Sarah Schug

Sarah Schug

Sarah is a staff writer for The Parliament with a focus on art, culture, and human rights.

Stranger than fiction: How sci-fi inspires NATO’s long-term planning
06 Sep Culture & Arts
Stranger than fiction: How sci-fi inspires NATO’s long-term planning
The imagination of sci-fi writers has become a valuable resource for NATO and its members in anticipating threats essential to defence planning.
Unpacking Slovakia's crackdown on culture with Alexandra Kusá
02 Sep Culture & Arts
Unpacking Slovakia's crackdown on culture with Alexandra Kusá
Does the Slovak government's recent dismissal of the directors of its National Theatre and National Gallery signify a wider assault on media and the arts?
What did the war in Afghanistan mean for NATO – and the EU?
28 Aug EU Institutions
What did the war in Afghanistan mean for NATO – and the EU?
NATO’s withdrawal from Afghanistan three years ago was chaotic and deadly. How much that changed the alliance remains up for debate.
Belgium's Flanders region calls the 'climate doctor'
22 Aug Energy & Environment
Belgium's Flanders region calls the 'climate doctor'
The Flemish regional government has created a new position to tackle the medical consequences of climate change. Could it be a model for other regions and countries?
What's behind Hungary's easy visa for Russians?
06 Aug Foreign & Security Policy
What's behind Hungary's easy visa for Russians?
Viktor Orbán has found another way to irk the EU — with relaxed entry rules for Russians. Brussels wants Hungary to address fears of espionage.
What the EU can do about its water crisis
06 Aug Energy & Environment
What the EU can do about its water crisis
Much of Europe faces drought, heatwaves and water shortages. Climate change is helping cause water scarcity that could push the EU into crisis.
Amnesty International exposes 'dystopian nightmare' at EU-funded asylum centre in Greece
01 Aug EU Institutions
Amnesty International exposes 'dystopian nightmare' at EU-funded asylum centre in Greece
Unlawful detention, inadequate healthcare and children at risk: A new report by Amnesty International reveals disastrous conditions at a refugee centre meant to showcase the EU's migration policy future.
Art in wartime: An exhibit in Brussels explores the Thirty Years’ War
25 Jul Culture & Arts
Art in wartime: An exhibit in Brussels explores the Thirty Years’ War
Brussels' House of European History brings together 150 artworks and objects to tell the story of one of Europe’s longest conflicts.
How to make the best of Brussels summer
22 Jul Culture & Arts
How to make the best of Brussels summer
The sun doesn’t shine that much in Brussels, so you’ve got to make the most of it when it does. Here are eight things to do in the Belgian capital to enjoy summer to the max.
After landslide win, UK's Labour wants better relations with EU
17 Jul EU Institutions
After landslide win, UK's Labour wants better relations with EU
Now that Labour's Keir Starmer is British prime minister, what's next for the UK-EU post-Brexit relationship?
What's next for France after unprecedented legislative elections
10 Jul EU Institutions
What's next for France after unprecedented legislative elections
The left surprises, Macron hangs on and the far right falls short: France’s parliamentary election produced no clear majority. Brussels-based French policy analyst Eric Maurice explains what that might mean for the country.
Meet the political cartoonist bursting the Brussels bubble
09 Jul Culture & Arts
Meet the political cartoonist bursting the Brussels bubble
A Q&A with the author of ‘The Tower of Babel,’ a new graphic novel that exposes the inner workings of the EU.
From Vivaldi to Arizona: Belgium’s election results explained
08 Jul EU Institutions
From Vivaldi to Arizona: Belgium’s election results explained
Coalition talks are making rapid progress, by Belgian standards at least. After last month’s election, which saw a strong Flemish right and the socialists ousted from their southern stronghold, what does Belgium’s political future hold?
Gaza protests take hold inside EU institutions
26 Jun EU Institutions
Gaza protests take hold inside EU institutions
Staffers from European institutions have been voicing their discontent over how the EU is handling Israel’s war in Gaza through regular protests. More than 1,500 have signed a letter calling out 'the EU’s continued failure to take a stance against this humanitarian catastrophe.'
Eight new members of the European Parliament to watch
20 Jun EU Institutions
Eight new members of the European Parliament to watch
From climate activists to race car drivers, here is a selection of first-time MEPs with colourful past careers.
Making sense of the EU’s ‘comprehensive’ corporate sustainability rules
14 Jun Economics
Making sense of the EU’s ‘comprehensive’ corporate sustainability rules
Hélène de Rengervé of Human Rights Watch explains how a new directive introduces ‘mandatory obligations’ for big companies to respect human rights.
Unpacking the EU election results: 'Europe is an afterthought'
11 Jun EU Institutions
Unpacking the EU election results: 'Europe is an afterthought'
'People supporting far-right, anti-establishment parties were doing it because of national reasons,' Alberto Alemanno argues in a new interview.
EU elections: Battleground TikTok
07 Jun EU Institutions
EU elections: Battleground TikTok
Amid rising security concerns, EU institutions have banned the popular app from work devices and internal WiFi. But for many MEPs, TikTok remains a crucial tool for reaching young voters.
