WorldcrunchKarl De Meyer has more than 20 years of experience in journalism. He spent most of his career working for French business daily Les Echos as a correspondent, and is editor-in-chief of the weekend edition.
For 15 years, Nicolas Buissart has been guiding curious visitors through the industrial ruins of Charleroi, the largest municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. With his storytelling skills, he has transformed the supposed ugliness of this urban landscape into a tourist attraction.
This week, 360 million voters across the EU will elect 720 Members of the European Parliament. Nationalist and far-right forces are expected to gain ground. At stake is the Europe’s ability to implement its security and competitiveness agenda over the next five years.
May 1 marks the 20th anniversary of the last large round of European enlargement, when 10 countries, mainly from the former Soviet bloc, joined the Union. Their economic successes, the war in Ukraine and their determined leaders have given these countries new weight in Brussels — and provide useful lessons, as the EU considers a new round of enlargement.
Home to the unicorn Vinted, Lithuania’s capital is fostering its image as a Northern European tech hub and cultural capital, in an effort to attract new businesses and talents — despite its cold weather and two difficult neighbors: Russia and Belarus.