In this Just the Facts, we will look at the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women and make a timely assessment of how gender equality is part of the EU’s COVID-19 recovery plan, despite it remaining a contentious subject for EU Member States. Impact of the pandemic on women In May 2021, the Ireland-based…
On Sunday 30 May 2021, Cyprus went to the polls in the Parliamentary elections as 56 Cypriot seats were contested by 20 political parties. With a turnout of 65.72%, the election resulted in a considerable rise in support for smaller parties as seven parties reached the minimum election threshold to enter the House of Representatives.…
While taxation is a responsibility of Member States, recent attempts have been made to coordinate corporate tax regimes at the EU and OECD level. How does Ireland’s policy here compare to others in the EU? What EU and international efforts have been made? We will explore the answers to these questions in this Just the…
In this Just the Facts, we examine the current state of play of the EU’s Vaccines Strategy, the challenges, criticism and lessons from the EU’s response, and give an overview of the latest key developments including the ‘Digital Green Certificate’. Background and Challenges The European Commission presented its Vaccines Strategy in June 2020. At its…
– Written by CEO of EM Ireland, Noelle O Connell Conference on the Future of Europe cannot engage citizens by decree – it must inspire The use of Citizens’ Assemblies in Ireland is increasingly recognised as a highly effective and inclusive way to implement difficult constitutional reform. The State has become an unexpected leader in…
In European Movement Ireland’s Ireland and the EU Poll 2021, carried out in March 2021, 52% of respondents agreed that “now is the time to hold a Conference on the Future of Europe to reform the EU, even if it results in a referendum in Ireland”. With the Conference officially launched on 9 May 2021,…
Bulgarian parliamentary elections for the National Assembly (‘Narodno sŭbranie’) are held every four years. As a unicameral parliamentary, representative democratic republic, Bulgaria’s assembly has 240 seats, with members elected through a ‘proportional representation’ system across 28 multi-seat constituencies. In this multi-party system, a political party or coalition of parties must gain a minimum of 4% of the national vote to enter the assembly, while…
Education is a sector with high levels of mobility for staff and students. This mobility is particularly prevalent between Ireland and the UK. Indeed, for decades, the Common Travel Area (CTA) has provided Irish students with the opportunity to study in the UK and vice versa. Fortunately, the terms of studying, in the UK will…
The UK’s withdrawal from the EU exposes existing issues with Ireland’s energy infrastructure and importantly, with the security of Ireland’s energy supply. While the impact of these issues on energy consumers is indeterminate, its impact on Ireland’s energy market is clear. Despite this, Ireland’s energy sector has developed significantly in recent years. In 2007, Ireland transitioned…
The 2021 Dutch General Election was held over the course of three days between 15 and 17 of March in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) will become the largest party with 35 seats, according to preliminary results/ Democracy 66 (D66), led by Sigrid Kaag, significantly increased its support, becoming the second largest party with an expected 24 seats, an increase of five. Introduction: General Elections in…