Featured
Climate Warming? “Greece is Already Used to High Temperatures”
“Fridays for future” have become part of students’ weekly routine in some Western European countries. Collins Dictionary even crowned “climate strike” word of the year 2019. In South-Eastern Europe, however, this trend does not look exactly the same. Our authors Kyriakos (Greece), Simona (Romania), and Liliana (Bulgaria) share insights into the debates on climate and global warming in their home c...
Polish Populism Plague
Democracy is at risk in Poland. In its 2020 “Nations in Transit” report, the NGO Freedom house has downgraded Poland’s status to a semi-consolidated democracy. The European Commission has launched several infringement procedures against Poland, the latest one on April 29th. Much of the dispute is centered around juridical arguments. Two Polish law students, Witold Janas and Marek Kaczmarczyk, sum ...
Irish Language: Deep-Rooted or Force-Fed?
For a language that was so close to extinction in the past, Irish simply refuses to lie down and play dead. Neasa from Ireland talks about the reasons for this as well as young people’s attitudes to language and culture, and the compulsory status of Irish in schools.
An Old Diploma And My Jump Into History
History is based on research by historians and experts in the area; some even dig for years to find their sources. In some cases, the sources just come to the scholars of history, as Decho from Bulgaria describes in his text.
If the Crisis or War Comes: Swedish Defense in the New Millennium
Recent years have seen a rise in the number of nations across the world undergoing rearmament. Military strength has become more important again in International Relations. In pursuit of this trend, and incited by increasingly antagonistic Swedish-Russian relations, the Swedish government decided to reintroduce mandatory enlistment of all male and female citizens 16 years of age and older in 2017....
Female Changemakers: Maro Makashvili – a Writer Dying as a Nurse
How inspiring can the life of somebody who lived 100 years ago be for us now? Especially if it was a girl who already died at the age of 19? A girl that was defending the independence of her country, actively pursuing sports and engaging in social activism? Which role does gender play here? Nato from Georgia reflects on how Maro Makashvili – the first woman awarded with the Georgian Order of Natio...
Of Dogs, Virtual Discos and Civic Engagement. Young Europeans in Times of the Coronavirus Pandemic
The coronavirus is everywhere: in the news, on social media, our personal communication and even in our thoughts. High numbers of infected and dead people on the news frighten many of us as much as the lockdown impacts our societies, social and economic live. But this pandemic also brings solidarity and hope. Join us and get some personal impressions and little moments of light from our authors fr...
One Telegram, six Words, Thirty-five Letters
Do you know the feeling of being able to hold the reason why you live actually in your hands? Neasa does and tells us the story of a telegram and her reunited family without which she wouldn’t be alive.
Sofia Red Army Monument in Multicolour: Art, Vandalism or Protest?
Strolling around Bulgaria’s capital Sofia, one can hardly miss the memorials erected after World War II containing characteristic elements of communist monumental art. Sofia’s Red Army Monument, built in 1954 to commemorate the liberation by the Soviet Army, is among the most widely disputed one. Throughout the years, the monument has been used as an instrument for political expression, vandalism ...
What can we learn from Singapore? Lessons on Multiculturalism
A state system based on the classification of race actually works? Martin from Bulgaria studied for one year in multicultural Singapore and discovered the key to its social cohesion. Find out how the country benefits from its diversity, but also consider: are there disadvantages? Could a similar approach work in Europe?