I missed my blog birthday. Two days ago was the fifth anniversary of the birth of this blog. Since that time, the world of EU politics blogging has changed massively.
Back then, in March 2003, I wasn’t aware of any other blogs attempting to cover the same subject (though I think A Fistful of Euros may have started by then) – most people were obsessed with something or other going on in Iraq, if I recall. The technology was clunky, there were no blog search engines, no RSS feeds, no Wordpress – nothing that makes blogging so easy these days. Little wonder I gave up so quickly, leaving the thing to stagnate for a year after a mere three posts. But hey, I revived it, so it still counts as this blog’s real birthday, I reckon – even if regular updates didn’t start until August 2004.
Anyway, time for an overview of EU blogs, I reckon. Please note – this list is sadly not comprehensive, and a number of blogs that appear not to have been updated in the last couple of months have been left off. I’ve also left off blogs with more of an emphasis on individual countries rather than EU politics as a whole.
If you have an EU politics blog and you’re not present here or on my Netvibes RSS roundup, drop me an email via nosemonkey [at] gmail.com and I’ll add you. I plan to keep both this and the RSS roundup regularly updated.
And so, without further ado…
The EU Blog Directory
I have also compiled an EU blog and news RSS resource at http://www.netvibes.com/nosemonkey featuring most of these – and a number more, as well as my Must-Read EU blogs list.
Not necessarily the biggest in terms of readership, but some of the longest-running, best-known and most consistent – EU politics blogs that have become hubs for online EU debate and discussion.
A Fistful of Euros
– One of the longest-running Euroblogs, covering a broad range of politics and culture, though never quite as frequently as one might like. Multiple authors, all from a loosely liberal perspective, yet usually fairly impartial when it comes to the EU itself. Also home to the annual European Weblog Awards. If they’re still going… Technorati
BlogActiv
A new launch from the people behind EU news and policy site EurActiv, with a bunch of thinktanks, academics and the like contributing to a blog hub about European affairs. Hasn’t been going long enough for me to have identified individual blogs hosted there worthy of highlighting – though Stanley’s blog is looking very promising – so any pointers much appreciated. Technorati
The Brussels Journal
– Describes itself as “The Voice of Conservatism in Europe”, and often reads like a parody of the US Republican Party (in fact, when it first launched I thought it was a spoof). Obsessed with “islamification”, “dhimmitude” and non-white immigration, seemingly convinced that every European government is part of some vast left-wing conspiracy, and often the very personification of “Europhobe”, it would be easy to dismiss The Brussels Journal were it not for its knack for spotting stories everyone else has missed, and its impressive readership – boosted by multiple links from right-wing US blog networks. Technorati
Certain Ideas of Europe
– The Economist’s EU blog, skipping all over the continent with (almost) daily news and expert analysis. One of the best newspaper blogs out there. Technorati
Coulisses de Bruxelles
– Liberation’s Brussels blog (in French), by their veteran correspondent Jean Quatremer. Decently regular and with a handy, knowledgable French perspective, it’s pretty much the leading French language EU politics blog. Technorati
EU Referendum
– The biggest and one of the longest-running of the anti-EU blogs, written by two contributors to the eurosceptic Bruges Group thinktank. With multiple daily updates, active forums and a generally high level of research, it’s a blog that cannot be ignored, even if it does occasionally slip into the kind of over-excited rhetoric that does its cause no favours and merely entrenches opinions. Technorati
European Tribune
– A European off-shoot of big liberal US blogs The Daily Kos and The Booman Tribune, the real benefit is in the community – as shown via the “Diaries”, miniature blogs by the site’s regular users that contain numerous gems. Sadly, though, the Diary section doesn’t have its own RSS feed. Technorati
EurSoc
– Long-running eurosceptic blog, run more on a magazine format – though it has at long last introduced comments. A broad range of usually in-depth, knowledgable articles, regularly updated. Technorati
Jon Worth’s Euroblog
– A former president of the Young European Federalists, Jon Worth is a strongly pro-EU Labour party member and web developer. Part of his time in the real world is spent running training courses on EU politics, so he knows his stuff. He’s also the most active advocate of Euroblogging out there, always coming up with new ideas to increase online discussion of the EU. Technorati
Margot Wallstrom
