European Union

Manon Aubry at a rally calling for a People’s Union of left-wing parties after the announcement of the National Assembly dissolution, Paris 10 June 2024.
IMAGO/Le Pictorium
The forward march of extremist forces in Europe continued apace in the 2024 super election year, with far-right parties watching their election results surge in country after country. Their recent instalment into leadership positions within the European Commission — a historic first for the continent — is now eating away at the foundations of the bloc’s traditional governing coalition, which has tended to span from the centre-right to the centre-left. Meanwhile, the stunning re-election of Donald Trump as President of the United States will almost ...
read more "Europe Needs an Action-Oriented Left"
Looking at the Proposed Free Trade Agreement between India and the European UnionAbout the publication Since 2007, India and the European Union (EU) have engaged in active negotiations on an ambitious and comprehensive Bilateral Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA), or a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in generic terms, that includes tariff removal on goods, liberalisation of services, investment, and government procurement among many other issues. The negotiations had seen an impasse since 2013 after the relative reluctance of the newly elected Indian ...
read more "Development Opportunities or Challenges"
New comic book in English, German and FrenchAbout the book It is impossible to determine the number of firearms in circulation in the world, but one thing is certain: there have never been so many! According to recent estimates, there are now more than one billion firearms in existence. And if you consider the number of guns leaving the arsenals each day, this flow is not about to decrease. European states bear a great share of responsibility for this situation. Weapons made in Europe are used to kill, harm and displace people around the globe. While ...
read more "Europe’s Deadly Trade: Arms Exports"
The Conference of the Future of Europe (#COFOE) kicks offOn 18 and 19 June 2021, the first Plenary of the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE) held its inaugural consultation, an event which marked the start proper of the CoFoE’s work. The CoFoE finally got under way in Strasbourg on 9 May 2021 (Europe Day), a year later than originally planned. Ursula von der Leyen promised the newly-elected MEPs a wide-reaching debate on the EU’s future under the slogan A new push for European democracy, and to set up a conference designed to give political ...
read more "The Future Lies in Your Hands"

A militarised Union

Ainhoa Ruiz, Bram Vranken, Francesco Vignarca, Jordi Calvo, Laëtitia Sédou, Wendela de Vries
Understanding and confronting the militarisation of the European UnionAbout the book  How is the European Union (EU) preparing itself for the challenges that lie ahead? How will it deal with the climate, economic and social crises we are facing? What steps is it taking to tackle the root causes of these crises? Answers to these questions are vital to those living within and outside the EU. The EU’s priorities and the subsequent allocation of political attention, personnel and financial resources matter a great deal. Disturbingly, the EU and its Member States have ...
read more "A militarised Union"

The European Automotive Sector

Manuela Kropp, Project Manager RLS Brussels
Time to Rethink Mobility!Every sector of the economy has felt the impact of the coronavirus crisis, and car manufacturing is no exception. There are 12 million EU workers employed in the automotive industry, either directly in production or in parts manufacturing, and the sector accounts for 7% of the union’s GDP.[1] If we look at direct automotive employment as a share of total manufacturing across a selection of EU member states, we can see just how significant the car industry is (see graphic, below). The necessary restructuring of the sector will ...
read more "The European Automotive Sector"
Impact of a Financial Transaction Tax on economic recovery and financial stabilityThe Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung is an internationally operating, left non-profit organisation for civic education affiliated with Germany’s Left Party. Active since 1990, the foundation has been committed to the analysis of social and political processes and developments worldwide. We work in favour of a more just world system based on international solidarity. Background & objectives Internationally, the coronavirus pandemic has prompted policymakers to seek new sources of revenue in order to ...
read more "Call for Offers"

German obstinacy and the end of the European Union

Andreas Thomsen, Head of Office RLS Brussels
In light of the coronavirus crisis and the expected economic consequences, a number of European countries (including those most severely affected at the time of writing) have again called for the introduction of Eurobonds. Of course, this time they are going by the name 'coronabonds', but the idea and intended effect are the same. The aim is to raise capital, through issuing common European sovereign bonds, that will then help crisis-hit countries to stabilise their economies or get them back on their feet. Furthermore, unlike national ...
read more "German obstinacy and the end of the European Union"