In this edition of State of the Union we look at how the week was dominated by climate controversies, travelled to a German town where an AfD politician is campaigning to save diesel and spoke to former EU Council president advisor Luuk Van Midelaar about the future of Europe.
ADVERTISEMENTThe politicians involved in the European election campaign got really busy this week.
Ska Keller, the lead candidate of the Greens came to Euronews for a live show, the start of a series featuring all candidates.
On the other side of the spectrum, several leading right-wing nationalists met in Prague to talk alliances for the period after the election.
What makes these elections so special is that the outcome is so uncertain and there are a lot of moving parts which could trigger massive consequences.
In short, the perfect situation to hear from someone who can cut through the noise and help us get a wider perspective.
Luuk van Middelaar is a Dutch philosopher-historian and award-winning author of several accounts of the EU's crisis politics.
Yet his place is not the ivory tower. He knows how the sausage is made, as he was a close adviser to the first EU Council President Herman van Rompuy.
Stefan Grobe spoke to Luuk van Middelaar earlier this week.
Wrecking Europe or competing honestly over the best solutions for current problems.
A stark choice for the Eurosceptics – but a choice that helps separating the wheat from the chaff.
It looks like the debate over the impact of climate change has now become a full-fledged campaign issue.
But it's not about whether climate change is real or not like in the United States.
It's about how we deal with it.
And here, some Euroskeptics have started tackling the issue with an original approach, by starting a 'Save Diesel' campaign.
Next week
On Wednesday, Crown Prince Naruhito becomes Japan's emperor.
He will assume the throne after his father, Emperor Akihito, abdicates on Tuesday, the first Japanese emperor to do so in nearly 200 years.
On Thursday, Italy's nationalist strongman Matteo Salvini travels to Budapest to meet with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
They will likely strategise about a political alliance following the European elections next month.
ADVERTISEMENTAlso on Thursday, there will be a hearing of Julian Assange in London in the context of the extradition request by the United States.
The alleged cyber criminal is wanted by the US for leaking huge amounts of classified military and diplomatic documents.
Last Word
The Last Word today comes from Ska Keller, the lead candidate of the Greens for the European election with her political priorities.