Why ‘red Vienna’ turned to the hard right

The Austrian capital has long been a stronghold for the Social Democrats, but the Freedom Party has delivered a shock to the old order.

The Times

4 Oct 2024

How the hard right became the new big thing in Austrian politics

Running on a platform of anti-immigration, vaccine scepticism and a promise to bring prices down, the Freedom Party is on the way to becoming a dominant force.

The Times

30 Sept 2024

Friedrich Merz’s likely chancellorship heralds a more right-wing EU

If Friedrich Merz remains the frontrunner for Germany’s chancellery, the EU will get a decisively pro-European chancellor, insiders told Euractiv, but he is also likely to tip the balance further right.

EURACTIV

30 Sept 2024

Silence over Kosovo’s stalled Council of Europe bid as France, Italy dig in their heels

As momentum around Kosovo’s bid to join the Council of Europe stagnates, stakeholders have refused to comment on reports suggesting the process is being hampered by France and Italy, two previously staunch supporters of their accession.

EURACTIV

25 Sept 2024

How German ‘party princess’ became darling of US hard right

From hosting Supreme Court justices to courting controversy with Nigel Farage, Princess Gloria von Thurn und Taxis has become a conservative flag-waver.

The Times

16 Sept 2024

Greece warns Scholz over ‘unilaterally scrapping’ Schengen zone

German chancellor’s decision to reintroduce controls at land borders ‘drops the ball’ on countries at the edge of Europe, says Greek prime minister.

The Times

12 Sept 2024

Germany’s border crackdown could be less disruptive than first thought

As Germany is to start checks at all its land borders, clarifications from the authorities on how such checks will work suggest that the actual disruption to those crossing the border could be less than anticipated.

EURACTIV

12 Sept 2024

Germany’s move to curb migration ripples across EU

The decision to introduce emergency border checks has the backing of almost three quarters of voters, after a period in which more than two million asylum seekers were admitted.

The Times

11 Sept 2024

Germany closes borders to 'get tough on migration' [Video interview]

Following terror and knife attacks, Germany has put temporary border controls in place on all of its land borders, and plans to start rejecting migrants at the border. This could lead to a “domino effect” that would be “detrimental to European migration policy and European cohesion in general, says Nick Alipour.

Times Radio

10 Sept 2024

Swiss councillor vilified after shooting at poster of Virgin Mary

Green politician in Zurich seeks police protection after posting picture of bullet-riddled faces of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus online.

The Times

10 Sept 2024

Audi staff steal keys to 200 cars as plant closure fears boil over

Employees show their outrage at turmoil that could lead to closures for first time at Volkswagen Group.

The Times

9 Sept 2024

Germany ‘risks chaos’ after announcing checks at all borders

After two recent terror attacks, Berlin argues the temporary measures are justified to combat cross-border crime

The Times

9 Sept 2024

AfD woos teens on TikTok - with message of traditional life

The setting could not be more male and stale. The Kellergaststätte Wagenitz pub in Brandenburg has wooden walls, serves coleslaw, potatoes and beer and is filled with mostly older white gentlemen and teenage boys who have come to hear about the menace that refugees and foreigners pose to Germans. Yet tucked away in a corner at the event hosted by the farright party Alternative für Deutschland is a 17-year-old girl with her mother.

The Times

8 Sept 2024

Podcast: Far-right election success pushes Germany towards political instability

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) won about one-third of the votes in the state elections in eastern Germany, on Sunday. This prompted parties across the political spectrum to rule out coalitions with the extremist group. Enforcing a domestic cordon sanitaire, however, could result in unlikely alliances and fuel discontent among voters.

EURACTIV

3 Sept 2024

Unsavoury Nazi past of Leibniz biscuit dynasty uncovered

A report by two historians has found that members of the Bahlsen family were strong supporters of National Socialism who made extensive use of forced labour.

