Section: European Public Affairs (EU)
Post-Brexit Mutual Protection Agreement
The European political landscape is undergoing a tremendous transformation as far as the defense industry is concerned, not only in the case of the UK after Brexit, but also at European level as we have seen with the recent Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO). A month ago, the Council of the EU launched the European Defense Union, signed by...
Murder of Slovak investigative journalist & his fiancée is a direct attack on freedom of speech and democracy in Europe
This article has been co-authored by Frank Markovic and Jana Zilkova. Slovakia, a small central European country of 5.5 million, is currently experiencing some of its most challenging days – the likes of which can only draw parallels with the 1990s and the era of the semi-autocratic regime of the former Prime Minister Vladimir Mečiar. However,...
Macron’s EUtopia of equals: Should France be pointing fingers at others while undermining the EU?
After the presidential and parliamentary victories of Emmanuel Macron and his party earlier this year, many in Europe expect that the EU will rise from the self-defeating lethargy of slow demise. Expectations are high among the EU establishment who have welcomed this as an opportunity to finally press ahead with more integration – expectations...
Taming the Bear: How EU Sanctions fail against Russia
Skepticism towards the efficacy of sanctions is wide-spread, and in fact most of the literature to be found on the topic is deeply pessimistic. Thus, three years into the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and after the European Union and allies imposed sanctions on Moscow, it is hardly surprising that those measures did not lead to the...
The Political Economy of the Energy Union
In 2014 Juncker presented his vision on the European Energy policy, whereas we need to pool our resources, combine our infrastructures and unite our negotiation power with third countries. He established 4 pillars for an Energy Union: creating an Energy Union by pooling resources and connecting networks; diversifying energy sources; helping...
Europe’s Hybrid Adversary: The European Dimension of the Battle for Aleppo
After the latest Syrian ceasefire deal had been violated through a reckless airstrike on a UN-convoy which headed into the encircled Aleppo, more than 560 people were killed (according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights). London and Washington called for Russia and its Syrian ally Assad to face war crime investigations, accusing them of...
Post-Coup Turkey and Its Implications for South Caucasus
After several years of European attempt to locate the three South Caucasian countries, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, within a common framework, policies of these neighbouring states have become more distant to each other. Currently, the strategic region on the crossroads of Europe, Asia and the Middle East, finds itself in a situation where...
A new EU Security Strategy: towards a militarised Europe?
“Europe has never been so prosperous, so secure nor so free”. It was 2003 and those were the words introducing the self-congratulatory EU Security Strategy that set the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) guidelines for the next 13 years. The former High Representative (HR), Javier Solana, drafted it to tackle indirect and external threats,...
Is Europe being left behind in nuclear energy development?
Brexit has taken most of the column inches recently throughout Europe, but amongst the ever changing tectonic plates of European geopolitics, day-to-day governance on a range of issues continues at pace. None are more important and potentially critical to the European energy sector than the future of nuclear development – both new build and plant...
Slovakia’s EU Presidency: Brexit, divided Europe and an opportunity to restore the tarnished reputation
Today the Netherlands hands over the reins of the EU Council presidency to Slovakia. The challenges at hand could not be more consequential: the EU structures are being undermined by the popular revolt that has moved beyond symbolism and fringes of the society. The next six months will therefore be crucial in setting the tone with which the EU...
