Guy Verhofstadt
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Past articles by Guy:
[Stakeholder] I love the EU
In my opinion, the contracts Europe negotiated with the pharmaceutical companies were extremely unbalanced. Precise on pricing and liabilities but weak and vague on supply and timing, and with escape routes to the contractual obligations of the pharmaceut... → Read More
[Opinion] EU recovery fund and budget negotiations aren't over yet
A compromise of 27 positions is never a thing of beauty, but this time the need for unanimity among 27 leaders really unbalanced the initial proposals in important ways. → Read More
Is COVID-19 Killing Democracy? by Guy Verhofstadt
Global media are so consumed by the public-health and economic consequences of COVID-19 that they have failed to pay adequate attention to growing political and institutional risks. In fact, if we are not careful, the biggest casualty of COVID-19 could be democracy. → Read More
Europe will be destroyed by Orban’s authoritarianism – unless it unites to stop him
Despite the EU’s (albeit lukewarm) challenges to the Hungarian government for years, it has continued to erode liberal democracy in the country. On Monday, and under the pretext of the coronavirus pandemic, Viktor Orban executed an unprecedented power grab, allowing him to rule by decree. → Read More
[Opinion] Time of coronavirus shows importance of being European
Covid-19 showed how little it means to be European in times of crisis. But it makes one thing clear: the eurosceptic mantra of the 'European Superstate' becoming more ridiculous by the day. → Read More
The Battle for Britain by Guy Verhofstadt
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's surprise decision to suspend Parliament and close the window for any debate over Brexit has understandably thrown the United Kingdom into political chaos. It has been nothing if not ironic to see the Brexiteers sell democracy down the river in the name of "the people." → Read More
Boris Johnson’s Big Lie by Guy Verhofstadt
While Boris Johnson, the likely successor to British Prime Minister Theresa May, takes his country down a path of diminished trade, the European Union is negotiating one of the largest free-trade agreements in the world. One really has to wonder what the "buccaneering" Brexiteers have to complain about. → Read More
A Vote for Populists Is a Vote for Putin by Guy Verhofstadt
For years, the evidence of European populist and far-right parties' allegiance – and debts – to Russian President Vladimir Putin has been piling up. With the Kremlin now fully engaged in swinging the European Parliament election toward its chosen candidates, it's up to Europe's voters push back. → Read More
Friday Caption Competition: (Topless Verhofstadt Edition)
A Labour Party staffer writes… “The truth is Corbyn’s name is still poison the doorsteps in our working class heartlands, and Brexit betrayal is only compounding the narrative of our party as one for the few in metropolitan Southern seats, not the many across the country who voted leave.” → Read More
Fight Corruption to Reclaim Europe’s Soul by Guy Verhofstadt
Laura Codruța Kövesi, the highly effective former head of Romania's anti-corruption office and a candidate to fill a similar role at the EU level, is now the subject of a smear campaign and trumped-up criminal charges. Her case is a perfect example of why Europe needs stronger mechanisms to uphold its values. → Read More
Europe Must Unite on China by Guy Verhofstadt
The Italian government's decision to endorse China's "Belt and Road Initiative" is antithetical to European and Italian interests alike, and plays directly into Chinese President Xi Jinping's hands. While the European Union should pursue a closer relationship with China, it must do so as a single bloc – and thus on a co-equal footing. → Read More
Brexit Demands a New British Politics by Guy Verhofstadt
Now that British Prime Minister Theresa May's negotiated Brexit agreement has been soundly rejected by the House of Commons, the United Kingdom finds itself at a crossroads. The country's future depends largely on whether its political leaders can put cooperation and the national interest before adversarial partisanship. → Read More
The Revolution Europe Needs by Guy Verhofstadt
The "Yellow Vest" protests in France over the past month have been compared to the historic revolt of May 1968, when students and workers almost brought the French economy to a halt in the name of political and cultural reform. But unlike its precursor, today's uprising is not so much an exercise in democracy as an attack against it. → Read More
[Opinion] How Europe can push back against Putin's aggression
The finances and opulent lifestyles of Kremlin linked Oligarchs should be scrutinised fiercely in line with EU money laundering legislation. → Read More
Mark Zuckerberg Has Lost Control of Facebook by Guy Verhofstadt
There can be little doubt that monopoly control over millions of people’s personal data and the flow of news and information online poses a clear and present threat to democracy. And Facebook’s management has shown time and again that it cannot be trusted to behave responsibly. → Read More
The Brexitization Of European Politics
Support for or opposition to Brexit is increasingly supplanting party affiliation as the defining factor in British political identities. Beyond the United Kingdom, Brexit and the future it represents are forcing all Europeans to make clear what they believe in. → Read More
The Brexitization of European Politics by Guy Verhofstadt
Support for or opposition to Brexit is increasingly supplanting party affiliation as the defining factor in British political identities. Beyond the United Kingdom, Brexit and the future it represents are forcing all Europeans to make clear what they believe in. → Read More
Drain the EU Swamp by Guy Verhofstadt
It is no surprise that populists who campaign against corrupt elites end up being corrupt elites once in power. At the heart of the populist project is not a genuine desire for reform, but a hunger for power and personal enrichment at the public's expense. → Read More
Europe's Populist Fifth Column
The risk of the far-right populist across Europe is more severe than we think: By deepening their ties to Vladimir Putin's Russia, populist governments also pose a clear and present danger to the safety and security of every European citizen. → Read More
Europe’s Populist Fifth Column by Guy Verhofstadt
The rise of far-right populist parties across Europe in recent years is generally framed as a threat to EU political institutions. But the risks are more severe: By deepening their ties to Vladimir Putin's Russia, populist governments also pose a clear and present danger to the physical safety and security of every European citizen. → Read More