What Does the EU Actually do for Students? 

Athénaïs Erodiades 

For many students, the European Union can feel distant, an abstract political machine churning out regulations somewhere in Brussels. But behind the slogans and speeches, the European Union has quietly (and not so quietly) transformed what it means to be a student in Europe.

Start with the golden child : Erasmus+. Launched in 1987 and expanded ever since, Erasmus+ has funded over 13 million student exchanges across Europe and beyond (1). It’s not just a semester abroad, it’s a gateway to new cultures, languages, and job prosppects.

More importantly, students who participate are half as likely to face long-term unemployment compared to their peers (2).

Then there’s the freedom of movement. Thanks to Schengen, crossing borders to attend university, intern, or simply backpack across the continent feels more like changing subway lines than crossing international boundaries (3). And while Brexit may have slammed the door for some, the rest of us are still swiping our IDs, not our passports.

Need to call your parents from Prague or check your bank app while island hopping in Greece ? The EU scrapped roaming charges in 2017, saving students hundreds in mobile bills each year.

Edi Rama's EU Vision for Albania 

Dea Peco

What does another year of unsuccessful EU negotiations for the Balkan states look like in terms of political campaigns? Going on his 4th term in office, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has now solidified his priority of establishing Albania as an EU member state before the year 2030. Labelling the current condition in Albania as a ‘historic chance’ (1) for the nation’s EU status to shift, the office candidate is pushing for the popular vote by promising to finalize successful negotiations by the year 2027. 

Public census on Rama’s statements that joining the EU is what “our ancestors wanted” (2) has been mixed, with opposition claiming populism and the public claiming neglect. Multiple claims made by Rama to support his stances have been proven untrue, or at the very least, manipulated. Promises that the EU is within the ideal circumstances for expansion in the West Balkans were countered by the German publication Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) (3), stating that the EU’s current priorities are self-regulation and organization. The domestic population also redirects its anger at prior unfulfilled promises. Dreams of a bright and optimistic horizon take the spot of Albanians’ everyday struggles as a political priority, as stated by journalist Jona Plumbi (4). 

Through the analysis of his speeches regarding the campaign, academics have supported the civilian stance that Edi Rama’s lack of focus on domestic issues is alarming. Transcriptions reveal that words such as “European” and “Passport” repeat dozens of times, while necessities and public complaints are mentioned close to never. According to professor and journalist Lufti Dervishi, this is a reflection of disorganization and an appeal to slogans rather than reason. Nevertheless, Rama has stood by his words and motives, reaffirming that Albanian integration in the EU is necessary for the social, educational, and economic progression of the nation (5). The following years have been named the optimal point to ensure this partnership, and with the elections less than two weeks away, Rama remains confident in his ability to fulfill the promise. 

Commission Fines Apple and Meta for Breaching Fair Competition Rules

Vanessa Chioaru 

In a landmark ruling on April 23rd, the European Commission fined Apple €500m and Meta €200m, in the culmination of events that have been brewing for months, as the two tech giants were found to have broken rules on fair competition and user choice (1). An investigation into the practices of both plaforms was started last year under the Digital Markets Act (DMA) with the decision coming at a crucial time where the EU stands firm in its regulatory stance against Trump's tariffs (2). 

Apple has been fined due to a violation of its obligation not to restrict the supply of content by developers. Particularly, the fine stems from the fact that Apple has stopped developers from freely marketing alternative and more cost-effective offers outside of the App Store (3). Under the DMA, such app developers are free to steer customers to other offers presented outside Apple’s own application. This constitutes an anti competitive practice while equally impacting consumer choice as they cannot fully benefit from cheaper alternatives (4). Apple was unable to demonstrate that such measures were objectively necessary and proportionate, leading to the Commission asking them to remove such restrictions. 

As for the case of Meta, being designated as a gatekeeper under the DMA, it must seek users’ consent for combining their personal data between services. If such consent is not provided, they are required to provide less personalised but equivalent alternatives for consumers (5). In November 2023, Meta introduced a binary “Consent or Pay” advertising model where EU users had a choice between agreeing to personal data combination or paying a monthly subscription for ad-free service. This was found to not comply with the DMA as it did not provide users with the choice to opt out (6).

Even though these fines are not nearly as substantial as the sanction of €2.4bn euros imposed on Google last September, this strong stance adopted by the Commission shows that they will not “back down” in the face of pressure from Trump (7). Despite this strength from the Commission, the news are not expected to receive a warm welcome from the Trump administration, prompting fears of retaliation through either tariffs or other means.

Is Trump Toying with the EU and Others? How does the Delay Affect the World?

Stefan Borrero

Once again, Trump is keeping the world on edge. After threatening dramatic taxes, just days before the implementation date, the White House decided to “reconsider” for 90 days. Brussels did the same by delaying €21 billion in counter-duties “to give negotiations a chance,” while Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned the tariffs are “a major blow” that will inflate household bills around the world (1). This is evidenced by the US goods deficit ballooning to a record $162 billion. At first, this uncertain delay seemed like a breath of fresh air, however in reality, it is interrupting trade (2). 

Amazon was labeled as “hostile” for merely considering showing shoppers the cost of Trump’s duties, further proof that this is not about economics, but rather politics (3). Multinational companies like Adidas and others are holding back on pricing changes due to the uncertainty (4), and HSBC has set aside $200 million dollars for bad loans to hedge the possible tariff fallout (5). Companies do not know how to price products for the upcoming quarters with all this uncertainty. Will it be 10%, 25%, or no duties at all? 

This is a classic Trump move. He is keeping both friends and enemies off-balance just long enough to get exactly what he wants. However, this is an opportunity for Europe. It now has more time to make some real progress. Such advancements include building stronger financial markets, pushing plans forward, and figuring out if “strategic autonomy” is just an idea or if it's something worth taking action on. Also, if the EU can form a clear policy on China, it might actually make Europe stronger and more independent, in that case this uncertainty plays to their benefit. That being said, if they do nothing about it, we will be back in the same situation we started in at the end of the 90 days, with more tariffs, more uncertainty, and more damage.