Issue 539 | 05 July 2021

The latest edition of The Parliament Magazine is now available to read online for free.

Our cover interview this issue is with Danuta Hübner, one of the European Parliament’s leading political heavyweights. In a wide-ranging and outspoken interview, senior journalist Martin Banks discovers that the former EU Commissioner for trade and for regional policy, now in her third stint as an MEP, is not afraid of holding back on even the most sensitive of issues.

In our news and current affairs pages, Deputy Editor Lorna Hutchinson reports on the European Commission’s decision to present legislative proposals to phase out cages for all farm animals listed in the ‘End the Cage Age’ European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI).

With many now lauding the ECI mechanism for ‘bringing citizens closer’, Managing Editor Brian Johnson looks at the fuzzy area of EU citizenship, arguing that if the Conference on the Future of Europe is to have any hope of success, EU leaders needs to show much more interest in the continent’s citizens than they have over the last 30 years.

As Portugal hands over the reins of the EU’s rotating presidency, Martin Banks assesses the highs and lows of its term in office - and looks ahead to Slovenia’s tenure, already looking a bit troubled as Ljubljana comes under fire for alleged backsliding on the rule of law.

We also have exclusive MEP comment and policy analysis from Assita Kanko and Joachim Schuster on why the EU needs to change its approach on Africa while Tilly Metz and Marlene Mortler discuss the future of animal farming in Europe, following the success of the ‘End the Cage Age’ campaign, and much more.

We close with our regular 5 Questions with… column, which this issue features Croatian Non-attached deputy Ivan Vilibor Sinčić.