The Times

21 Aug 2024

German trend for working less is no longer paying off

As as economic miracle built on shorter hours has run out of steam, widespread belief that the country has declined leaves Angela Merkel’s successors scrabbling for answers.

The Times

21 Aug 2024

After 30 years on the run, Baader-Meinhof ‘member’ prepares for trial

Daniela Klette uses newspaper statement to denounce murder and robbery charges and hail ‘revolutionary struggle’.

The Times

16 Aug 2024

What’s hot in The Bear kitchen? Carmy’s traditional T-shirt

Merz b. Schwanen, a once-forgotten German brand, is all the rage, thanks to the dark Emmy award-winning show and its leading man, Jeremy Allen White.

The Times

16 Aug 2024

Germany’s East faces populist big bang at regional elections

Eastern Germany could be on the brink of a tectonic shift in the upcoming state elections, with the far-right AfD and the left-populist BSW predicted to make unprecedented gains, fuelling fears of future ungovernability in large parts of the country.

EURACTIV

14 Aug 2024

Blow for Scholz as East German voters split left and right

Russia-friendly parties could make inroads in upcoming state elections next month, polls suggest.

The Times

12 Aug 2024

Marius Borg Hoiby, black sheep son of Norway’s Crown Princess, arrested for assault

Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s 27-year-old son is accused of physically attacking a woman and threatening to set fire to her clothes.

The Times

12 Aug 2024

Europe’s teenage ‘TikTok terrorists’ target Taylor Swift

The foiled jihadist terrorist plot targeting Taylor Swift‘s concerts in Vienna highlights an increasing terrorist threat coming from radicalised European teenagers, which experts blame on social media.

EURACTIV

8 Aug 2024

Trump’s shadow: Can Germany chip in more for Europe’s security?

A second Trump presidency would likely force Europe to up its security spending, but the German government, which wants to take more responsibility in the EU amid a looming global power vacuum, could be too paralysed to significantly increase its share.

EURACTIV

1 Aug 2024

UK and Germany want to put security relations ‘on a new footing’

Visiting British Defence Secretary John Healey and his German counterpart Boris Pistorius signed a declaration on Wednesday (24 July) intending to forge a comprehensive new security partnership as the new UK government seeks to build closer relations with EU countries.

EURACTIV

24 Jul 2024

EPP feud with German Liberals escalates after vote against von der Leyen

The German FDP’s decision to vote against a second term for Commission President Ursula von der Leyen despite tight margins drew anger, as the president’s team had “frantically” tried to secure the German liberals’ support before the vote.

EURACTIV

19 Jul 2024

EU Parliament moves closer to setting up defence committee in the autumn

A preliminary deal on the set-up of the European Parliament’s committees could be adjusted in September to make the current security and defence subcommittee a full-fledged committee, as the Socialists appear to have given up their resistance to this step, parliamentary sources told Euractiv.

EURACTIV

16 Jul 2024

New German defence budget slammed as ‘too low’ by critics

Experts and politicians from across the spectrum have criticised the budget agreement reached by Germany’s coalition parties, bemoaning the small increase in defence spending as insufficient to counter the threat from Russia.

EURACTIV

8 Jul 2024

German coalition parties avert government crisis with compromise on budget

Germany’s government coalition reached a political agreement on its budget on Friday (5 July), working around a self-imposed borrowing limit with “quite a few tricks”.

EURACTIV

5 Jul 2024

Far-right win in France would pose ‘unprecedented challenge’ to EU’s Franco-German engine

France’s far-right Rassemblement National (RN, ID) of Marine Le Pen seeks to reassure that nothing will change in the Franco-German relationship if a prime minister from their ranks takes over in France, trying to address fears that the EU’s engine could grind to a halt.

EURACTIV

28 Jun 2024

Podcast: Why EU countries are flirting with Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda migration model

The promise of halting migration to Europe has been at the heart of centre-right and far-right parties’ election campaigns across the EU for June’s elections. While the strategy worked and garnered wide public approval, voters are now expecting politicians to deliver and leaders are looking beyond the EU for solutions.

