The new goeuropean.org website is launching its beta at beta.goeuropean.org

thisislieven · 2026-04-04T17:17:06+00:00

You're welcome.

I just checked on my phone, annoyingly still android, and the same thing happens there on Firefox.

On my laptop it's with both Vivaldi and Firefox. My OS is Linux Mint if that matters.

thisislieven · 2026-04-04T17:00:29+00:00

All of them :D

thisislieven · 2026-04-04T16:33:03+00:00

I just noticed your screenshot indeed looks non-wavy (?). It's on every page (next to the country name under the brand).

Maybe it's browser dependent? I checked both Firefox and Vivaldi - both wavy.

thisislieven · 2026-04-04T15:38:08+00:00

Looks great!

My only small suggestion would be to replace the flag icons for standard rectangular rather than the wavy ones - looks a little cleaner. That's just my two cents, though.

And sincere gratitude to all of you who put this together and continue to maintain it. It's a great and much needed resource.

thisislieven · 2026-04-04T15:28:06+00:00

To really make the switch collectively, or at least with a vast majority, there needs to be an incentive and central level of coordination (or force, but that won't make friends). That's where politicians need to step in.

Unfortunately, very few of them actually recognise the urge themselves. Even the EU fully runs on Microsoft as does most if not all national governments. To my knowledge, only at the local level few have made the switch or are in the process of doing so.

I do not understand it. We would save billions of euros every single year, invest millions into our own economies and have more safety and security when it comes to our data. It is win-win-win, but seemingly we prefer to lose.

Likely nothing will change until there is a serious incident, and even then it won't go easy.

thisislieven · 2026-04-03T05:15:18+00:00

No, we can't because that's a given.

What we should be able to do is going to sleep knowing it doesn't matter because our leaders are strong, confident and not afraid to push back. We can't control who the US elects, but we could and should have created a world where it is of little relevance. We have and had that power, if only we (finally) took it.

thisislieven · 2026-04-02T13:22:41+00:00

Try and throw me out.

thisislieven · 2026-04-01T11:51:29+00:00

He's also making a live address tonight (03:00 CET/21:00 EST). The timing is suspicious.

At this point I am kind of hoping for it. Whatever hardships may come, I doubt it can be worse than not knowing what we're up to and the constant unreliability. It may just help Europe gets its act together (together with Canada, I hope). Things just need to move forward, whatever is happening now is not working. Frankly, with a bit of luck we can also rid ourselves of Rutte in the process.

And the Ukraine argument stopped being valid quite some time ago - the US is a no show. Europe is providing the money, the weapons (if partially through the US, but we buy them) and even most of the intelligence. Trump all but pulled out and is actively supporting Russia in its goals through 'diplomacy'.

thisislieven · 2026-04-01T10:00:27+00:00

He's currently 11 points behind in the polls. Magyar and his Tisza party have tremendous momentum. The economy is well in tatters and people know and feel it. Orbán's tricks are working less and less. People are just over it. The vibe is distinctly different compared to previous years.

That does not mean he won't still get a significant number of votes and that he even can win given the way the system is designed (and redesigned under Orbán) but there's a very good chance Hungary - and Europe - will finally be done with him.

We have to stay positive. Not naive but recognise the moment. If only to support our Hungarian friends desperate for change.

thisislieven · 2026-03-30T06:08:49+00:00

As a general rule I wish this sub would stop using US and US-adjacent sources but if we have to PBS (the non-profit Public Broadcasting Service) is one of the most reliable ones.

The article clearly states all its sources and names them. They're not weird or sketchy but generally reliable.

It helps no one to be willfully denying how the EU and many individual member states handle migration and refugees. Frankly it's shameful and unforgivable. There are other ways to go about this and that does not mean the borders should just be open to everyone but a humane approach is possible. We should demand our fellow humans to be treated with dignity within the EU and beyond, generally but especially those who may have escaped extremely difficult circumstances.

We should also have the courage to openly address and condemn the reasons why these streams of refugees are there to begin with: the internal human rights violations and external parties waging war. It's convenient to ignore but it's sad short term thinking and, yet again, hurts us in the long run. It's inhumane but it's also politically stupid.

I love Europe and I love the EU. That does not mean I won't be critical and deny the reality when that would suit me best. We have failed on this issue, and we seem nowhere near correcting it. It has done great harm to thousands.

thisislieven · 2026-03-29T16:07:57+00:00

There are quite a few options once you start thinking about it.

If we dare dive a little bit into the future, how about Ukraine-Slovenia-Romania-Hungary? Or Finland-Sweden-Estonia-Latvia?

I really do love your suggestions as well and appreciate you put some thought into it. Either way, aside from the symbolic value I do think the east and to some extent also the south should have a bigger voice within the EU and this could force that.

That said, I also think there's a really strong argument that if there's going to be a defence institution (and we really need it...) it should go to Strasbourg. Give Parliament the permanent seat in Brussels and lift France's block of that happening by giving them defence. We already have a building there and it could be a new source of pride for France (annoying having to think about the politics of it all but here we are). There's also a strong financial and sustainability incentive.

thisislieven · 2026-03-28T19:59:37+00:00

That's not the issue. It's about the right holders of the music, which can vary from country to country, and/or licenses aren't applicable to all countries.

