Hungary General Election, April 2022
Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz Party won a fourth successive term in office after the Hungarian general election that took place on Sunday, 3 April 2022. In yet another ‘super-majority,’ Fidesz continues…
Malta General Election, April 2022
Malta, the EU’s smallest Member State, held its general election on Saturday, 26 March 2022 to elect 65 members of its House of Representatives. Since gaining independence from the UK…
The EU Strategic Compass
This Just the Facts examines the Strategic Compass for Security and Defence which was agreed by EU leaders at the European Council in March 2022. Introduction EU defence cooperation has…
Will Ukraine Join the EU?
In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Ukraine applied to join the EU. Since it was founded in 1957 the EU has enlarged seven times, growing…
European Defence Presents Tough Choices for Ireland
Policy never changes in a vacuum. External factors and events are as important as policy makers. This was evident when Ireland changed its position on corporation tax. Global developments presented…
EU Sanctions Against Russia
The invasion of Ukraine by Russia on 24 February 2022 resulted in the EU rapidly implementing a significant set of sanctions against Russia. In this Just the Facts, the four…
What is the European Chips Act?
Semiconductor chips are now a vital piece of technology, powering everything from mobile phones, washing machines, to satellites. The ongoing global shortage of chips has exposed how the EU is…
Portugal: General Election, January 2022
Antonio Costa’s Socialist Party won an unexpected outright majority in Portugal’s general election on 30 January 2022. The snap election followed a rejection of his minority government’s 2022 budget in…
50 Steps to 50 Years: 1972-1982
Fifty key moments during Ireland’s five decades in the European Union From the end of the marriage bar, the launch Erasmus, to joining the Euro, Ireland’s five-decade membership of the…
Roberta Metsola: Newly Elected European Parliament President
The newly elected President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, has an established career in EU affairs, both for her home country of Malta and more broadly in the EU.…