Issue No. 120 | 10 April 2024 | Henry Cuny
Former ambassador, writer, and long-time United Nations practitioner, who served notably in the USSR and the former Eastern Bloc countries as well as Diplomatic Adviser to the Chief of Staff of the French Armed Forces, Henry Cuny offers his perspective on a world that appears destined to return inexorably to a new Cold War. Yet the emerging confrontation is fundamentally different from the era of the Iron Curtain. It has evolved into a “war of worlds” in which any common language between them has disappeared, while the very idea of universal values is increasingly at risk. More than ever, following the turbulent episode of Donald Trump—which could resurface—the European Union, despite its fragilities and incompleteness, appears to be the last line of defence.
Issue No. 119 | 25 June 2021 | Laurent Baechler
The European recovery plans designed in response to the crisis are exempt from the budgetary constraints imposed during the management of the Great Recession a decade ago. The focus is now on supporting European economies "whatever it takes". This radical change of perspective is explained by the recognition that the austerity plans imposed ten years ago were too restrictive, by the evolution of the governance of the euro area, by a different macroeconomic context today than ten years ago, and by the emergence of new concerns in the past period (European populisms, infrastructure needs).
Issue No. 118 | 1 June 2021 | Claude Nigoul
Alexandre Marc died 20 years ago, at the end of a long life that marked his century. Many people saw him first of all as a militant for a united Europe, for which he was, from the post-war period, involved in all the battles, from the Hague Congress to the battles for the European Defence Community. But he was above all a philosopher, founder of the New Order, the crucible of non-conformist thought in the 1930s. It was there that he laid the foundations of federalist personalism, in which one could find, long before they were popularised, the ideas of European federation, universal income, the principle of subsidiarity, revolutionary ideas of a prophetic doctrine that he taught to generations of students from all countries, gathered in the programmes of the Centre international de formation européenne, of which he was the creator in 1954, and where his thought is perpetuated.
Issue No. 117 | 18 May 2021 | Flo Van den Broeck
This paper explores how the COVID-19 crisis exposes the EU’s sectorial approach to labour migration and why it is so important to bring about change. Despite the vital role of the low-skilled migrant workers in this pandemic, their value to our societies seems to be neglected by European policy makers. This paper therefore argues to shift the focus from qualifications and attributed skill levels to more specific roles and occupations, leading to a much more inclusive approach to labour migration.
Issue No. 116 | 10 May 2021 | Kyriakos Revelas
The EU regime for conventional arms exports, with its common criteria and commitments binding on Member States, aims at a responsible arms trade policy contributing to international peace and security; focusing on the case of arms exports to Turkey, the paper argues that national decision-making risks undermining the effectiveness and credibility of this EU policy and presents proposals to remedy the situation.
Issue No. 115 | 15 March 2021 | Marie Rousseau
In the name of the ecological transition and the fight against global warming, our societies are increasingly turning to so-called “clean” and “sustainable” technologies. Yet our advantages, comfort, and well-being come at the cost of natural resources extracted under profoundly inhumane conditions, particularly in Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Issue No. 114 | 1 March 2021 | Sarah Sporys
The election of Joseph Biden to the American Presidency has been welcomed by most European leaders and his first weeks in office confirmed the hopes that transatlantic relations would normalize under his leadership. Since Biden has taken office, both sides of the Atlantic have confirmed their commitment to each other. Although the normalization and revitalization of the transatlantic partnership seems like a positive goal after four straining years, it does not constitute a return to a successful partnership. This paper posits that the only way to renew transatlantic relations is to change its dynamics and to create a partnership on equal footing. This would allow the two sides of the Atlantic to address pervasive issues and frustrations within the alliance and the many challenges the world is facing.
Issue No. 113 | 15 February 2021 | Kenan Aslanli
The policy paper suggests a 3-dimensional analytical framework to analyze the Karabakh wars (the 1990s vs. 2020) with different aspects to understand the past, present, and future of the conflict. The internal dimension includes the political, social, and economic situations of Armenia and Azerbaijan. The external dimension covers power struggles among regional and global powers such as Russia, Turkey, Iran, China, the US, and European powers. The energy and transportation dimension contains the geopolitical significance of the region's energy resources and energy transportation routes.
Issue No. 112 | 1 February 2021 | Gabrielle Heyvaert
There is a clear consensus on the fact that Europe is lagging behind the USA and China when it comes to digital strategy. It may lead in the near future to a wide range of strategic weaknesses – overdependency on foreign technologies, risks of interference in domestic political outcomes, unfair competitiveness, and declining influence worldwide. The time for a European response finally seems to have come with the commitment of Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to make Europe "fit for the digital age" during her 2019-2024 term in office. Key elements of the ongoing European digital strategy are outlined in this paper: the EU strategy for data, the Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act as well as the financial resources deployed to boost EU research in critical technologies.
