Parliament’s July print edition released
The latest print edition of The Parliament arrives this month with a cover story on the European Union’s shifting defense strategy, demonstrated not in Brussels but in the training grounds of Zaragoza, Spain.
Europe’s military ambitions take shape in Zaragoza
Paula Soler visited the Spanish city to document the EU’s largest military exercise to date, involving its rapid deployment force. The drills, held away from Brussels’ polished press conferences, provide a clearer picture of Europe’s push for greater defense autonomy.
The exercise occurs as the bloc faces pressure to reduce dependence on NATO and the U.S. for security. While framed as a readiness test, the maneuvers also showcase the EU’s ability to coordinate troops, equipment, and logistics across member states.
Soler’s reporting skips Brussels jargon, focusing instead on the practical challenges of moving troops and supplies across borders. Logistical issues, from language barriers to differing national regulations, can delay even well-planned exercises. These details, often missing from official statements, reveal the real progress and limits of defense integration.
Military drills may seem performative, but the stakes change when held in a city like Zaragoza. Known for its medieval architecture and festivals, the city temporarily hosts soldiers. The mix of ancient streets and modern military hardware shows how defense policy now plays out in real places, affecting local communities.
A newsroom built on deeper reporting
The Zaragoza story reflects The Parliament’s approach to covering Europe: less reliance on press releases, more on-the-ground work. Launched in 2021, the magazine focuses on stories other outlets overlook or rush. Editors describe its mission as journalism that goes further and stays longer.
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This month’s issue also includes investigations into Russian espionage networks in Vienna and a fictional AI doomsday scenario that has set Brussels’ technologists on a collision course with lawmakers. Peder Schaefer’s report unpacks the scenario, showing how it has sparked debates about regulation.
The team behind The Parliament remains small but is expanding. Editor-in-Chief Carl-Johan Karlsson, who took the role last year, has grown the freelance network and plans to hire more reporters soon. The newsroom’s international staff brings diverse perspectives to its coverage. Karlsson, a Swede, notes that his background occasionally helps with Nordic policy stories, though he insists the reporting matters most.
“What brought them all here was the chance to spend more time on stories that go further, stay longer, and leave readers better informed,” he writes in his editor’s note. The approach has drawn journalists like Eva Hilinski, a former The Brussels Times reporter who joined after freelancing for the magazine. Her work on Ukraine has strengthened Europe’s coverage of the war and its effects.
The July issue will be the last before the newsroom’s summer break. Staff will head to beaches, mountains, or air-conditioned spaces, returning in September with new stories from Brussels and beyond. Karlsson’s parting note includes a playful warning: “If you see a story about Swedish meatballs influencing labor policy or an IKEA manual for better governance, you’ll know who to blame.”
The magazine’s focus on overlooked angles has filled a gap in European reporting.
