More than three decades after the fall of the communist regimes in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), the expected triumph of the liberal democracy did not prove to be a straightforward phenomenon. The post-communist states entered the process of democratization with the plan of reuniting with their Western …

Ethnic minorities such as the Roma in Romania and the Indigenous peoples in Canada have struggled for centuries, suffering from discrimination and patronization by both their governments and society. In fact, they continue suffering from poor treatment. In order to address this, minority policies have …

The way we rebuild our buildings and cities show how we address, acknowledge and accept our history. In war-damaged cities, buildings with scars have the power to communicate the stories of the past. Revealing a difficult history through the built environment can be of added value in terms of knowing …

Issues of race and discrimination towards the ethnic minorities have always existed in the United Kingdom. With the initiation of the EU referendum and Brexit, these issues have increased. Following the referendum, the media published news of hate crimes against Indian and Pakistani citizens. During …

In July 2013, the EU and the US began negotiating a comprehensive trade and investment treaty: TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership). This was the beginning of a hefty public debate on the – supposed – contents of the agreement, such regulatory cooperation and ISDS. In the Netherlands, …

After the Yugoslav civil war, the European Union tried to establish a period of peace and stability within the Western Balkan area. With the help of the European Union many Western Balkan countries were able to develop themselves and join the European Union. Nevertheless, Kosovo1 remained unstable and …

Emerging during the negotiations for the unratified Constitutional Treaty and officially launched with the Treaty of Lisbon, the European Citizens' Initiative allows citizens to invite the European Commission to propose legislation to the European Parliament and the Council based on an idea which gathers …

As one of the most attractive Western European countries for refugees, Germany has experienced a large influx of migrants since the beginning of the Syrian Civil War in 2011. It has the highest influx number of migrants in 2014 since 1992. Since Germany is not prepared to deal with this unexpected …

This dissertation explores whether the German news media framework that is constructed around the issue of trafficking in human beings (THB) is biased or framed in terms of gender. The past decade has seen major developments in efforts towards the eradication of THB on an international and national …

This bachelor thesis analyses the role of the European Union in the promotion of human rights in Mexico, and its possible efforts to combat human rights violations in this country. It wraps around three main themes. The first one is the current human rights situation in Mexico and the main actors involved …