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There are parallels between the Europe of 1914 and that of 2014. Today’s divisions are the result of economic inequality and a crisis of democracy. The answer lies in social policy and in an anti-nationalist repolitisation of Europe.

In Portugal, emigration worsens the problems caused by austerity. A recent study documents its dramatic consequences on the demography of the country. As a result of the current trend, the Portuguese population, currently estimated at 10.4 million people, could decrease to 7 million by 2061.

Discussions among proponents of green growth and those of degrowth often fall within the category of debates that are not fruitful. But it is possible to give structure to it and to try to develop a better understanding of the link between growth, globalisation, new technologies and well-being.

We should not forget what exactly provoked the mass protests that eventually led to the fall of the old regime in Kiev: it was the then President Yanukovych’s sudden decision not to sign the Association Agreement with the EU. Ten years after the ‘Orange revolution’, the dramatic change of events in February 2014 have given Ukraine and Europe a second chance.

Despite some positive signs, the European economy remains extraordinarily weak. To escape deflation and solve problems like unemployment, what is needed is a whole new approach to getting money into the economy.

The 2007 financial crisis evidenced the weaknesses of the Eurozone. Since then, European policymakers have tried to save the euro and the European financial market. As consequence of the economic and political instability of the last years the European Central Bank has de facto gained more power vis-à-vis the other European Institutions and political actors. Today the ECB is fundamental for determining Member States’ economic policies in all areas, not only monetary policy.

Success or failure? That is the question supporters in Germany of an Unconditional Basic Income have to ask themselves following the end, on 14 January, of the European Citizens’ Initiative, which for technical reasons did not quite run for a full year.

The sovereign bail-outs of Greece, Ireland, Spain and other countries are often framed as loans handed out to the poor, irresponsible countries of the periphery by rich, responsible countries like Germany. They might come with very harsh conditions attached, but their aim is nonetheless to help the recipients. But is that really the case?

Popular protest may have saved Gezi Park, but elsewhere in Turkey the destruction on the environment in pursuit of private profit continues. The Green Though Foundation organised a conference to discuss the challenges posed by these developments and what they say about politics in modern Turkey.

Kogo naprawdę ratują pożyczki dla zadłużonych europejskich krajów?