– The blog of the Vice President of the European Commission, responsible for Communications. Light on policy, heavy on “this week I have mostly been…”, but with a high readership and visibility. Wallstrom has also been championing online engagement, and encouraged a number of other Commissioners to start blogs of their own (which can all be found here). In the process, she has become the key hate-figure of the online anti-EU movement. Technorati
Mark Mardell’s Euroblog
– On-the-spot reporting from around Europe from the BBC’s Europe Correspondent. Fun, readable, regular, and with a good eye for detail. Also has an active comments section – albeit dominated (as usual) by enthusiastic eurosceptics. Technorati
Nosemonkey’s EUtopia
– This place. It’s one of the longest-running loosely pro-EU blogs out there and – I’d say – probably unique in that I’m a former eurosceptic turned pro-EU with no party affiliations whatsoever, so I’m not being overly arrogant in including it here. Formerly known as Europhobia. Technorati
Alex Stubb
– Impressive multilingual blog from this centre-right Finnish former MEP – now Foreign Secretary. Got to love the cheesy photos – they’re some kind of genius. Technorati
L’Avenir d’Europe
– The blog of the UMP’s “European Workshop”, set up on Sarkozy’s orders to look at ways of engaging more closely with the EU. Technorati
Bernard Poignant MEP
– French Socialist member of the EP’s Fisheries and Regional Development committees and President of the National Federation of Socialist and Republican Elected Representatives. Fairly regular updates in French. Technorati
Bruno Waterfield
– The (eurosceptic) Daily Telegraph’s man in Brussels. Launched only in February 2008 (following the demise of the rather good blog from Waterfield’s predecessor David Rennie), early signs are very promising indeed. Regular, witty and knowledgeable – if a tad excitable sometimes. Technorati
Centre for European Politics Blog
– Coming from the Royal Holloway, part of the University of London, this is a relatively new, relatively detached academic take on EU politics, seemingly aimed at students, but readable and accessible to all. Technorati
Centre for European Reform Blog
– Irregular, usually considered and well-researched coverage on eclectic topics from this critically pro-EU thinktank. Technorati
Daniel Hannan MEP
– Strongly eurosceptic, highly opinionated Conservative MEP blogging at the Telegraph. Regular, very well-informed coverage, and readable with it. Yes, he’s partisan and biased, but he explains why well and convincingly. Technorati
Daniel Riot
– Good, regular coverage from a European political journalist of several decades’ experience, one of the founders of Europe&Us – can also be found here. Technorati
England Expects
– Not exclusively EU-focussed, but written by an entertaining eurosceptic working at the European Parliament as UKIP’s press officer and Chief of Staff, who seems to have a knack for picking up on interesting stories and gossip that everyone else misses, so definitely worthy of inclusion among your RSS subscriptions. Technorati
eToile
– The blog version of handy magazine site Toute l’Europe, run by Le Centre d’information sur l’Europe, an organisation co-founded by the French government and the European Commission. Technorati
Federal Union Blog
– Improving consistency and regularity in recent months means this offering from the Union of European Federalists is increasingly worthy of visits for a rare pro-EU take on developments. Technorati
FT Brussels Blog
– Quality offering from the Financial Times, though not as regular as one might wish. Another superb example of a newspaper doing blogging well. Technorati
Janez Potocnik
– European Commissioner with responsibility for Science and Research. Not an overly regular blogger, and (like many politicians’ blogs) often reads more like a press release. Still, this sort of thing should be encouraged. Technorati
Jens-Peter Bonde MEP
– Not really a blog, but has regular weekly updates and, as the homepage of the joint president of the eurosceptic Independence and Democracy Group, a worthwhile place to stop online for some non-British anti-EU opinion. Technorati
Jim Murphy, Minister for Europe
– The UK’s largely anonymous minister nominally in charge of relations with the rest of the EU. A post that’s been increasingly ignored under Labour. Other UK Foreign Office blogs, including that of Foreign Secretary David Miliband, can be found here (http://blogs.fco.gov.uk/) – worth checking from time to time, as new ones are always being added. Technorati
Joanna Drake
– Head of the European Commission’s Representation to Malta. A regular insight into just what the job involves in the EU’s tiniest member state. Technorati
Mariann Fischer Boel
– The Agriculture and Rural Development Commissioner. Appears to be the most enthusiastic of the blogging Commissioners after Margot Wallstrom. Technorati
Marie-Noëlle Lienemann MEP
– Regularly-updated French-language blog of the independent-minded French Socialist MEP, a specialist in environmental and housing policy. Technorati
