EU Untangled

From the new crowdsourced Icelandic constitution to the abandoned EU constitution

A constitution lays the foundations for how a society is organised and the fundamental principles that must underpin all laws and government decision-making. But how much do constitutions really impact our daily lives? Should they be updated to reflect rapid societal changes? How would you even go about making a new constitution in the first place? And whatever happened to the new Icelandic and EU constitutions? Tune in and listen to Vic, Alex and Harpa ponder these questions with the help of Valgerður, PhD student at the University of Iceland, who is researching citizen participation in constitutional reform in Iceland over the past 10 years.

Show notes

Iceland

The new Icelandic Constitution petition with over 43.000 signatures (a lot for tiny Iceland!)

Germany

The Basic Law a.k.a. the German Constitution in English

Mexico

The Mexican Constitution in English

The EU

EU treaties

Other

The North Korean Constitution in English

Contact and social media

Check out our website (https://www.podworld.org/untangled/) and anchor profile (https://anchor.fm/untangled).

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“A life-changing experience” might be an accurate way to define the Erasmus+ programme. Over the past three decades, the EU’s flagship programme has allowed over 10 million people to benefit from cross-border exchanges in Europe and beyond. Now, Erasmus+ is undergoing changes of its own caused by a larger budget, a messy Brexit and a ravaging pandemic that has stalled mobility flows all over the world. ESN President Kostis Giannidis joins Victor, Harpa and Alex to discuss the challenges and opportunities lying ahead of an Erasmus+ programme that promises to be more inclusive, more digital and a lot greener.

Our guest, Kostis Giannidis (link, twitter), is the president of the Erasmus Student Network (website, twitter).

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This episode explores the European Commission’s work programme for 2021 and the EU policies that will steal the show next year.

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Thanks for tuning in! Victor and Alex are rebooting EU Untangled with a discussion about the European Green Deal.

Overview:
A European Green Deal – overview page (European Commission)
A European Green Deal – official communication (European Commission)
EU Commission unveils ‘European Green Deal’: The key points (Euractiv)

Analysis:
Four pillars to make or break the European Green Deal (Bruegel)

Criticism:
A grey deal? (Corporate Europe Observatory)
Basescu: European Green Deal risks pushing ‘two or three countries’ towards EU exit (Euractiv)
The EU’s green deal is a colossal exercise in greenwashing | Yanis Varoufakis and David Adler (The Guardian)
EU’s climate law faces criticism on all fronts (Financial Times)

Is the European Green Deal sufficient?
EU GHG Summary (Climate Action Tracker)
The EU’s Green Deal may not be enough to reach the Paris climate goals (LSE Blog)
CAN Europe calls for an increase of the EU’s 2030 climate target to at least 65% (CAN Europe)

About the name:
Zur Entstehungsgeschichte des Green New Deal – Revival eines Begriffs (in German) (Heinrich Böll Stiftung)

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I’ll tell you what I want, what I really really want. A referendum gives the people the option to have the final say in political matters of the utmost importance. And that’s what we ALL want, right? Well, the story of Brexit tells us that despite their relative simplicity, referendums can be a very tricky business. Harpa, Alex and Victor ponder the pros and cons of this direct form of democracy and showcase how they can pull one nation from the brink of bankruptcy while threatening to push another one over the edge. Saying yes or no has never been this complicated.

We would be happy if you leave us a comment on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or contact us via email ([email protected]) or check out our website.

I’ll tell you what I want, what I really really want. A referendum gives the people the option to have the final say in political matters of the utmost importance. And that’s what we ALL want, right? Well, the story of Brexit tells us that despite their relative simplicity, referendums can be a very tricky business. Harpa, Alex and Victor ponder the pros and cons of this direct form of democracy and showcase how they can pull one nation from the brink of bankruptcy while threatening to push another one over the edge. Saying yes or no has never been this complicated.

LINKS

SOCIAL

From the 23 to the 26 of May, the citizens of 28 (most likely 27… ) countries will vote in the largest transnational elections in the world. Over 700 members will be elected to the European Parliament and Bruzzels is buzzing with excitement. But what exactly is the European Parliament and what role does it play in the EU? With so much at stake, why has voter turnout plunged over the past four decades? What are the political groups? Are there any newbies in the race? Stick around and let Victor, Harpa and Anna walk you through the maze of EU politics (we can’t promise you’ll find the exit, though…).

Learn about how EU elections work directly from their makers. POLITICO has put together a comprehensive website to keep you abreast of the latest developments related to the EU elections. 

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Not all that glitters is gold and not all gold shines bright. Rosie Birchard helps us examine the dark glow of the EU golden visas and passports, as well as the risks and ethical questions that arise from the murky business of selling and buying EU citizenship.

You can download here the full report of the European Commission on Investor Citizenship and Residence Schemes in the European Union. Or take a lighter read on the topic in The Atlantic or The Guardian.

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Ever since the World Wide Web gave us all access to the Internet, it has fundamentally changed our communications, businesses, services and even politics. Now, policies are trying to catch up, and the Internet as we know it may be about to change for good. The European Union’s Parliament has approved a new legislation to address copyright issues in the digital era. We interview the man pushing for this regulation to kick in. MEP Axel Voss helps us untangle the reasons, the ambition and the challenges of trying to regulate the Internet. Are these measures a threat to freedom of speech online or a necessary intervention to level the playing field for copyright holders?

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Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (fYROM) have for decades clashed over nine letters: M-A-C-E-D-O-N-I-A. The conflict isn’t new, but the solution is. Last June, the two nations signed an agreement that officially changes fYROM’s name to the “Republic of North Macedonia”. But why did the country have to change its name in the first place? What exactly is Macedonia? Why is this happening now? And, what are the implications of the agreement being ratified by the two nations? Tune in and we will try to untangle this complex, messy situation for you.

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