Section: European Public Affairs (EU)
Dutch Referendum: a symbolic blow to the establishment & an opportunity for change
Over the course of the past decade or so, the Netherlands has had two opportunities to snub the EU elites and it has not passed on either of the two: first in 2005 when the country voted against the Lisbon Treaty and then yesterday when the Dutch held a popular vote on the EU-Ukraine trade deal. In their revamped obstinate enthusiasm to stand up...
Refugee Crisis: Bridging the gap between Old and New Europe
Europe: Perpetual state of Crisis For almost half a century now, the Society of the German Language has chosen the so called Word of the Year – a word or a group of words that in the past 12 months made the most significant contribution to the country’s history. Last year’s winner? “Fluechtlinge” or in English, “refugee”. The two...
Economic sanctions against Russia: What to expect next?
This week is likely to be crucial for the extension of EU economic sanctions against Russia. On Monday, Ministers of Foreign Affairs met to discuss the issue; although the final decision is likely to be taken by Heads of State during the European Council on Thursday and Friday. Sanctions are due to expire in January 2016, and an extension of six...
Dovish ECB does not deliver what was expected
When a country joins a monetary union, it gives up its monetary policy stance that is tailored to its needs, i.e. the level of interest rates and money supply that is appropriate for its economy. The resulting common policy is a one-size-fits-all policy. Booming regions, with high inflation, have the lowest interest rate in the monetary union,...
Ukraine’s Humanitarian Crisis: Pyschosocial Dimension
This piece is part of a series of articles about Ukraine’s humanitarian crisis triggered by the on-going war with Russia-backed rebels in the East of the country. In countries like Ukraine – where the population has not experienced war for many years and suddenly finds itself in the midst of bloodshed – when people talk about humanitarian...
What should be in the 2015 State of the Union?
As President Juncker puts together the final touches to his State of the Union address, scheduled to be held at 09.00 CMT on Wednesday 9 September. EuropeanPublicAffairs.eu has provided a wishlist from each of our contributors on what they hope this year’s address will focus on, ranging from unemployment, social inequality, defence, skill...
European autumn of unresolved issues: What awaits the Visegrad Four in the coming months?
As summer is slowly winding down, European leaders – both in Brussels and national capitals – are going to be exposed to challenges, and find solutions for issues, which they had temporarily shelved until later. Some of these issues, notably the refugee crisis and the upcoming EU referendum in the UK are of a particular relevance to the region of...
Riga summit and the uncertain future of the Eastern Partnership (EaP)
The 4th Eastern Partnership (EaP) summit, which took place on 21 and 22 May in Riga, Latvia, has not significantly contributed to any major political decision which was on the the agenda. The European Commission and Ukraine signed a memorandum of understanding and a loan agreement for 1.8 billion Euros in the third EU Macro-Financial Assistance...
65th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration: Retirement time!
Five days after Star Wars celebrated their World Day – May the Fourth be with you – the “fandom” of the European Union celebrated the 65th anniversary of one of its greatest symbols: The sexagenarian Schuman declaration. On May 9, 1950, the French foreign minister Robert Schuman (alongside Jean Monnet) proposed a plan to pool the production of...
Europe Day – A day for a genuine European vision
Ladies and Gentlemen, mark your calendar because on 9 May it is Europe Day! You may not have known and wondered why such an event exists? Let me then briefly introduce you to some of the many reasons there are for celebrating Europe Day. Why not? First of all, why not? On the 9 May we also celebrate the World Migratory Bird Day and the Time of...
