The Qatar Gate scandal now seems distant, and it is increasingly unlikely that Eva Kaili will face trial in Belgium for her alleged involvement in the corruption case. However, the integrity system within European lawmaking has developed. Although not far enough for many, it is moving in the right direction. In two handbook chapters on Lobbying in the European Union and in my recent yearbook article Interest Representation in the EU, I provided some overviews of the EU’s integrity framework.
Category: Democracy & Society
Why Bluesky is the New Hope After the Fall of Twitter
How did Jerry Fish put it? “It takes balls to be a butterfly!” But Bluesky’s butterfly has made it. Over 10 million accounts is a clear statement against X. Moreover, Bluesky is a revival of the Twitter we once knew. The narcissistic Elon Musk, infatuated with Trump, had previously killed the Twitter bird with a simple X. But the butterfly of Bluesky won’t be easily stifled. It’s decentralized like Mastodon, but still professionally managed. This is encouraging.
Why Do I Miss Twitter?
Jon Worth once pointed it out to me: Twitter was an ideal platform for international networking without much fuss. Especially in my work related to European politics, Twitter was a central place for exchange. With over 7,000 followers, I may not have been at the top, but I still managed to reach beyond the usual bubbles in politics, academia, and journalism. I look back nostalgically at my Twitter history. During the financial crisis, there was no better platform for intelligent networking. The unnecessary Brexit, in particular, significantly invigorated the European political discourse. Berlin’s journalist bubbles were suddenly no longer important. You could communicate excellently between Brussels , the national capitals, but also with Maastricht, Florence, and Tartu. The contributions of Simon Hix and Ron Patz. who created the hashtag #EuCo for the European Council, were legendary.
What Set Twitter Apart from Other Social Media Platforms?
Twitter was the democratic among the channels. Networking and mutual optimization were more important than mere show-off, as we unfortunately see more and more in post-Bologna universities and PR schools. Posting, influencing, and engaging were also important on Twitter, but there was always a certain democratic collective intelligence. Bubbles on Twitter were more like a pluralistic foam bath. Twitter was a square, not a tower, as Niall Ferguson described it.
Then Came the Post-Fascist Musk…
An authoritarian narcissist killed Twitter. I am still on [X](https://x.com), but I am clearly preparing my eXodus. The first step is securing the good times of Twitter. Downloading all my tweets since October 2008 made me nostalgic but also determined to move on. But where to emigrate?
I first gave Mastodon a chance. Wonderfully decentralized, but somehow the mammoth didn’t move… I stayed afloat with LinkedIn, but it remained a Facebook for careerists…
The Second Chance I Gave to Bluesky
I only got the chance through a delayed invitation. I stayed offended and skeptical for a long time in the blue sky. But at least, there are very good guide for Bluesky.
But since this summer, I’ve been feeling the old Twitter vibe again. Initially, Bluesky was a purely green bubble with a few European academic sprinklings and Christian Democratic free spirits. The key to Bluesky’s success is Musk himself. His statements, such as claiming a “civil war is inevitable” after the racist attacks on open-minded England, have led to a massive exodus from X to Bluesky. Slowly, the EU bubble is awakening with #EUSky and #EurSky. As with Twitter, it is the Anglosaxons who are promoting the decentralized European discourse through social media.
The Game Changer for Me: Michiel van Hulten
Former MEP and head of Transparency International EU in Brussels, his Starter Packs EU Policy I and EU Policy Pack II, later MEPs and EU Bubble Journalist, were an excellent booster for my European job in the blue 🦋 sky. Just visit and follow everyone.
Why Bluesky Makes Sense
This became clear to me through the brilliant special edition of the podcast Quiet Riot on Bluesky with Rose – highly recommended.
At the EBD Network, we are currently preparing a campaign against X. The over 230 member organisations in the #EBDNetzwerk should soon no longer use X. But also the federal government and European institutions should no longer be impressed by Musk’s investments. X promotes fascist movements. The state and the EU should not be present on such platforms if they want to credibly oppose the fascist AfD.
#EuroComo future of Europe brain storming with Adenauer
Wanna get a forecast for the EU and Europe in 2030 and some insights of the strategic planning and soul of EPP, plus Think Tank expectations from more than 15 European Countries? Come to Cadenabbia! It was my 12th KAS Workshop on European Issues, vulgo #EuroComo, a great occassion for brainstorming and expert back ground talks in the first German Chancellor holiday Villa la Collina at Como Lake. As always, the event was a fantastic gathering of leaders, policymakers, and experts to discuss and strategize on the key challenges and opportunities facing the EU. As I am not party affiliated, representing the biggest German network on EU affairs in Germany, I am particulary grateful, to get Chatham House ensured insights about the European Peoples Party and its German member party CDU and KAS. Very democratic.
Networked Democratic Diplomacy A democratic Europe needs a new kind of public diplomacy.
For several years, media outlets and independent democratic organizations have come under systematic pressure in many European countries. Minority rights are under attack. Even the independence of the judiciary is now open to question. The belief in self-correction in democratic societies continues to wane. The troublesome situation in Hungary and Poland is not just a national matter of European Union law being misapplied in specific member states. Various regulations and sanctions do offer some hope in the situation, including Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) with the EU framework for strengthening the rule of law as well as the rule of law mechanism. But will stricter monitoring and more consistent enforcement be enough? Perhaps what is missing is a consistent commitment to democratic checks and balances? In this context, Germany’s foreign and European policies need to do more to support cross-border democracy. My article in Internationale Politik Quarterly.
In the midfield of European Politics: Civil Society, Lobbyism and Participative Democracy within the EU’s Multi-level System of Governance
The article sheds light on the relation between political influence of interest groups in the EU legislative process and pluralist democracy in the European system of multi-level governance. In this context, the article critically examines whether the representation of societal interests can be analytically distinguished from (corporate and private) lobbyism. It is the article’s main thesis that interest representation can only contribute to more democracy and legitimacy in the EU system of multi-level governance if all corporate, governmental, and legislative actors involved in the decision-making process commit themselves to greater transparency.
Hüttemann, Bernd; Sandmann, Elena (2020): Im Mittelfeld der Europapolitik: Zivilgesellschaft, Lobbyismus und Partizipative Demokratie im Mehrebenensystem der EU. In: Forschungsjournal Soziale Bewegungen 32 (4), S. 557–569. DOI: 10.1515/fjsb-2019-0061.