Whenever France is back in the news, it’s usually a story about yet another ludicrous ban. And boy, have we seen an awful, awful, awful, awful,awwwwfuuuul lot of those in the past. It almost seems like the “ban all the things” internet meme has found its perfect representation in the country of wine and cheese.
This spring, the Czech Republic became the latest EU member state to institute a country-wide smoking ban in bars. Pubs, restaurants and night clubs now have to send their customers outside if they want to indulge in the pleasure of a cigarette. This ban came as a reaction to a European Union Directive, which gave […]
Mon Dieu! That’s probably a good reflection of what Emmanuel Macron thought when he saw his poll numbers on Thursday. Macron dropped 7 points, down to only 36 percent of support among the population, according to a YouGov poll. His descent in popularity is not only rapid, the young centrist now also ranks lower than his own […]
On September 24, the Germans will head to the polls to elect a new Bundestag(the German parliament). Here are the five things you need to know about this race: 1. Angela Merkel is set to dominate once again The reasons for Angela Merkel’s popularity are numerous, and it’s difficult to cease to be amazed by her political […]
A recent YouGov poll commissioned by the German newspaper Bild struck a blow to the federal government in Germany. 32 per cent of people in the federal state of Bavaria indicated that they support the secession of the state from the power in Berlin. Out of the 16 states polled, support for the creation of […]
This article was co-authored with Frédéric Jollien. Whoever takes a look at a map of Europe will notice the unmistakable difference in size when it comes to countries. The old continent is sprinkled with nations the size of Rhode Island. However, despite passing unnoticed in a geography class, those small countries have been mentioned in […]
In an article by the The Orange County Register about the privatisation of giraffes, I was mentioned by name. The author Adam B. Summers explores in what way property rights are an effective tool in the protection of endangered species. He writes:
In its last parliamentary session before the summer break, the German Bundestag legalised same-sex marriage. The vote – if not the result – came as a surprise to everyone. Including, perhaps, Merkel herself. Merkel’s party, the Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) is in a coalition with the Social Democrats (SPD) and both parties had agreed to not put the issue of […]
Anyone remember this catchy “Dance With Somebody” song? The Swedish Pop-Band Mando Diao had really put this track into our ears in 2009, when ironically it wasn’t really allowed for Swedes to dance with somebody outside of their own home. Laws dating back to the 1930s had banned Swedes to dance in public and had […]
After European Union officials realized that the British people had voted to leave, EU Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker appointed French politician Michel Barnier as chief negotiator in the Brexit talks.
Bill Wirtz 