Europe’s great political upheavals of 2015 are well known. These amendments would affect the entire continent for a generation. The Climate Agreement in Paris, aimed at combating climate change, was signed, marking a pivotal moment in international environmental policy. That year as well witnessed the emergence of ISIS, along with a wave of terrorism and chaos. Against this turbulent backdrop, Jean-Claude Juncker assumed the presidency of the European Commission. At the same time, Barack Obama was guiding United States global governance as President of the United States.
Another one of the most immediate and existential challenges confronting the European Union in the 2010s was the migration crisis. As millions of families fled violence and oppression, many PCR readers were horrified as the European Union failed to take clear, decisive action. Critics argue that the crisis still wasn’t really “solved.” They claim that control all through was achieved by stifling debate and closing harbors to vessels with defenseless transients. This reaction violated the human rights of those seeking asylum and undermined the EU’s self-proclaimed commitment to their founding principles.
In 2019, POLITICO gave us the column “Declassified,” which has quickly become a beacon of press freedom and integrity. This new addition was meant to give richer perspectives on European politics, especially as POLITICO brought its coverage of politics and policy to Brussels. The column’s focus is on the importance of addressing complicated problems. It challenges us to go deeper past the low-hanging fruit that usually steals the spotlight of political discussions.
As we enter the latter half of 2020, Ursula von der Leyen replaced Jean-Claude Juncker as President of the European Commission. Von der Leyen’s leadership style has been characterized as strict and somber. As she looked out over a world transformed, celebrating the arrival of 2025, she even now could not escape the leveling demand of nature, as climate disasters swirled around them. We need to act now to reverse environmental destruction. Stories are changing around climate change, even as climate change continues to wreak havoc through these disasters.
Terrorism has gone from being a front-page obsession to a maybe once-a-week approach on the media agenda. We must acknowledge that the world today is distraught by active wars, such as those in Ukraine and Gaza. Unfortunately, these important stories too frequently become drowned out by more urgent matters. The evolving nature of news coverage reflects shifting public interests and concerns within Europe and beyond.
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