Austria’s Österreichische Bundesbahnen or ÖBB will expand international rail services in its 2027 timetable, introducing a Vienna to Stuttgart in Baden-Württemberg overnight train, Frecciarossa high-speed services from Munich in Bavaria to Milan in Lombardy, and Rome in Latium, and planned direct trains to Belgrade in Serbia for the first time since 2019. The timetable takes…
Tag: Serbia
2026 | The state of LGBTI rights in Europe’s next generation of EU members
ILGA-Europe and the Equal Rights Association (ERA) have warned that anti-LGBTI legislation and democratic backsliding are becoming a defining feature of the European Union enlargement region, urging Brussels to use accession talks more forcefully to defend fundamental rights.
ILGA-Europe warns of growing rollback of LGBTI rights in European Union candidate countries
A new enlargement review published by the LGBTQIA+ advocacy organisation ILGA-Europe and regional network ERA – LGBTI Equal Rights Association for Western Balkans and Turkey warns that several countries seeking membership of the European Union are experiencing a significant deterioration in the protection of LGBTI rights.
8.7 billion rail trips in Europe in 2024 as Switzerland is best of class and Belgium’s data remain unavailable
In 2024, Europe’s rail networks experienced unprecedented demand, with passengers embarking on 8.7 billion trips, accumulating a total of 444.5 billion passenger-kilometres. This surge marked a new record, eclipsing the previous peak of 400 billion passenger-kilometres set in 2019.
2026: Invisible?
August 2025. While staying at the Radisson Collection Astorija in Vilnius in Lithuania, we want to order something from the breakfast menu. But the table next to us, populated by a ‘very present’ group of eight or ten people gets priority. They’re treated as being important.
Introducing the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
We haven’t travelled to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg since 2018 and 2019, but in January 2025 we returned to get a taste of the Alstom Coradia Stream HC which the Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Luxembourgeois (CFL) runs under the name Série 2400. The Coradia Stream HC was a candidate to become NMBS…
BRUSSELS PRIDE 2025 | Forbidden Colours calls out EU pinkwashing as Commission participates in pride but abandons LGBTQIA+ in Hungary
Brussels Pride returns on Saturday 17 May 2025 under the theme ‘Unite, time to protect our rights‘, as tens of thousands prepare to fill the streets in celebration and protest. Organisers expect around 200,000 people to take part, echoing last year’s attendance. The event caps off Pride Week in the capital of Belgium, which began…
UN WORLD TOURISM BAROMETER | International tourism recovers pre-pandemic levels in 2024
With 1.4 billion international tourist arrivals recorded globally, 2024 marked the recovery of international tourism from the worst crisis in the sector’s history. A majority of destinations welcomed more international tourists in 2024 than they did before the COVID-19 pandemic, while visitor spending also continued to grow strongly. For 2025, more growth is predicted.
EuroPride 2027 to be held in Torremolinos, Turin, Vilnius or Gloustershire
Despite regional and national differences common in the European context, all four bids for the pan-European LGBTQIA+ event EuroPride in 2027 are clear that protest remains at the very heart of the Pride movement, and is more important now than it has been for many years.
European Union, Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein introduce European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) from May 2025
On 14 September 2024, the European Union launched its website for ETIAS, the European Travel Information and Authorisation System. The scheme will start being applied from May 2025.