In a new study, Tim Vlandas and Daphne Halikiopoulou present new empirical evidence about the effect of jihadist terrorist attacks on far-right party preferences in Europe. Their findings suggest that terrorist attacks are unlikely to decisively change party preferences, despite attracting significant public attention and affecting political attitudes. Terrorism has become an increasingly salient issue ..read more

The European Parliament recently adopted the EU’s first Media Freedom Act. However, as Gerhard Schnyder, Fanni Toth and Marlene Radl explain, the text does not contain a requirement to establish an EU-level media ownership concentration database, with this task delegated to national governments. Drawing on recent research, they argue that such data are key to ..read more

Opinion polling suggests a majority of EU citizens support increased defence cooperation. But does this give a robust mandate for further integration? Drawing on a new study, Matthias Mader, Moritz Neubert, Felix Münchow, Stephanie C. Hofmann and Harald Schoen show that public opinion can change significantly when the costs associated with cooperation are made clear ..read more

The 2024 European Parliament elections in Greece will take place one year on from New Democracy’s victory in the country’s 2023 legislative election. Paris Aslanidis writes the European elections will be used to assess three important domestic political dynamics: the current electoral appeal of New Democracy, the performance of the Greek far right and competition ..read more

Research suggests there is a growing ideological gap between young men and women across the world. Felipe Carozzi and Andrés Gago present evidence from Spain that can provide a partial explanation for this phenomenon. Over the past few months, there has been extensive coverage in the press and social media of the widening ideological gaps ..read more

Peter Pellegrini was elected as the new President of Slovakia in the second round of the country’s presidential election on 6 April. Erik Lastic and Tim Haughton identify four factors that explain Pellegrini’s victory and assess what the result could mean for Slovak democracy. Elections can signal a change of direction or the continuation of ..read more

The European Central Bank has made a commitment to consider climate change when making monetary policy decisions. But why and how should it do this? Nicolás Aguila and Joscha Wullweber examine how the narratives used by the ECB to justify its approach have changed over time and assess the impact this could have on the ..read more

States in the European Union cooperate in several joint naval operations across the world. Sebastian Bruns assesses the case for the EU developing its own standing navy. The Red Sea off the coast of Yemen, on one spring morning in mid-March 2024: a German Navy helicopter embarked on the guided-missile frigate “Hessen” lifts off from ..read more

Do crises drive Europeans apart or bring them together? Drawing on a new study, Francesco Nicoli, David van der Duin, Roel Beetsma, Bjoern Bremer, Brian Burgoon, Theresa Kuhn, Maurits Meijers and Anniek de Ruijter find evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have strengthened the attachment of citizens to Europe. In an ..read more

Protectionist parties have become increasingly prominent in European politics over the last two decades. But what drives support for these parties? Drawing on a new study, Enrique García-Viñuela, Nicolas Motz and Pedro Riera find that those with lower levels of education, the unemployed and members of trade unions are the most likely to support protectionist ..read more