The #EuropeanNeighbourhoodPolicy 2021: new impulses for the south

#Power play for the European #future

The highest Ukrainian court overturns reform successes The evidence that former President Yanukovych paid bribes worth millions to the Constitutional Court of Ukraine revealed how he instrumentalized the judiciary. In 2010 the highest judges enabled the ex-president, who now lives in Russia, to re-establish a strong presidential system. The decision was exemplary for the political […]

Regional #supply chains – can #EU’s neighbours benefit?

The Covid-19 pandemic has not only sent the global economy into a tailspin, it also initially led to a collapse in global trade as the movement of people and goods came to a standstill when the world went into a collective lockdown. Since then the international flow of goods has recovered but the crisis has […]

How to combine #recovery with #resilience in #EU

Winter is yet to come but the second wave of the coronavirus seems to be already upon us. New cases and a resulting second lockdown could make this crisis the worst economic crisis ever recorded. However, the coronavirus crisis is just the latest instalment of crises that plague Europe. After the Great Financial Crisis and […]

#Boris_Johnson’s risky game

Boris Johnson is playing a risky game this week. How else should one understand the appearance of his Northern Ireland minister Brandon Lewis in the British House of Commons, who, with the introduction of a new Brexit Bill, has just announced the breach of the Brexit Agreement with the EU: “Yes, this does break international law.” Lewis […]

#Macron in #Beirut – A New Start for a Middle East Policy?

Last week in the streets of Beirut, French President Emmanuel Macron was greeted by the Lebanese like a messiah. In the social media of the crisis-ridden country, some people are longing to go back to colonial times, as the Levantine country was under French mandate. This is how low the country’s elites have sunk, regardless […]

Who is helping the #Syrians, after nine years of war?

Twelve million Syrians need humanitarian aid every day. The EU is mobilising donations, counting on civil society and UN aid agencies. Through the UN Security Council, Russia and China are reducing the number of border crossings into Syria. To stop the suffering, Brussels must take a stronger stance politically. The figures attesting to the suffering […]

#Putin’s strange view of #Second_World_War

Tuesday the military parade for the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War took place in Moscow. 23 June was declared 9 May by President Vladimir Putin: the pandemic had forced the postponement.   Why 23 June of all days? Because this day is also an anniversary, on the same day 75 […]

#Europeans, cooperate to better #innovate !

Innovation is essential in order to survive in global competition. More than ever this is true in the age of COVID-19. However, Europe is lagging further and further behind in comparison with other world regions such as North America or East Asia. This is put forward in a study on #world_class_patents in 58 cutting-edge technologies. […]