Issue No. 111 | 5 January 2021 | Merve Samalp & Nicolas Crocy
From the 1990s onwards, Turkey intensified its return to Africa using diplomatic, cultural and development tools. However, for several years now, this strategy has been increasingly part of a perspective of regional influence and competition.
Issue No. 110 | 15 December 2020 | Rachel Guyet
The lockdowns imposed during the COVID-19 crisis had a revealing effect on energy vulnerabilities and on the need to consider access to energy as an essential service. But it also weakened new social groups who started to struggle with paying their energy bills. Relief measures introduced by governments and utilities in Europe illustrated how access to energy became a topic high up on the national agenda during the lockdown. However, vulnerable energy consumers require longer-term support if the aim is to address energy poverty in a more structural, sustainable and fairer way at EU, state and market level.
Issue No. 109 | 1 December 2020 | Kristian L. Nielsen
25 years after the Dayton Accords ended the wars in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the country remains in a fragile state, and is increasingly in danger of falling permanent behind the region in its integration with the EU. This policy brief argues that the EU must step up its activities and commitment to BiH, in order to promote a process of constitutional reform, as a vital first step towards an eventual membership process. This will be the best for Bosnia and Herzegovina, best for regional stability, and ultimately best for the EU itself.
Issue No. 108 | 16 November 2020 | Jean-Claude Vérez
EU member states are constrained by the pandemic’s negative impact on economic growth. Falling revenues and rising expenditure have increased the burden of sovereign debt. Alongside countries with relatively sound public finances, others face excessive debt levels of 120% of GDP or more. The key challenge is to manage these debt burdens over the medium term and avoid the risk of sovereign default. The credibility of the EU, including the euro area, ultimately depends on reversing the upward trend in sovereign debt.
Issue No. 107 | 7 October 2020 | Laurent Baechler
There will never be a vaccine against climate change.
Issue No. 106 | 24 September 2020 | Claude Nigoul
For some time now, the idea has been circulating that sovereignty could be shared between the states that have historically held it and the European Union, which has struggled to wrest it from them. This “both-and” approach, which pretends to disregard the legal and philosophical reality of sovereignty, creates unnecessary confusion about the nature of the Union and its ability to adapt to the actual balance of power between the whole it seeks to embody and the parts that constitute it.
Sovereignty cannot be shared; it is indivisible. It either exists or it does not. It is a concept that belongs to the realm of philosophy, or even theology, but invoking it in the political sphere is of little use, where it appears as a factual impossibility in a domain governed by the only true imperative: cooperation.
Issue No. 105 | 15 June 2020 | Karima Dirèche
This paper provides some insights into an unprecedented protest and popular movement in Algeria. The Hirak (“movement” in Arabic) is a large-scale civic mobilisation involving several million people across the country. It challenges the power structures and the rent-based economic model of an authoritarian political regime in which the military establishment has played a decisive role since the country gained independence in 1962. Since 22 February 2019, it has transformed the public sphere into a civic agora in which Algerians are experiencing political debate and engaging with the question of the rule of law.
Issue No. 104 | 2 June 2020 | Magda Stumvoll
Tendencies towards undermining European core values in EU member states – represented on the example of Hungary in this paper – have become stronger in recent years. As the Union risks losing its credibility when ignoring these current developments and as they represent a threat to the functioning of the EU as a whole, the European Union, as a community of values, is forced to step up. Different instruments that the EU could refer to to restore compliance with EU core values in member states are outlined in this paper.
Issue No. 103 | 15 May 2020 | Laurent Baechler, Arnaud Leconte, Jean-Claude Vérez
Eurozone countries hit by the pandemic have been forced to respond to the macroeconomic costs facing their respective member states. Beyond the measures already adopted, the possibility of issuing “coronabonds” under the responsibility of the ECB has sparked considerable debate, much like the discussions surrounding eurobonds in the context of the 2007–2008 crisis. We begin by recalling the nature of these securities before examining their advantages and risks.
Issue No. 102 | 5 May 2020 | Moussa Khoré Traore
The man objective of this note is to contribute to the economic and social issues of covid-19 in Africa. It outlines the channels of transmission of the virus to the African economy, and discusses the EU’s accompanying mechanisms in the face this pandemic. It also seeks to reflect on how a global response for the African continent can be achieved.
Issue No. 101 | 15 April 2020 | Paul Anderson & Soeren Keil
The United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union has precipitated increased discussion in the UK regarding constitutional politics, specifically the constitutional integrity of the UK state. In this policy paper, we look specifically at the impact of EU withdrawal on Scotland and the Scottish' Government's independence proposals. We discuss the Brexit process, including the referendum results and constitutional impact, concluding with an examination future avenues that could be pursued by the Scottish government.
Issue No. 100 | 1 April 2020 | Paul Bartholomew
Northern Ireland finally became the last part of the British Isles to implement legislation on same-sex marriage in 2020. The process of introducing legislation in the British Isles has been a rather heterogenous one and various arguments such as equality, the promotion of the institution of marriage and religion have been used to gather support.