Mary Honeyball MEP
– Labour member for London, so one of my representatives in Brussels/Strasbourg. She has started to update almost daily, though the posts remain short and lightweight, more like mini-press releases, but she does allow comments, so should be encouraged. Technorati
Open Europe Blog
– Entertaining and readable daily EU coverage from the eurosceptic thinktank. One of the better EU thinktank blogs – although it has had a tendency to come across as rather hysterical at times in recent weeks… Technorati
PES Manifesto
– An interesting blogging experiment, as the Party of European Socialists work out their 2009 manifesto online in blog format, inviting contributions from voters EU-wide. Technorati
Richard Corbett MEP
– Long-running blog of the deputy leader of the European Parliamentary Labour Party and spokesman on constitutional affairs. Quick to defend the EU from its critics, and often a target of the ire of anti-EU bloggers in return. Technorati
Social Europe Blog
– The blog of the Social Europe Journal. Regular and in-depth analysis, showing much promise. Technorati
Socialist Group Blog
– Coming from the heart of the European Parliament. Fairly regular, often quite interesting. Technorati
Telos
– Blog of a nonpartisan French thinktank looking at France’s place in the world, with a strong emphasis on the EU. (In French, with some English coverage.) Technorati
Through the European Labyrinth
– The blog of the eurosceptic UK-based think tank the European Foundation, set up by loud-tie-wearing europhobe Tory MP Bill Cash. Technorati
Valery Giscard d’Estaing
– Octogenarian former French president and author of the failed EU constitution, old man Giscard is pretty much the living embodiment of the EU elite. And is usually decidedly proud of it. Regularly updated europhilia. Technorati
Wolfgang Munchau’s Euro Blog
– Sporadic but often interesting posts from this Financial Tiimes columnist and former Co-Editor of the Financial Times Deutschland. Really, really needs an RSS feed, though… Technorati
WSI Brussels Blog
– From the World Security Institute in Brussels, and with an obvious focus. Almost exclusively focusses on providing daily link/news roundups these days. Technorati
The 8th Circle
– “Corruption, democracy, and Eastern European politics.” Welcome addition to the world of Eastern European blogs, covering the region – and its relations with the rest of the EU – with rare insight and intelligence.
Alphasources
– Focussing primarily on European (and occasionally Japanese) macroeconomics, this is a handy addition to any reading list for those of us still struggling to get to grips with the complex interrelations of the European economies.
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
– Long-running right of centre anti-EU blog, with a talent for somewhat surprising opinions and amusing (if often a tad infantile) humour. I mean that in a nice way, though.
Babel Blogs
– Big multilingual blog hub/host. More cultural and youth-oriented than most of the others here, with only intermittent political coverage, but active and (seemingly growing, so silly to ignore). Dropped from the Big Boys section after checking its Technorati ranking.
Berlaymonster
– Brussels-based political gossip. Offers some fun insights into how things work of precisely the sort that the EU needs if it’s going to re-appear from up its own backside, but has got decidedly irregular of late.
Blog About European Union & Romania
– Does exactly what it says on the tin. A recent discovery, and one that looks quite promising.
BlogEuropa –
– Somewhat sporadic posts in both English and Spanish from a group of senior Spanish academics. Would be aces if it was regular.
Blogging from Brussels
– Yes, that’s right – an EU politics blog written by a GIRL! Or, alternatively, a left(ish) leaning Swedish media officer at an unnamed Brussels-based think-tank, looking at European politics in the widest possible sense.
Brussels Media
– “A blog about the EU media landscape in Brussels” with an emphasis on the role the internet is starting to play in the EU public sphere.
The Devil’s Kitchen
– In terms of traffic, no doubt worthy of a place among the big boys, but this rage-filled, sweary libertarian and former UKIP supporter only occasionally casts his eye in the direction of Brussels.
DJ Nozem
– Top, often amusing analysis of EU politics, though sadly not regular enough. Well worth a look on the occasions Nanne can be bothered to update (hint, hint…).
Erkan’s Field Diary
– Very useful, regularly-updated collection of articles and comment about the EU from a Turkish perspective, with a particular emphasis on potential Turkish entry.
EU Corruption
– “Despite appearances this isn’t a eurosceptic blog. But transparent and honest government is good government.” Critical and often insightful, it can only be hoped that it keeps going – we need more of this sort of thing.
EU Digest
– Handy linklog collecting articles on European politics with brief extracts. Multiple entries per day.
