History & Structure of the EU
- How the EU Works (Required) - A robust collection of fact sheets explaining the EU's historical development, legal system, and decision-making procedures, institutions and bodies, and financing.
- Fact Sheets of the European Union (Strongly Recommended)
- Short films:
"Use Your Vote, Or Others Will Decide for You." A 4-minute film produced for the 2024 European Parliament elections featuring
testimonies from citizens across the EU on democracy, voting, and the importance of civic participation. Produced by the EU Parliament, 2024.
"What are the European elections and how do they work?" (2024) This EURONEWS Explainer covers how the elections work mechanically, including how MEPs are elected, how they organize into transnational political groups, and how the largest group influences who leads the Commission.
"The Fictional Bridges That Became Real" A short film about the bridges on euro banknotes: why the EU deliberately designed them to represent no real place, and what happened when a Dutch artist decided to build them anyway. A vivid introduction to how the EU navigates shared identity without national favoritism. - Europa: The History of the European Union - Within each decade's box, be sure to click the link to read "More about" those years.
- Excerpts on the EU - Primary sources with annotations written for first-year college students. Nelsen & Stubb's The European Union: Readings on the Theory and Practice of European Integration. (Strongly Recommended)
Current Issues the EU Faces and Transatlantic Relations
- Ten Issues to Watch in 2026 (Required) – the 10th edition of this annual report produced by the European Parliament Research Services. This year's issue includes Ukraine's path to EU integration and the closing of gaps in European defense capabilities. EU-China relations, the next EU long-term budget, irregular migration, climate policy, AI's impact on the web, European startup potential, ocean policy, and lessons from the post-COVID recovery fund.
- The Transatlantic Relationship: A New Agenda - Foreword to the Atlantic Council's Transatlantic Horizons report, tracing the EU-US Relationship from the Marshall Plan to the present day. A readable historical overview that puts current tensions in the context of eight decades of transatlantic partnership. From the Atlantic Council's Europe Center, October 2024.
- EU-US Tariffs: Tensions, Trade Deal, and What Could Change- A continually updated explainer from the European Parliament covering the tariff dispute that began in 2025, the Turberry Agreement reached in July 2025, and the ongoing state of transatlantic trade relations. Last updated April 2026.
- EU-US Relations - from the European Parliament Liaison Office in Washington, D.C.
- EU-US Trade Relations - from the European Commission.
EU Climate Policy: Ambition, Rollback and What Comes Next
- The European Green Deal (Strongly Recommended) - The European Commission's overview of the Green Deal, its goal, and what has been achieved since 2019. The EU remains legally committed to climate neutrality by 2050 and a 90% net emission reduction by 2040- a target that entered into force in April 2026. Read alongside the resources below for the full picture of where the political momentum stands.
- As the Planet Heats Up, Is Political Momentum Cooling Down? - [Video/Podcast] An episode of Euronews' Brussels, My Love? weekly talk show examining the widening gap between climate science and EU political will in the wake of the 2024 European Parliament elections. Accessible and conversational, April 2025.
- Green Deal: Key to a Climate-Neutral and Sustainable EU - The European Parliament's regularly updated tracker of Green Deal legislation: what has passed, what targets remain, and where political tensions lie. A useful reference for the current legal picture alongside the political debate. Last updated 2025-2026.
Democracy Under Pressure: The Far Right, Foreign Interference and the Future of European Politics
Ukraine
- Ukraine's Path Towards Accession - The European Commission regularly updates its overview of Ukraine's progress in the accession process. Ukraine completed its screening process in September 2025 and is now ready to open all negotiation clusters. The process is active and fast-moving. Check for updates before departure.
- How is Europe Juggling All This Geopolitical Turmoil? [Podcast] A May 2026 episode of Euronews' Brussels, My Love? that situates Ukraine within the full sweep of EU Foreign policy challenges: Russia, Gaza, Iran, transatlantic tensions. A good listen for framing the whole section before arrival.
Gaza and the Middle East
- A Vote on Trade Ties with Israel: Why Is the EU so Divided? [Podcast] Brussels, My Love? April 2026. Explains the proposed partial suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, why it requires a qualified majority to pass, and why member states, including Germany, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, have blocked it — and what that division reveals about EU foreign policy coherence. Accessible and current.
- EU Position on the Situation in the Middle East - [Podcast] The EU Council's official rolling statement page. Use this as a reference document alongside the podcast above to track official positions and compare them with the political divisions it describes.
- Fixing the EU's Broken Israel-Palestine Policy- A sharp analytical piece from the Centre for European Reform (CER) examining the EU's divided response to Gaza and the contrast with its swift, unified response to Ukraine. Recommended for educators who want a deeper analytical frame.
Iran
- Brussels, My Love? The Israel-Iran War Creates New Layers of Anxiety for the EU [Podcast/Video] June 2025. An MEP panel discusses the EU's role in the Israel-Iran conflict, with EU High Representative Kaja Kallas warning that US involvement could drag the entire Middle East into a wider confrontation, and stressing that the war should not overshadow the situation in Gaza. Vivid and immediate.
- Iran and the EU - The European External Action Service's overview of the EU's relationship with Iran, covering the decade-long JCPOA nuclear diplomacy and the reimposition of all nuclear sanctions in September 2025 following France, Germany, and the UK's triggering of the snapback mechanism. Updated April 2026. Use as a reference alongside the podcast.
Democracy Under Pressure: The Far Right, Foreign Interference and the Future of European Politics
- The Rise of Germany's New Right [Documentary] - A 90-minute FRONTLINE investigation from November 2025 examining how the AfD has risen to the brink of power in Germany for the first time since World War II. Filmmaker Evan Williams — who has covered the European far right for over a decade — examines the surge in hardline nationalist politics and the roles of both Russia and the United States in fueling it, including Elon Musk's live endorsement of the AfD at a campaign rally. Free to watch on YouTube and PBS. (Strongly Recommended)
- Is Europe's Biggest Political Party Shifting Too Far to the Right [Podcast] - A March 2026 episode of Brussels, My Love? Examining how the European People's Party — the EU's largest political grouping — has been collaborating with far-right parties on legislation, including deregulation and migration, and what that signals for European politics ahead of France's 2027 presidential election.
- Is Elon Musk Meddling in European Politics? - A Carnegie Endowment analysis of how Musk's control of X, combined with his open endorsement of far-right parties including the AfD, Reform UK, and his close relationship with Viktor Orbán, represents a new and largely unregulated form of foreign interference in European democratic processes. Paired well with the FRONTLINE documentary.
- Conversations on Europe: The State of Democracy in Europe [Video] - Part of the ESC's own Conversations on Europe series, this December 2023 panel of experts addresses the rise of right-wing populism, illiberal democracy, declining party loyalty, and disenchantment with democratic institutions across Europe. Provides the longer analytical frame for the more recent developments covered in the resources above.