https://svenfranck.eu/en/ On this site you can learn about me and my political priorities. The most active sections are my blog and jumpstartEU – an initiative to find ways to relaunch the European project. en Tue, 28 Apr 2026 16:01:15 +0000 weekly 1 Handcrafted https://svenfranck.eu/en/projects/campaign.html https://svenfranck.eu/en/projects/campaign.html Tue, 28 Apr 2026 16:01:15 +0000 My site to cover my campaign to become Volt Europa co-president, my transnational campaign experiment and my pitch for Volt to become a platform for European leadership, legitimacy and leverage.

]]> https://svenfranck.eu/en/blog/Wer-hat-Angst-vor-dem-boesen-Wolf.html https://svenfranck.eu/en/blog/Wer-hat-Angst-vor-dem-boesen-Wolf.html Fri, 06 Mar 2026 22:21:17 +0000 This week, Germany chancellor Friedrich Merz paid a visit to the US President. Before, he condemned the Iranian attacks on neighboring countries with Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron without putting a question mark behind the US and Israel's justification for setting fire to the Middle East. He also sided with Donald Trump to call out Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez as the only European leader to take a stand. He since backtracked, but I the don't see a real strategy here aside from Germany maybe wanting to become the 51st US State.

]]> https://svenfranck.eu/en/blog/European-media-are-hooked-to-US-politics-like-we-are-hooked-to-US-social-media.html https://svenfranck.eu/en/blog/European-media-are-hooked-to-US-politics-like-we-are-hooked-to-US-social-media.html Wed, 25 Feb 2026 14:02:18 +0000 Yesterday, the US president held its State of the Union address at 3am our time. Perfect, because I prefer to sleep than listening to another episode from the Twilight Zone. What's not so perfect is the space Donald Trumps has in European media this morning. If we want to lift Europe on par with the US, shouldn't our media start giving more visibility to what's happening at home. It's not like we don't have drama...

]]> https://svenfranck.eu/en/blog/United-in-Diversity-means-making-open-source-mainstream.html https://svenfranck.eu/en/blog/United-in-Diversity-means-making-open-source-mainstream.html Wed, 11 Feb 2026 14:01:11 +0000 Tomorrow, national leaders retreat to a castle in Belgium to discuss European competitiveness. It will thus be up to European evangelist Mario Draghi to foil the plan of Germany and Italy: Both seek for the EU to become more competitive by kowtowing to the demands of Trump, Musk & Co. What's not to like?

]]> https://svenfranck.eu/en/blog/United-in-Diversity-means-making-open-source-mainstream.html https://svenfranck.eu/en/blog/United-in-Diversity-means-making-open-source-mainstream.html Fri, 06 Feb 2026 10:27:33 +0100 In case you missed it, FOSDEM, the world's largest open-source conference took place last weekend in Brussels. And while I was trying to pitch to have our Volt MEPs speak in the EU Policy sessions next year, the conference organizers announced that they wanted to bring politics to FOSDEM. Perfect, because it's about time Europe takes open-source more serious.

]]> https://svenfranck.eu/en/blog/Can-the-Franco-German-couple-still-lead-the-European-project.html https://svenfranck.eu/en/blog/Can-the-Franco-German-couple-still-lead-the-European-project.html Wed, 28 Jan 2026 22:10:12 +0100 France and Germany, the two motors of the European project, find themselves at a crossroads: real European integration could be a remedy against the far right at home and the threats posed by Putin and Trump. But a stronger Europe would also mean for France and Germany to take a step back. Why should they?

]]> https://svenfranck.eu/en/blog/If-Germany-can-live-with-Eurobonds-Denmark-can-pave-the-way-for-EU-military.html https://svenfranck.eu/en/blog/If-Germany-can-live-with-Eurobonds-Denmark-can-pave-the-way-for-EU-military.html Mon, 5 Jan 2026 16:43:47 +0100 After the staccato of docile statements from EU and national leaders on Venezuela, Trump has its eyes firmly set on Greenland. Denmark, meanwhile, refused EU and member states military support months ago. With reality biting, isn't it time to reconsider?

]]> https://svenfranck.eu/en/blog/First-we-take-Maduro-then-we-take-Greenland.html https://svenfranck.eu/en/blog/First-we-take-Maduro-then-we-take-Greenland.html Mon, 5 Jan 2026 16:01:23 +0100 With the US not being coy about its objections to a United Europe, member states having nuclear arms and limiting free speech, one has to wonder when Denmark will loose Greenland or helicopters will exfiltrate Emmanuel Macron after Marine LePen is declared ineligible for the 2027 presidential elections. Are we ready for MAGA-foreign policy?

]]> https://svenfranck.eu/en/blog/2026-European-leadership-wanted.html https://svenfranck.eu/en/blog/2026-European-leadership-wanted.html Mon, 29 Dec 2025 15:12:11 +0100 Any EU aficionado doom-scrolling down to 2026 likely stumbled over the EU Commission self-congratulating itself on its major achievement of the year: the USB-C plug. At this make or break moment of the European Union, one would hope, that our Commission President would boldly aim for the stars to at least land us on the moon of treaty change. Not happening...

