Climate and energy policy are no match made in heaven. For Poland the EU’s climate policy ambitions are particularly hard to swallow. The government’s reluctance to transform its coal-based electricity sector puts the EU climate policy and energy market integration to the test.
READ MOREThe EU-Turkey deal has set a bad precedent to other countries in the world especially those hosting large numbers of asylum seekers and refugees. The deal has the implication that asylum seeking is no longer a right (at least not in the EU) and neither are the provisions of the 1951 Refugee Convention nor the 1967 Protocol binding to state parties.
READ MOREImagine Rio de Janeiro. The dilapidated colorful shacks boom up majestically from the exotic beaches of Ipanema and Leblon. Recently pacified favelas like Rocinha and Vidigal are open for business. Yet, formalizing the informal via policies like community policing (UPP), has once again shown Rio’s obstinate urban exclusion and the persistence of its fragmented democracy.
READ MOREA famous proverb says “Firewood yields ash”. But the established practice of using firewood as a source of energy in Afghanistan yields more than ash. Rapid deforestation, air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions are the costs of depending on firewood. These challenges first require establishing the rule of law. Then the government must show determination by implementing relevant policies.
READ MORENext month the European Parliament will discuss adopting the Trade Secret Directive. Are accountability and rule of law jeopardized by this regulation?
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