EU policy, explained in plain language.
Behind The Policy translates complex EU decisions into clear, accessible writing — so you understand what they actually mean for your daily life.
Latest articles
All articles →Flight Cancelled? The Secret to Unlocking Your €600 EU Compensation
Airlines are quick to offer a cheap meal voucher when your flight is delayed, but under EU law, they likely owe you up to €600 in cash. Discover how EU Regulation 261 works, what the 2026 reform means for you, and exactly how to claim your money.
Employee Until Proven Otherwise: Inside the EU's Historic New Rules for Gig Workers
Under the new EU Platform Work Directive, millions of gig workers, from delivery riders to freelance coders, will automatically be presumed employees if an app controls their work. Discover how this historic law strips algorithms of their power to fire in the dark, forces tech platforms to prove genuine self-employment, and fundamentally rewrites the rules for digital labour across Europe.
HOW AN EU LAW IS ACTUALLY MADE (AND HOW YOU CAN FORCE BRUSSELS TO WRITE ONE)
Brussels is not a black box—it is a highly structured, democratic machine. Learn exactly how the Ordinary Legislative Procedure turns ideas into laws, what really happens in closed-door trilogues, and discover how 1 million regular citizens can use the European Citizens' Initiative to write the rules themselves.
THE EU'S FOUR POWER CENTERS: What the European Council, Parliament, Council of the EU, and Commission Actually Do
Ever wonder who actually makes the rules in the EU? When you hear "the EU decided," it can feel like strangers in a faraway city are just handing down orders. But Brussels isn't a mystery, it’s a system built on four main groups. Here is a simple breakdown of who comes up with the ideas, who writes the laws, and how your vote shapes the rules that affect your daily life.
Explore by topic
Every EU decision falls into one of these policy areas. Pick a topic to see plain-language explainers.
Agriculture & Food
How the EU shapes farming, food safety, and what ends up on your plate.
Read explainers →Trade & Economy
Trade deals, the single market, and the economic rules that affect prices and jobs.
Read explainers →Climate & Environment
Climate laws, pollution rules, and the EU's environmental commitments.
Read explainers →Digital & Tech
Rules for platforms, AI, data, and your rights online.
Read explainers →Migration & Asylum
How the EU handles borders, asylum, and freedom of movement.
Read explainers →Health
EU health policy, medicines, and cross-border healthcare.
Read explainers →Justice & Rights
Fundamental rights, rule of law, and civil liberties across the EU.
Read explainers →Institutions & How the EU Works
Meet the institutions and understand how EU decisions are actually made.
Read explainers →EU decisions affect your life. You deserve to understand them.
Directives, trilogues, delegated acts — the language of Brussels can feel deliberately opaque. We translate it, without spin. We don't campaign for or against any party, government, or institution. We just explain what the rules say and what they mean for you.
Read our editorial standards- Plain language, always
No jargon without a translation. If we use a technical term, we explain it in the same paragraph.
- Strictly non-partisan
We describe policy, we don't campaign. No party positions, no editorial slant.
- Linked to sources
Every explainer links to the official EU documents so you can go straight to the primary source.