EU for US
– “The European Union filtered by a quiet American”, featuring well-constructed, considered posts musing on life, politics and philosophy around once a week.
EU Pundit
– Long-running pro-EU blog. Often intermittent. Often obscure.
EU Realist
– If by “realist” you mean “sceptic”… Long-running, detailed anti-EU coverage. Occasional good, interesting analysis, but sadly mostly reams of text cut’n’pasted from elsewhere. (Come on Ken – more of your own stuff!)
Euro Watch
– Has been going for years (since 2002, in fact) and is a stupidly handy resource, packed full of in-depth yet easy-to-understand economic analysis and data – and with sub-blogs on the economies of France, Germany, Italy, Greece and Spain. Essential reading.
europa-eu-audience
– “The Institutions of the European Union endeavour to be transparent, open and accessible. They want to be seen in the best possible light by the public at large. We share this objective, and intend to contribute to its achievement.” – focussing primarily on EU politics on the web.
European Avenue
– EU news linklog, mostly rounding up EU content from the UK broadsheet press.
The European Parliament
– One of the most promising of the newer EU politics blogs. Regular, readable and insightful, it definitely deserves a place on your RSS reader.
A European View
– Sadly irregular European politics and culture. Fun, personal and readable.
Europe&Us
– Increasingly multilingual France-based European politics coverage, worth a look, and arguably worthy of a place among the big boys.
Evil European
– Another intermittent pro-EU blog, though with good stuff when it comes. There’s very few regular English language pro-EU blogs, you’ll find…
Free Europe
– Long-running, highly opinionated anti-EU blog. Strong on rhetoric, light on allowing comments, and with no discernable RSS feed.
Global Power Europe
– An international perspective, as the name might suggest, written by a chap studying for a PhD at the Centre of International Studies at Cambridge. Usually very long, in-depth posts, but sadly not overly regular.
Gulf Stream Blues
– European politics from an American perspective. Good stuff, frequently updated, well worth a look.
Ironies Too
– “A continuing chronicle of how democracy is being destroyed across the entire Euopean Union” – unsurprisingly, this is another eurosceptic blog, albeit one that’s readable, regular and interesting for a change. Worth a look, and long-running.
Jan’s EU Blog
– Usually (but not always) in English, and somewhat sporadic, the blog of the president of the Young European Federalists.
Julien Frisch
– Only launched in July 2008, even in its first few weeks this blog managed to attract attention for its frequent, eclectic and insightful posts on all things EU-related. If the same rate of posting is kept up, it could soon become one of the big boys…
Kosmopolit
– Updated sadly infrequently, but with a regularly-attended linklog that’s well worth a look in itself. International relations from a pro-EU perspective, with an emphasis on Eastern Europe.
Marco Bucik
– Sadly not overly regular pro-EU politics from another high-up member of the Young European Federalists.
The New Federalist
– Multilingual group blog, with a good amount of English coverage and lots of French. Run by the Young European Federalists, so very much pro-EU. It arguably belongs among the big boys.
A Northern Perspective
– The latest incarnation (I think) of a long-running blog looking at the EU from a Swedish perspective.
Re: Europa
– Irregular posts, but always interesting when they come. Pro-EU politics from Germany. (I think… Correct me if I’m wrong, RZ!)
Scratching the Surface
– A Danish feminist perspective on EU politics. Fairly irregular (perhaps a post a week?), but long-running and an intriguing slant.
Shift Magazine Blog
– Fairly new and still getting up to speed, looking at a broad range of European politics and culture.
Stanley’s Blog
– The first blog from the Blogactiv stable to merit its own listing – regular, informative and insightful, and already deserving of a place on the “must read” list.
The Tap
– From EU Referendum’s “Umbrella Blog” stable, little wonder this is another British eurosceptic. But despite a tendency to repeat many of the anti-EU/centre-right memes, there are nuggets of unexpected insight and better analysis than we have come to expect from the majority of anti-EU British blogs.
Tim Worstall –
– Anti-EU classical liberal economist and one of the most popular individual blogs in Europe, if he focussed on EU matters he’d be listed among the big boys, but his tastes are wide-ranging. Recently joined UKIP, and describes himself as a “Euronihilist”.
The Transatlantic Assembly
– European politics and international relations from a group of international lawyers. Sadly all too infrequent.
