Pupils On Strike And Golden Visas: What's Going On In Europe?

If you live in a European city, you've probably seen pupils on strike every Friday—it seems like they aren't going anywhere. This week, The Europeans, a podcast that covers one or two of the most important news topics in Europe every week, has interviewed a 10-year old activist from the Netherlands who has been taking part in those strikes for 21 weeks. It is an interesting personal story, that shows how a 10-year-old child can become an environmental activist. 

Another big question that was somewhat overlooked this week was that the European Commission is criticising "golden visas" – the practice of priority residence permits and even citizenship for wealthy foreigners – or, to be precise, the lack of transparency in the process. The practice itself is not necessarily harmful, but local authorities often don't check the applicants' background well enough, meaning that such "golden visas" often end up in the hands of corrupt officials or criminals.

If you're curious about what's going on in the European Union, apart from Brexit, this podcast is a good start. It is rather light-hearted, and the authors make a good job of finding interesting questions to ask.