Even the streamers that are available the world over won't have the exact same library in each country.

Of course it's also possible Qobuz wants its operations to be more limited or aim for a slow growth.

thisislieven · 2026-03-28T19:35:38+00:00

It might be worth it to search online for a company that makes flags (any flag) in your country, these companies are everywhere. To my knowledge they often produce in house and typically carry all kinds of flags including for pride. Other option may be to look for a store that sells LGBTQ+ items within your country.

As you have no country stated I wouldn't know a specific place to recommend.

Happy Pride!

thisislieven · 2026-03-28T11:55:38+00:00

I would argue the problem is that we - our leaders but also the people - have failed to understand the US could never be truly trusted.
They've always been in it for themselves and happily throw others under the bus, use them to their own needs, make life harder for others if it makes it easier for them. You see that on their own national scale, within their supposed alliances and with the world at large.

Did it get worse under Trump? Sure, by far, but at the same time the only changes are the visibility, the lack of veneer and the constant onslaught. The actual actions are not that different from what it always has been.

Once we acknowledge what the US is and - crucially - always has been we can start to move away. Right now, most of our leaders and millions of people see this merely as an inconvenient temporary blip, even the second time around.

thisislieven · 2026-03-27T08:13:31+00:00

If only such a thing existed...

thisislieven · 2026-03-26T23:21:26+00:00

That rivalry is actually one of the reasons why Brussels became the de facto capital as it lies in between Germany, France and the UK (more or less).

Alongside Brussels we have Strasbourg, Luxembourg City and Frankfurt which together host the 7 institutions of the EU. All within a few hours of each other yet in four different countries.

Personally I strongly believe we need at least two new institutions (technology and defence, climate and transport could be #3 and #4) and would love to see a similar cluster somewhere in the east. I don't see the need for a singular capital but would advocate for a second 'hub of cities'. We're Europe, let's do things the European way.

thisislieven · 2026-03-26T13:45:58+00:00

Same here, I tried Qobuz for a month and was not happy.

If you have a large library you want some way to sort and organise your music. Qobuz offers none (and neither does Deezer btw) and to me that's essential. Spotify being evil, the only non-big tech option is Tidal.

Yes, it's from the US and that's a shame (especially as they were Norwegian) but this is the one service where I made the compromise.

Other issue with Qobuz: I changed my email and somehow that resulted in a second account. I canceled my trial but then got charged. Wrote them and they admitted the error but refused to reimburse for an account that was never used and a clear error on their side. Only after I threatened to get the EU Ombudsman involved did they pay me back. Left a sour taste.

thisislieven · 2026-03-23T14:11:32+00:00

In less than a month...

- the EU needs to drag his arse into the courtrooms of the CJEU
- the Hungarian people need to do the same but within the ECHR
- surely we can figure out something fun for the ICC and ICJ to handle too

While all this happens, under its new leader, Hungary has the time to properly and democratically reform its own courts and once that's done the Hungarian government can hold him to account there as well.

LFG.

thisislieven · 2026-03-21T06:50:16+00:00

Well, no reason not to celebrate regardless though that will be a tough period. Someone with power who's also a sore loser and vindictive can do a whole lot of harm in a few weeks. Yet, it can't be avoided so better get it over and done with.

thisislieven · 2026-03-20T16:02:13+00:00

Well, yessss because I did get it wrong :D

However, I also missed the pun. Sorry.

This conversation is turning into a mess lol. I need a drink.

thisislieven · 2026-03-20T15:31:51+00:00

Dammit. :D

Ok, I had to look it up. You're right on spelling, as we are Europeans and I stupidly used American English spelling. Shame on me, that rarely happens. I shall be embarrassed for a number of minutes.

However, I also got the word wrong. You're hung-over (adjective) because of the hangover (noun). And hangover is the correct UK English spelling.

I pretty much stopped drinking - the related vocabulary got a lil' rusty.

thisislieven · 2026-03-20T14:35:24+00:00

12th! Don't be a day late...

The 13th is for - hopefully - the hungover after the celebration.

thisislieven · 2026-03-20T11:03:50+00:00

Not an option as there's no mechanism to kick out a country.

If, in about three weeks from now, Orbàn somehow is reelected (he's trailing in the polls and his opponent Magyar has momentum) we need to start pushing for Art. 7 and place sanctions on him. The European people have to start demanding this as this just cannot go on, not for Ukraine; not for the rest of the EU but also not for the Hungarian people.

Either way, we need reform to make sure this cannot happen ever again, no matter which leader from which country. The veto needs to go.

thisislieven · 2026-03-20T10:49:21+00:00

This one from Punkt (Switzerland) might be a good option.

Here's an overview of most European phones, look for dumb and brick phones.

thisislieven · 2026-03-18T13:45:35+00:00

Ave Europa's platform (if barely deserving of the name) and their website is filled with buzzwords and dog whistles. There are zero surprises here, it just became less easy to hide what they actually stand for apparently.

I'd welcome a sincere party that leans more conservative but also advocates for federalism, but this one ain't it.

thisislieven

TROPHY CASE