EURACTIV

24 Jun 2024

Don’t wait until Russia’s war is over to invest, Ukraine’s leaders tell businesses

A Ukrainian delegation aimed to convince hesitant businesses on Tuesday (11 June) that the country is safe for investments despite Russia’s ongoing war, as the EU is hoping to boost its efforts with new business guarantees.

EURACTIV

12 Jun 2024

AfD’s strong showing in German EU elections fuels far-right shift in Europe

Despite a series of recent scandals, Germany’s far-right AfD party managed to post the best national result in the party’s history in the European elections on Sunday (9 June), surpassing even the SPD of Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

EURACTIV

10 Jun 2024

Meet the parties fighting for power in the European elections

Between 6 – 9 June 2024, around 350 million people in the 27 member states of the European Union are eligible to cast their vote in the 10th European elections. Euractiv presents the groups taking part in the election.

EURACTIV

1 Jun 2024

The Brief – Could the Weimar Triangle become the EU’s very own G7?

The EU needs a new strategic agenda after June’s election while the world is burning, the bloc’s future is at stake, and Hungary’s Viktor Orbán is playing hardball – Weimar Triangle to the rescue?

EURACTIV

31 May 2024

UN High Representative: Bosnia and Herzegovina not ready for EU, but no other option

While Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is not ready for EU accession, the United Nations High Representative for Bosnia, Christian Schmidt, told Euractiv that EU leaders must be aware the country could be at great risk if the accession process is further delayed.

EURACTIV

29 May 2024

The mystery of Europe’s new ‘left conservative’ group

The aspirations of Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW), Germany’s rising ‘left-conservative’ party, to form a new group in the European Parliament remain under wraps, as other leftists seem, so far, to keep their distance.

EURACTIV

28 May 2024

German government casts doubt on support for von der Leyen nomination

The German coalition government is not unconditionally supporting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s bid for a second mandate, with high-ranking representatives of the ruling parties saying she would need to make concessions in return for German support.

EURACTIV

27 May 2024

Germany’s centre right CDU warms to Italy’s hard-right

Collaborations with far-right parties remain a touchy subject in Germany, but Jens Spahn, a leading lawmaker of the German CDU (European People’s Party), told Euractiv that it is time to normalise the hard-right Italian ruling party, Fratelli d’Italia.

EURACTIV

21 May 2024

German CDU wants more influence on von der Leyen commission after election

Ursula von der Leyen and her party, the German CDU, are approaching the EU election campaign united in an alliance of convenience, with the party making it clear that the Commission president must now deliver policies that are more to its liking.

EURACTIV

9 May 2024

Kosovo promises to introduce same-sex unions in May

The government of Kosovo plans to introduce same-sex unions in May, Prime Minister Albin Kurti announced on Thursday (25 April), with the measure being part of his country’s efforts to join the Council of Europe.

EURACTIV

26 Apr 2024

Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner ‘kept sex crime videos’

In a trial for separate rape charges, a witness testified that he had stolen tapes showing Brueckner committing offences against unidentified victims

The Times

3 Apr 2024

NATO must create ‘more strategic difficulties for Russia’, Sweden’s FM says

The West should aim to create more “strategic difficulties” in a bid to reign in Russia’s behaviour, with the first priority being to “stop the aggression against Ukraine”, an area where NATO is not doing enough, Sweden’s Foreign Minister Tobias Billström said in an interview with Euractiv.

EURACTIV

27 Mar 2024

Germany’s Scholz doubles down on opposition to Taurus missile delivery to Ukraine

Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday (13 March) yet again cited the need for the involvement of German soldiers as an obstacle to the delivery of long-range missiles to Ukraine, amid growing question marks about the motivation behind his objection.

EURACTIV

13 Mar 2024

Von der Leyen crowned EPP lead candidate, switches to campaign mode

Delegates at the European People’s Party’s (EPP) congress in Bucharest officially elected EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday (7 March) to become the party’s lead candidate for June’s European election.

