Janine Meijer

COPENHAGEN/GOTHENBURG/OSLO - Winter is cold in Scandinavia, even more so if you come from afar and are used to warmer climates, as for many international students who choose to defy the low temperatures and buckle up to study up north.

OYO - The Danish government's Danida Market Development Partnerships (DMDP) disbursed DKK 9 million to its Canadian partner Mennonite Economic Development Association (MEDA) in 2019 for a 4-year project to support Nigerian women shea collectors, but the project was terminated before the predetermined four years. The team looked into the project's effects and the reasons behind its abrupt termination in 2020.

BRUSSELS - In his approach to the refugee crisis, State Secretary Theo Francken (N-VA) emphasizes return policy. With his Return Handbook, European Commission President Juncker also wants to put more emphasis on voluntary return. But is that plan realistic?

ANTWERP - In the past year, a few dozen Muslim youths have left Antwerp for Syria to take part in the war there. Why do young people from Antwerp risk their lives in a gruesome war thousands of kilometres away from home? In De Standaard, Janine Meijer examines the motives of Antwerp jihad fighters.