase crop yields in the short term, but what is the true price we are paying for this?

This Böll·Europe Podcast episode explores the often overlooked link between international climate politics and gender perspectives. We discuss how climate change impacts women and marginalised communities, the inclusion of gender in global initiatives, and the crucial role of intersectional feminism in climate justice. We also examine the urgent measures governments should take in this super elect...

The European Parliament elections might be over, but that doesn’t mean that the constellation of power in the EU is all set in stone. In this episode, we’re looking at what the European election result means for the EU and the future of the Green Deal, how the Greens in the European Parliament are doing, what their priorities are and whether the Greens just might be a new power broker that’s neces...

More than 400 million people are expected to vote in the European elections on 6-9 June 2024, and decide on the next European Parliament. According to the polls, a shift to the right is expected in many EU countries, with populist, radical far right parties gaining votes and seats across the EU. What impact would this have? Conversation with Roderick Kefferpütz and Sophie Pornschlegel.

Why is legal migration useful to address the EU's most pressuring challenges? What can be done to improve the current policies and to strengthen the respect of human rights, when addressing migration?

20 years after the Thessaloniki Summit, where European Union leaders promised EU membership to Western Balkans countries, the prospects of the region joining the EU in the near future are vague. The EU's credibility has been weakened by constant obstacles, unjustified delays and Member States' vetoes. The Western Balkans, on the other hand, show an obvious stalemate in the EU-related reform proces...

In this episode, we discuss the relationship between the EU and China, how this relationship is shaped by national strategies adopted by EU Member States, and whether it is possible to imagine a European approach to China. Gail Rego talks to: Jacob Mardell is a research  analyst with six years’ experience exploring China’s global impact. Jacob is the author of the Heinrich-Boll-Stiftung EU's study...

Climate change and disinformation on social media: at the very first sight, these topics  may appear unrelated. However, fostering the ecological transition in Europe, requires substantial effort  in terms of shaping  public discourse. Notably, debates occurring on social media are part of the public arena where citizens can be convinced about the need for  an ecological transition. And, therefore...

The U.S. and Europe have entered a new trade era under Biden's administration. A new cooperation agenda is being developed to tackle today's challenges, such as climate change and emerging technology, focusing on consumer protection, competition, digital issues, and energy. Despite the positive shift, trade rules are still used by some to influence domestic policies, often weakening regulations. F...

In February 2023, the European Commission presented a Green Deal Industrial Plan to enhance the competitiveness of Europe's net-zero industry and support the fast transition towards climate neutrality. Among other things, the Plan appears to foster the EU’s willingness to lead globally in the race for development of cleantech. Crucially, however, the Plan came in after US legislators passed the In...

Thirty years ago, in 1993, a cornerstone of European integration was laid: the European Single Market for goods and services. The European Single Market is a tool that facilitates trade between businesses across Europe. More generally, it was built with the idea of making citizens’ lives much easier and fostering prospects of economic growth and, therefore, well-being. Yet, this ground-breaking pr...

Pesticides are largely known for their negative effects on people and the environment. These substances are meant to kill pests, but their toxicity also destroys biodiversity and causes poisoning worldwide. Pesticides can be found everywhere: in the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the water we drink. That is why many highly dangerous pesticides are banned in the European Union. Yet, they are...

Achieving a climate-friendly Europe by 2050 is the EU's long-term goal.  In the short run, it means stopping using fossil gas almost entirely much sooner. To limit global warming to 1.5ºC above pre-industrial levels and stay in the Paris Agreement, the demand must end  by 2035. Yet, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine where gas is one resource caught in the war, is Europe phasing it down? We have se...

Europride is “the” pan-European international event dedicated to LGBTQI+ pride and since 1992, the event has been hosted by a different European city every year. Serbian capital Belgrade is home to the 2022 edition of Europride, although the Serbian President, Aleksandar Vučić announced that the event would be postponed or cancelled. We look at the situation of LGBTQI+ rights in the Western Balkan...

Climate change and the physical boundaries of our planet make it imperative to transform the way our societies work and produce goods. Let’s say it out loud: we need a deep and great turnaround. In the first part of this podcast episode, we dealt with the issue of how to finance such a turnaround. In this second part, we want to dig a bit more into specific frameworks and policy proposals that cou...