Summer may be over, but there is no better time to pick up a good book than the start of term!
Just in time for the start of the new European Parliament mandate, our network of Lighthouse Libraries from across Europe have curated a thought-provoking list of book recommendations for all Members of European Parliament (MEPs).
Following the European Parliament elections in May this year, over half of MEPs who were elected to serve from 2019 to 2024 are taking their seats for the first time. With a range of professional and political backgrounds, the new MEPs in particular will be looking to get up to speed on the specific policy files they will be working on, as well as the issues facing European citizens more broadly.
This is a particularly volatile time for the EU – the European Parliament is more fragmented than ever before, with the centre right and centre left losing their ruling majority – not to mention the upcoming impact of a new “college” of European Commissioners and the potential impact of Brexit.
And who better to support MEPs in their search for information – and inspiration – than librarians? We asked our Lighthouse Libraries to recommend books that would help MEPs to serve their communities, to challenge their perceptions, and to look at things from a different angle.
With an eclectic mix of fiction and non-fiction, a mix of male and female authors, from countries all over Europe and with a focus on issues impacting us all today, we present 20 Books: to stimulate, challenge, empower, enlighten and inspire.
Check out the full list on the MEP Library Lovers website!
With special thanks to MEPs Eva Maydell and Brando Benifei, co-chairs of the MEP Library Lovers group, for their support.