]]> https://svenfranck.eu/en/blog/Frozen-assets-from-Moscow-with-love.html https://svenfranck.eu/en/blog/Frozen-assets-from-Moscow-with-love.html Wed, 17 Dec 2025 09:13:08 +0100 The temperature is rising ahead of Thursday's European Council on funding #Ukraine for 2026 and 2027. With the principal question being if and how to "unfreeze" the 210B€ of Russian assets held by Belgian Euroclear to fund Ukraine defense and reconstruction. Both Russia threatening legal action and the US seeking control over spending are pressuring our national leaders to coy.

]]> https://svenfranck.eu/en/blog/How-about-a-European-Security-Strategy.html https://svenfranck.eu/en/blog/How-about-a-European-Security-Strategy.html Tue, 09 Dec 2025 09:13:08 +0100 The last week has been a revelation for transatlantists with the publication of the US National Security Strategy and Elon Musk, disgruntled by a 140M€ fine for violating the Digital Service Act, calling for the EU to be dissolved. Europe's response: we're BFF, always have, always will. Really?

]]> https://svenfranck.eu/en/blog/Rave-rave-against-the-dying-of-the-light.html https://svenfranck.eu/en/blog/Rave-rave-against-the-dying-of-the-light.html Tue, 25 Nov 2025 11:25:10 +0100 Jürgen Habermas assessed that "further political integration, at least at the core of the European Union, has never been as vital to our survival as it is today. And never so unlikely". I'm siding with Dylan Thomas "to not go gentle into that good night" instead.

]]> https://svenfranck.eu/en/blog/Why-can-Trump-propose-EU-legislation-and-the-Parliament-can-t.html https://svenfranck.eu/en/blog/Why-can-Trump-propose-EU-legislation-and-the-Parliament-can-t.html Sun, 09 Nov 2025 20:33:10 +0100 The EU Commission’s omnibus shows who holds influence in Europe. If we professionalise the way we collect signatures, we could counterbalance that with ECIs.

]]> https://svenfranck.eu/en/blog/European-democracy-How-is-that-gonna-work.html https://svenfranck.eu/en/blog/European-democracy-How-is-that-gonna-work.html Sun, 05 Oct 2025 14:44:12 +0100 I'm currently trying a first: putting a member motion on the Volt Europa General Assembly agenda this November. It means figuring out how to campaign for a topic across borders and how a European democracy could function.

]]> https://svenfranck.eu/en/blog/European-Groundhog-day-Will-we-ever-wake-up.html https://svenfranck.eu/en/blog/European-Groundhog-day-Will-we-ever-wake-up.html Sun, 21 Sep 2025 10:07:12 +0100 If you are a Europe aficionado or among the record high population that believes more Europe is kinda warranted, you must also start to believe we are in the equivalent of a European Groundhog day.

]]> https://svenfranck.eu/en/blog/Trouble-in-France.html https://svenfranck.eu/en/blog/Trouble-in-France.html Wed, 10 Sep 2025 20:15:22 +0200 After Prime Minister Bayrou's budget-harakiri, President Macron quickly appointed defence minister Sébastien Lecornu as new prime minister. One has to wonder how many aces he has left in his sleeve considering passing a similar budget will likely mean a similar fate for the new prime minister.

]]> https://svenfranck.eu/en/blog/A-Europe-of-Nations-No-thanks.html https://svenfranck.eu/en/blog/A-Europe-of-Nations-No-thanks.html Sun, 31 Aug 2025 20:15:22 +0200 Giorgia Meloni did not want the spotlight to be stolen from her at the recent Rimini Meeting. Contrary to Mario Draghi pleading for European integration she was championing a Europe of Nations. As if more of the status quo is suddenly the solution.

]]> https://svenfranck.eu/en/blog/Chat-Control-the-end-of-the-secrecy-of-correspondence.html https://svenfranck.eu/en/blog/Chat-Control-the-end-of-the-secrecy-of-correspondence.html Sat, 23 Aug 2025 23:45:21 +0200 Even if 72% of the European population is against it, total surveillance of our digital communication risks becoming a near reality. Best we end the secrecy of correspondence with it.

]]> https://svenfranck.eu/en/blog/State-of-the-European-Union-SOTEU-Cut-the-sweet-talk.html https://svenfranck.eu/en/blog/State-of-the-European-Union-SOTEU-Cut-the-sweet-talk.html Wed, 20 Aug 2025 22:08:26 +0200 Everything has been said about the White House summit but if one thing is clear after the NATO summit, the US-EU trade deal and last weekend, it's that the EU has some serious introspection to do followed by some equally serious reforming.

]]> https://svenfranck.eu/en/blog/Fork-the-EU.html https://svenfranck.eu/en/blog/Fork-the-EU.html Tue, 12 Aug 2025 22:08:26 +0200 Why not fork the EU? Because whatever your dream of a future European Union, any changes to treaties will require unanimity and there will always be someone saying no. Like in software, the threat of a fork creates leverage.

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