Europe’s divisions over war in Iraq have not prevented it agreeing the enlargement of ten new members and an constitutional treaty. What will a continent-wide European Union look like? Which vision of Europe do you want? Start with our interactive visions map, or dip into Europe Prophecies, a rolling diary of stories from the corners of Europe. And if you want to know what's new with the European Constitution, read what Convention members Frans Timmermans and Jens-Peter Bonde have to say - they're living it. Send your own thoughts to openEuropa@openDemocracy.net, or post on the discussion board...

Germany goes global: farewell, Europe

Ulrike Guerot 14 September 2010
The great engine both of Europe’s economic strength and its political unity is falling out of love with its creation. The challenge to the continent is profound, says Ulrike Guérot.

Austria after Hans Dichand

Anton Pelinka 20 August 2010
The death of a powerful media patriarch is also the end of an era in Austrian politics. After Hans Dichand, the spell of his flagship newspaper may no longer work, says Anton Pelinka.

Kosovo, law and politics

Engjellushe Morina 30 July 2010
The International Court of Justice ruling on Kosovo’s independence offers the European Union a vital opportunity to lead the process that must follow, says Engjellushe Morina in Pristina.

Eastern Europe's great game

Katinka Barysch 20 July 2010
The proxy contest for influence between the European Union and Russia in a wide arc of states encompassing eastern Europe, the Caucasus and central Asia is changing shape, says Katinka Barysch.

Slovakia’s surprising election

Juliana Sokolova 14 July 2010
The narrow defeat of a populist-nationalist coalition, and in particular the advance of a party advocating Slovak-Hungarian collaboration, could open Slovakia to a better era, says Juliana Sokolova.

EU 2.0? Towards sustainable integration

Kalypso Nicolaïdis 12 July 2010
The European Union needs to undergo a revolution founded on “pragmatic wishful thinking” that will make it more modern, global, networked, and effective. But for “EU 2.0” to become possible, says Kalypso Nicolaïdis, there must be a new governing idea for the European project: sustainable integration.

Midnight in Belgrade, dusk in Brussels

Goran Fejic 12 July 2010
Europe’s symbolic effort to prevent Yugoslavia’s breakup in mid-1991 has a lesson for the continent today, says Goran Fejic, then an advisor of Yugoslavia’s foreign minister.

Albania and Enver Hoxha's legacy

Bernd Fischer 10 June 2010
Albania’s iron communist regime survived until 1990, five years after the death of its great dictator, Enver Hoxha. But the country’s political path since then is full of unburied ghosts, says Bernd Fischer.

Project Europe 2030: reflection and revival

Kalypso Nicolaïdis 11 May 2010
“Project Europe 2030”, a report undertaken by the Reflection Group to explore the European Union’s choices over the next two decades, was published on 9 May 2010 and presented to the European Council. In the first of a three-part series, Kalypso Nicolaïdis - one of the group’s twelve members and a regular openDemocracy contributor - outlines the report’s scope and aims.

Cyprus: local perception, European illusion

Hubert Faustmann 16 April 2010
The chances of an internal resolution of the enduring Cyprus conflict are receding. This reinforces the temptation of many to embrace a “European solution” as the way forward. But the European Union's understanding of democracy is less principled than Greek Cypriots would like it to be, says Hubert Faustmann.

Hungary’s election, and Viktor Orbán’s choice

Anton Pelinka 15 April 2010
The decisive victory of Hungary’s centre-right - and the advance of the extreme right - presents the mercurial Viktor Orbán with a singular test of political character, says Anton Pelinka.

Turkey and Europe: a shifting axis

Katinka Barysch 14 April 2010
Turkey’s new regional confidence appears to make the problems in its accession to the European Union less significant. But the linkage is more complicated, says Katinka Barysch.

Germany, Greece, and Europe’s future

Ulrike Guerot 13 April 2010

The European Union has been split by the crisis over Greece’s debt. The lesson is that Germany needs to resume its place at the heart of the European project, says Ulrike Guérot.

Europe's role in losing Ukraine

Fabrizio Tassinari 3 February 2010
On the eve of the crucial run-off in Ukraine's presidential election, Fabrizio Tassinari argues that enlargement fatigue in the EU has meant that since the Orange Revolution Ukraine has been offered no real prospect of joining Europe

Spain, Europe and the world: Zapatero’s moment

Guy Hedgecoe 11 January 2010
Spain’s tenure of the European Union’s presidency is a rare opportunity for its prime minister to make his mark on the international stage, says Guy Hedgecoe.

This week's editor

Heather McRobie


Niki Seth-Smith is a freelance journalist and co-editor of OurKingdom.

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