EURACTIV

7 Mar 2024

Facing a squeeze, centre-right parties defy EPP’s elections plan

National centre-right parties used the European People’s Party’s (EPP) congress on Wednesday (6 March) as a platform to air grievances on national issues and rebel against the party line, as many feel the squeeze of home voters’ swing to the far-right.

EURACTIV

7 Mar 2024

How a Red Army Faction gang member evaded German police for 30 years

Daniela Klette danced at Berlin carnivals and taught maths to local children. No one knew she was a wanted terror suspect with a €150,000 price on her head

The Times

1 Mar 2024

The Brief – Who’s afraid of the big bad right?

A looming hard-right shift casts a shadow on June’s EU elections and Europe’s left is using the topic to mobilise their voters, but the consequences are rather damaging.

EURACTIV

1 Mar 2024

Russia warns of Nato war as Macron says troops may be sent to Ukraine

The French president was rebuked by leaders across Europe after he suggested troops could be deployed to stop Putin attacking other countries.

The Times

27 Feb 2024

Sweden to join Nato as Hungary drops objection after arms deal

The Scandinavian nation could become an official member of the alliance as soon as Thursday after Viktor Orban ended a two-year blockade.

The Times

26 Feb 2024

Podcast: VDL's second term bid: What challenges lie ahead?

Ending months of speculation,Ursula von der Leyen told members of her conservative CDU party in Germany on Monday (19 February) that she was seeking a second term. To break down what this bid really means, we’re joined by Nick Alipour, Euractiv’s Berlin-based politics correspondent.

EURACTIV

22 Feb 2024

Von der Leyen has complicated relationship with Germany en route to second mandate

In her own country, the European Commission president’s green push has made her more popular with political opponents than her own conservative CDU. The tricky relationship reinforces pressure for her to campaign against her own record as she is expected to announce her second-term bid on Monday (19 February).

EURACTIV

16 Feb 2024

Weimar Triangle could be used to boost Europe’s defence, experts say

Germany, France, and Poland are pitching the ‘Weimar Triangle’ as a new centrepiece for Europe’s joint defence in response to concerning signals from the United States, and while experts see potential for synergies, they warn that the three-way approach will hardly suffice.

EURACTIV

14 Feb 2024

Boris Becker to make ‘love of his life’ (and PR guru) his third wife

The former Wimbledon champion is planning to marry Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro later this year, according to the German press

The Times

14 Feb 2024

The Brief – Germany is quietly going progressive

Up to six people may soon enter an alternative to marriage in Germany, a ‘civil union of mutual legal responsibility’ – just one example of how the country’s coalition government has been quietly pushing the boundaries of social change.

EURACTIV

9 Feb 2024

German Greens push to water down EU party’s climate targets

The European Green Party is set for an internal battle over climate targets at a party congress this weekend (2-4 February), with the German Greens pushing to postpone the climate neutrality goals by five years and scrap parts of the gas and oil phase-out policies, according to amendments seen by Euractiv.

EURACTIV

31 Jan 2024

The Franco-German legacy of Wolfgang Schäuble is fading

The death of veteran finance minister Wolfgang Schäuble marks the end of the post-war generation of Francophile German politicians and heralds rockier relations for the EU’s Franco-German “engine” as Berlin shifts its focus eastward.

EURACTIV

22 Jan 2024

German Eurofighter U-turn heralds new push for European defence collaboration

Germany lifting its five-year block and greenlighting the export of European fighter jets to Saudi Arabia shows its willingness to tighten European defence collaboration, experts say — though the formation of a reliable arms export policy remains a tough nut to crack.

EURACTIV

11 Jan 2024

The Brief – Would you spend Christmas with Geert Wilders?

What is it like to face a far-right pariah and islamophobe at the other end of the Christmas dinner table?