The Turko File
– “Blogging Turkey’s road to membership in the European Union” – we need more of this sort of thing: blogs analysing specific countries’ relationships with the EU. We’re inundated with British eurosceptics doing this sort of thing, and there’s a moderate number of French ones, but outside these two they’re surprisingly rare. Yet they’re also essential to understanding how and why the EU is doing what it’s doing.
UKIP Watch
– As you might expect, keeping an eye on the goings on in the UK’s leading single-issue party. Often decidedly revealing, though (unsurprisingly) a tad partisan.
Who do I call?
– Blog campaigning for a single EU president, merging the President of the Council with the President of the Commission, set up by pro-EU federalist bloggers Jon Worth and Jan Seifert. An interesting experiment in online campaigning (which remains rare at EU level for some reason) that seems to be doing well.
Yellow Stars pro Europe blog
– “Christian Democrat and Pro European Union blog in support of a European world order!” Irregular posting (averaging just 4/5 a month) on eclectic European subjects, but well worth a look when new content appears.
Whitebull
– Blog spin-off of EU video news YouTube channel EUX.TV, there’s some good stuff here, as well as all their latest videos. Launched in May 2008, fingers crossed they keep the blog going.
3e Intelligence
– EU and global energy, environment, climate change and sustainable development policy analysis from a former EurActiv man with an impressive CV in European politics. Regular, readable and insightful – just what you want from a specialist blog.
The Antitrust Hotch Potch
– EU law blog focussing on competition policy.
CAP Health Check
– Effectively the blog of the rather good FarmSubsidy.org, which campaigns for transparency in Common Agricultural Policy payments, the main focus is the run-up to the policy review due in 2008.
Carbonara
– Focussing on EU carbon emissions policy.
Common Agricultural Policy –
– As you might expect, a blog with a focus on the CAP. And a very good one at that.
ECJ Blog
– Tip-top law blog with a focus on the European Court of Justice. May no longer be active, though.
EU Energy Policy Blog
– “We believe a sustainable energy policy, more competition, and better regulation will increase global welfare. We believe ideas, theories and facts improve policies. We believe the EU lacks an energy policy and national energy policies fail to match EU goals. ‘We’ stands for a group of scholars, mostly economists, from all over Europe, including California and Massachusetts – two new member states enrolled for the purpose of this EU blog.”
EU Law Blog
– Can you guess what it covers? Interesting stuff, with some great insights into the murky workings.
Eurozone Watch
– Excellent place to start if you want to get a grip on Eurozone politics and economics. A must-read.
Grahnlaw
– “Euroblog: For a democratic European Union: politics, future and history. Blawg = law blog = legal blog: European and Finnish law.” Strong, in-depth analysis.
Law of the EMU and Euro
– Does exactly what it says on the tin. Eurozone law.
Public Affairs 2.0
– A superb blog focussed on European public relations and communication policy and innovations, especially online. Should be a regular read for anyone trying to keep up with online EU politics developments.
REACHSPOT –
– All things REACH, the EU’s new chemicals regulations legislation.
To find more Francophone politics blogs, start with this handy visual guide
Agir pour l’Europe
– Pro-EU federalist blog looking at how pro-EU types can best bring the continent together. Not overly regular, but interesting nonetheless.
Le Croche-Pied
– Good, regular stuff from a Northern Ireland-based sometime reader of this blog, running for a bit over a year now.
Dominique Reynie
– Written by a professor of political science at L’Institute d’etudes politiques in Paris, with a strong focus on public opinion and electoral politics
Euros du Village
– Big French group EU politics blog, similar in some ways to European Tribune, that’s been running for a couple of years. Now also with an English language edition. I’ve met the chap who runs the place, and he’s got some very good ideas that I’m looking forward to seeing implemented over the coming months and years.
Europa Blues
– Another critically pro-European approach (“a European despite himself”), critical of the EU elites and an advocate of widespread reform. A French Nosemonkey, perhaps?
Un Europeen jamais content
– Running for a couple of years, regularly updated and eclectic in content. Well worth a look.
Europemondi
– Looking at the EU’s role in a globalising world.
Nouvelle Europe
– One of the big boys of French EU blogging (with some English language coverage), focussing on the relationship between Eastern and Western Europe in the wake of expansion.
Publius
– One of the longest-running French EU blogs, and a personal favourite. Top stuff.
Quoi de neuf en Europe
– Eurosceptic blog from a lawyer specialising in EU law, long-running and regular.
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