After 20 years of bureaucratic delays, the EU-Mercosur deal is taking major steps towards finalisation. In the meantime, China has aggressively filled the void left by European countries in the market, replacing Europe as South America's industrial engine. With opposition mounting from European parties and civil society, we have to ask: Is this still just a ‘simple trade deal’? Or is it a strategic necessity to save Europe from global irrelevance? Read the latest Euroculturer analysis to find out why Europe can’t afford to walk away!
Tag: politics
At the 80th UNGA, the European External Action Service highlighted that the EU and its member states are currently the major funding contributors to multilateralism and international aid. When other powers are looking aside and cutting their contributions, one could question why the EU is not following the same path. However, the answer goes beyond protecting values: it is a strategy that benefits Europe. Read the article to find out why maintaining the international multilateral status quo serves the EU’s interests.
Since fall 2024, North Korean troops have been reported fighting in Russia and in Ukraine, signifying both a deepening in Moscow-Pyongyang relationships and a further step in the internationalization of the conflict. The implications of North Korea’s direct participation in the war are far greater than a symbol of the two countries’ friendship. The events leading to and stemming from the sending of troops are multiple and interconnected: from the signature of a mutual defense treaty last June, to Ukraine’s offensive in the Russian region of Kursk in August, to the undetermined fate of North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) currently in Ukraine, the voluntary actions of Pyongyang and Moscow bring us back to a pre-World War II international order and disregard the law of armed conflict. Many consequences of the North Korean participation in the Russian invasion of Ukraine are tied to breaches of international law, but the human repercussions are just as alarming. As we discover through the testimonies of the very few survivors of the North Korean troops found thousands of kilometers away from their country, the dignity of these soldiers, their unlawful transport and presence, as well as the fate of those captured should be part of the debate.
Ultranationalist TikTok star Călin Georgescu unexpectedly won the first round in Romania’s presidential election. The Constitutional Court annulled the presidential election, citing declassified Romanian intelligence documents of severe foreign interference. Amid intense internal conflicts, this incident has drawn sharper attention to how external actors and the digital sphere can destabilize a democracy.
Tbilisi, the heart of Georgia, has become a battleground for the country’s future. In recent days, thousands of citizens have taken to the streets to protest the government’s decision to halt progress on the European Union accession talks. Clashes between demonstrators and police highlight the tensions, with protesters accusing the ruling Georgian Dream party of steering the nation away from its Western aspirations and toward a dangerous alignment with Russia. Hence, it’s a fight not just for EU integration, but for the survival of democracy in Georgia.
While the European Union has long been striving for an equality of pay between both sexes, the implementation of directives leaves much to be desired within its member countries. It is thus of interest to delve into a short overview of anti-sexist regulations in the EU.
The Euroculturer 