Issue No. 99 | 15 March | Messaoud Boudhiaf
This paper analyses the gains and risks associated with Tunisia’s economic integration into the European economic space and examines the prospects for deepening the free trade area with the European Union. It shows that the potential benefits, particularly in terms of exports, market access, and competition, are significant, while the main risks can be mitigated through appropriate trade policies. However, the analysis of the proposed Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA) highlights several challenges related to regulatory harmonisation, the liberalisation of services and agricultural products, and the movement of people. The paper concludes that the limitations of the proposal can be overcome through negotiation and calls for the Euro-Mediterranean free trade area to be complemented by greater trade liberalisation among the countries of the southern Mediterranean.
Issue No. 98 | 1 March 2020 | Mamadou Camara & Moussa Khoré Traoré
The main objective of this policy brief is to contribute to the debate on combating terrorism in the Sahel. It examines the role of the EU by presenting its strategies in the region. It also discusses and analyses the EU’s contribution to the training and strengthening of the operational capacities of the armed forces of the countries concerned, as well as its funding of socio-economic development programmes. In addition, the brief proposes a new economic partnership between the EU and the Sahel countries aimed at fostering inclusive growth and development as a means of effectively combating terrorism.
Issue No. 97 | 15 February 2020 | Gabrielle Heyvaert
The European Green New Deal unveiled in December 2019 by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, is an ambitious roadmap to undertake the ecological and energy transition of the European Union. The means have to be commensurate to the stakes: achieving carbon neutrality in Europe by 2050 while seeking for economic growth and, meanwhile, being a climate champion worldwide. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the European Green Deal agenda and challenges.
Issue No. 96 | 1 February 2020 | Rachel Guyet
Energy poverty is a major social phenomenon in Europe, reflecting increasing inequalities. Energy transition, on the other hand, is the ongoing energy transformation process that could result in worsening existing energy poverty patterns if it fails to be framed in a fairer and more inclusive perspective. Alternative energy transition models are emerging at local levels to help address the justice principles underpinning a successful energy transition trajectory.
Issue No. 95 | 21 January 2020 | Florent Marciacq
The French decision to oppose the opening of accession negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia in October 2019 has opened a debate on the reform of the accession process. The Western Balkans Six would be ill-advised to “wait and see” what a Deus ex machina solution Paris and other capitals will advance. What they need at this critical moment is a more strategic approach from their side, a plan of action of their own, creatively putting forth their contribution to the making of Europe and their vision of the future of Europe. Pushing for solidarity in the accession process could be just what they need to become members of a stronger Union.
Issue No. 94 | 1 December 2019 | Anna Dimitrova
This paper argues that President Trump’s transactional approach to NATO calls into question the original transatlantic bargain according to which America’s commitment to Europe’s security has never been questioned and the alliance has been seen as a security community based on shared interests and values. However, Trump’s view of NATO as a business-like contract maintained by its members’ self-interests and financial contributions, makes it necessary both for the US and Europe to redefine the transatlantic bargain so as to build it on a more balanced burden-sharing among the allies, as well as on a stronger Europe, which is no longer dependent on the US security guarantees.
Issue No. 93 | 15 November 2019 | Mohamed Ane
Issue No. 92 | 2 November 2019 | Claude Nigoul
Issue No. 91 | 15 octobre 2019 | Arnaud Leconte
This article proposes a way to end the persistent crisis in the European Union and a new European governance ensuring the resilience of the EU in the face of shocks (climatic, economic and social). The prerequisite is to deal with the fragility of over-indebtedness and moral hazard in order to create the conditions for a new governance based on the principles of solidarity, responsibility and independence. This new governance must be founded on shared efforts to converge the productivity / remuneration ratio, the trade balance and unemployment of European regions. The aim is for European solidarity to be expressed in a European social contract and a Sahelian Climate Fund where systemic risks are contained and shared at a time of climate and demographic shocks.
Issue No. 90 | 7 October 2019 | Laurent Baechler
Issue No. 89 | 30 September 2019 | Jean-Claude Vérez
Issue No. 88 | 2 July 2019 | Jean-Marie Rousseau
Issue No. 87 | 12 June 2019 | Andrew Duff
Issue No. 86 | 7 June 2019 | Mohamed Ane
At the global level, the cannabis market continues to evolve in response to changes in supply and demand. At the same time, cannabis cultivation and trafficking continue to fuel various forms of violence, thereby posing a major threat to the internal security of states, including European countries. At the national level, states have adopted disproportionate repressive measures to combat this phenomenon. To improve effectiveness and coherence, European policies should be better harmonised.
Issue No. 85 | 24 May 2019 | Désiré Avom
Issue No. 84 | 25 April 2019 | Matthias Waechter
Issue No. 83 | 5 March 2019 | Jean-Claude Vérez
Issue No. 82 | 18 February 2019 | Florent Marciacq
Issue No. 81 | 25 January 2019 | Jean-Noel Ferrié