Let’s take a dive into the chaotic current affairs of EU
Unless you live under a giant rock, you’ve probably heard of Europe, the concept created in 1992 by the Maastricht Treaty. It is one of the favorite summer destinations for Americans, who think Belgium is a very pretty city. For good measure, it is, in fact, a real country.
You know Europe, but are you interested in what’s going on there? If you are, you’re in luck, because as a Belgian, who is a little lost in the country of Canada, almost as big as Europe itself, I can enlighten you on what’s happening on this crazy continent in broad terms. Sounds exciting, right?
In Belgium, protesting is like a national sport; at least we have the merit of being good at it! -Sophie Englebert
Protest: The ultimate answer?
If you were a European student rather than a North American one, one thing is certain: you would be protesting right now. To name but a few, in France, students protested on October 2 against the government’s austerity policies, while in Spain, young people gathered to demand an end to ties with Israel, as they did in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
In Belgium, protesting is like a national sport; at least we have the merit of being good at it! On October 16, students demonstrated against the increase in tuition fees, as it is set to rise from €835 ($1,359 CAD) to €1,194 ($1,942 CAD) by 2026. This may sound completely ridiculous to you, who pay much more than that annually, and you would be right to find it ridiculous. Welcome to Belgium!
France in a toxic relationship
May I continue ruining the mood by talking about politics? Let me introduce you to my favorite soap opera of the moment: French politics.
On October 6, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu handed in his resignation to President Emmanuel Macron after only 14 hours in office. To give you an idea of how short that is, here is a non-exhaustive list of things that lasted longer than Lecornu’s term: the entire Harry Potter saga (5 hours and 41 minutes longer than Lecournu’s term), the average duration of a stomach bug (one to three days) and Kim Kardashian’s first marriage to Kris Humphries (72 days).
Of course, the story doesn’t end there. Four days later, with France and the whole of Europe waiting for Macron to announce the name of the next Prime Minister, the President shocked the entire continent by announcing Lecornu’s return to power. You know those toxic relationships where you think, “I don’t understand how they keep getting back together when the relationship is so unhealthy?” Macron and Lecornu seems to be the ultimate example of a toxic relationship. When you consider that France is the second-largest economy in Europe after Germany, as a European citizen, you have every right to be very concerned when you see how unpredictable politics are there.
Macron and Lecornu seems to be the ultimate example of a toxic relationship. – Sophie Englebert
Sidetracking Spain?
While the European Commission continues to propose projects to strengthen the European Union’s (EU) defense against Russian and hybrid threats, Spain has much more important issues to deal with.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has announced his intention to ask the EU to end the biannual clock change, calling it obsolete and harmful to health. One might think that this proposal makes no sense, yet it is supported by scientific studies and public opinion and will be submitted to the European Council for Transport, Telecommunications, and Energy at the end of October.
However, the opposition accuses the prime minister of wanting to divert attention from corruption scandals involving government officials, which is a more than plausible theory when you think about it.
A positive note
Let’s end this on a positive note, shall we? Fun fact: Finland has won the award for the happiest country in the world for the seventh consecutive year. Some villages even offer ‘happiness courses’ for tourists.
So, if these few news items have left you feeling totally depressed, don’t hesitate to buy a one-way plane ticket to Finland!