EURACTIV

20 Dec 2023

Muslims in Germany feel alienated after Hamas-Israel conflict

Representatives of the Muslim community in Germany are concerned about increased marginalisation and a rise in Islamophobic incidents amidst a heated debate around anti-Semitism.

EURACTIV

30 Nov 2023

The Brief – Why Ireland and Denmark won’t leave the EU

The victory of EU bogeyman Geert Wilders and his far-right PVV party in the Dutch elections last week has prompted a proliferation of think-pieces floating various further EU exit scenarios – from ‘Nexit’ to ‘Swexit’. However, there is a lesson to be learned from Ireland and Denmark, which joined the EU in 1973 alongside the UK, and where support for the EU appears to be enduring.

EURACTIV

29 Nov 2023

‘Heterogeneous’ EU liberals plagued by disunity on key issues

Four years after the party of French President Emmanuel Macron took the leadership of the liberals in the EU Parliament, rebranding them as Renew Europe, the group remains far from being a cohesive political platform with divides on key issues threatening its influence.

EURACTIV

6 Nov 2023

Growing Pains — Was Liz Truss’s failure a big conspiracy?

A deep dive into understanding bond markets, with Liz Truss

uPOLITICS

17 Sept 2023

Has the Franco-German tandem entered an interregnum under Scholz?

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is running out of time to shape a joint Franco-German legacy with French President Emmanuel Macron, with worries growing that his distanced approach to Paris will yield an era of stagnation in the relationship.

EURACTIV

11 Sept 2023

Special Cabinet Meetings: Retreat To Attack

School trips have a kind of magic: Collectively hiding away in a new place, removed from parental influence, can do wonders for group dynamics, weld cool kids and nerds together, and spark moments of unlikely chemistry. The government-level equivalents are no different. In the magic of cabinet retreats, prime ministers and presidents confide.

EURACTIV

29 Aug 2023

Germany revamps immigration law to attract skilled labour

The Bundestag passed groundbreaking legislation on Friday (23 June) that will revamp Germany’s migration law to tackle an acute shortage of skilled workers.

EURACTIV

23 Jun 2023

Far-right overtakes Scholz in new poll

In Germany, the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is gaining popularity, with a recent poll putting it in second place – ahead of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s SPD.

EURACTIV

9 Jun 2023

A Laborious Task — How Inflation Fighting Increases Regional Inequality

America’s strong labour market has budged in some states but not in others.

uPOLITICS

31 May 2023

Left Behind — Has Germany’s Far-Left Forgotten The Poor?

An electoral reform heralds worrying prospects for Germany’s main far-left party—which once more raises the question who the left should represent.

uPOLITICS

5 May 2023

The Cost of the Coast – Can Portugal’s Economic Model Survive A Housing Crisis?

Portugal's model recovery has been praised as a blueprint for other countries but skyrocketing rents raise questions as the government is trying to address unwanted consequences

uPOLITICS

16 Apr 2023

The Growing Role of Severance Packages

Adding to Leicester City's sporting misery, it has emerged that the club can't even afford to sack manager Brendan Rodgers as his severance pay is expected to be north of £10mn. Why severance packages are emerging from the shadows of boardrooms as a decisive factor for a manager’s future.

uPOLITICS

22 Sept 2022

Explained: Why Price Caps are Making a Return

Despite their bad reputation, governments are eyeing the short-term effects of price controls. The article was written as part of an application for a News Desk position at The Economist. Blind-read and selected among several hundred submissions for a final interview.

uPOLITICS

12 Sept 2022

UK Conservatives: Rebels With A Cause

Why Tory MPs are increasingly defiant.

The article was written as part of an application for an open position as a writer on The Economist's Britain section. Blind-read and selected as one of only 6 among 600 submissions for a final interview.

uPOLITICS

2 Mar 2021

Story Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

There’s no ‘right’ way to extend a franchise with an established fan base, but after watching the final episode of the new Star Wars trilogy we can safely say that Disney did it the wrong way.

The Beaver

4 Mar 2020