Q&A: Political violence in Europe ‘is a gigantic challenge for our democracy’
27 May EU Institutions
Q&A: Political violence in Europe ‘is a gigantic challenge for our democracy’
In the wake of the assassination attempt on Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, Prof. Stefan Ernst Marschall unpacks the root causes of an increasingly charged political environment – and the implications for European democracy.
Has the European Parliament done enough after #MeTooEP?
21 May EU Institutions
Has the European Parliament done enough after #MeTooEP?
Ten years after a parliamentary staffer began recording incidents of harassment in a notebook, kickstarting what would ultimately become the #MeTooEP movement, many advocates say the institution still has work to do.
(Dis)information wars: Battling fake news ahead of the EU elections
16 May EU Institutions
(Dis)information wars: Battling fake news ahead of the EU elections
In the run-up to the European Parliament elections next month, there’s mounting concern that disinformation could sway the outcome. Is the EU ready for the challenge?
How the EU uses culture as a foreign policy tool
10 May Culture & Arts
How the EU uses culture as a foreign policy tool
'We’re not helping the enlargement process through some sort of propaganda. We are helping people who, in the long term, can help us.'
What the UK’s controversial migration bill could mean for EU policy
29 Apr EU Institutions
What the UK’s controversial migration bill could mean for EU policy
The British parliament has passed a new law allowing the government to send asylum seekers to Rwanda. Could the policy catch on in EU member states?  
How a human rights case brought by Swiss women could reignite climate policy 
12 Apr Economics
How a human rights case brought by Swiss women could reignite climate policy 
The European Court of Human Rights ruled this week that Switzerland had 'failed to comply with its duties' to combat climate change, violating the European Convention on Human Rights. 
Why the Channel is ‘at risk of becoming another cemetery’
09 Apr EU Institutions
Why the Channel is ‘at risk of becoming another cemetery’
A recent investigation by a consortium of news organisations sheds new light on increasingly aggressive Franco-British tactics meant to thwart migrant crossings.
The high price of being single
13 Mar Technology
The high price of being single
While the number of single households across Europe keeps rising, tax systems and the private market are tailored to couples and families. Is it time for singles to get politically organised?
‘Abortion rights are a matter of political will’
08 Mar EU Institutions
‘Abortion rights are a matter of political will’
Q+A: What France’s historic legislation on abortion could mean for the country and the wider EU.
100 Years of Surrealism: This is not an exhibition
07 Mar Culture & Arts
100 Years of Surrealism: This is not an exhibition
"Histoire de ne pas rire" at Brussels’ Bozar looks back on a century of Surrealist creativity in Belgium and beyond.
The politics of looted African art: Decolonising Europe’s museums
19 Feb Culture & Arts
The politics of looted African art: Decolonising Europe’s museums
The history of colonial art restitution is largely one of inaction. But with renewed calls for stolen cultural objects to be returned, are the winds of change blowing through Europe’s museums – or is it just hot air? Sarah Schug reports
These are the art exhibitions to see in Europe this year
13 Feb Culture & Arts
These are the art exhibitions to see in Europe this year
Sarah Schug rounds up the most compelling art on display at museums across Europe in 2024
Meet the Kyiv-based curator exploring Ukrainian history through the lens of photography
30 Jan Culture & Arts
Meet the Kyiv-based curator exploring Ukrainian history through the lens of photography
The curator behind Generations of Resilience, Kateryna Radchenko, talks to The Parliament about the impact of Russia’s invasion on Ukraine’s photography scene and the challenges of organising an exhibition under bombardment.
These three regions share the title European Capital of Culture 2024
25 Jan Culture & Arts
These three regions share the title European Capital of Culture 2024
Here is what Tartu and southern Estonia, the Norwegian town of Bodø, and Austria’s Salzkammergut have planned for the coming year
High steaks: how cultivated meat could transform our food systems
19 Jan Culture & Arts
High steaks: how cultivated meat could transform our food systems
Cultivated meat offers people the taste they enjoy without the need to slaughter animals. But does the EU see this lab-grown alternative as a mouthwatering prospect? Sarah Schug reports
Iceland’s Christmas book flood
15 Dec Culture & Arts
Iceland’s Christmas book flood
Jólabókaflóð is a much-loved festive tradition and the backbone of Iceland’s publishing sector
Hi-tech health: How AI is revolutionising healthcare
04 Dec Technology
Hi-tech health: How AI is revolutionising healthcare
From faster diagnosis to new drug development, AI is driving exciting breakthroughs in medical services. But there are also calls for caution. Sarah Schug reports
Book review: A story of refugees and the things they carry
21 Nov Culture & Arts
Book review: A story of refugees and the things they carry
A fascinating portrait of Iraqi and Syrian refugees and the things – material or intangible – they chose to save and carry with them