MEDIA

Greece delays ratification of European Free Trade Agreements

16 October 2021

A new study published by the EPICENTER network in collaboration with three of its member organizations, including KEFIM, Fundacion Civismo, and Istituto Bruno Leoni, examines the parliamentary behavior of the parties in the national parliaments of Greece, Spain and Italy. regarding the ratification of Free Trade Agreements. Read the full article here.

How do parties vote of free trade treaties?

15 October 2021

Of the 13 agreements that have been ratified between 2012 and 2019, the Italian Parliament has ratified only 4, all during the same parliamentary term from September 2015 to July 2019.The opposition parties in Greece, Italy and Spain tend to oppose the ratification of these agreements for environmental concerns and the protection of domestic companies from international competition. The parties in all three countries surveyed take advantage of populist concerns. Read the full article here.

New Europe’s cover story on economic freedom

17 September 2021

Overall, the EU has an economic freedom score of 7.78 out of 10, which has been stable for the past decade. To put this in perspective, if the EU was a country, it would jointly rank 35th with Peru, and marginally above Jamaica and Bulgaria. Compared to, say, the U.S. which ranks 6th, the EU’s score is feeble at best. Read the full cover story by Alexander Hammond in New Europe.

1828 features a debate on Afghanistan with our Director

11 August 2021

Afghanistan is a textbook example of the sunk cost fallacy – where throwing additional financial and human resources at the problem will not improve the outcome. The fallout from two decades of Western military engagement is truly dire: 200,000 dead, including 50,000 civilians, a weak and unstable Afghani government, and radical islamist ideas as popular as ever before. Read the full debate on 1828.

Brussels report features our briefing on DSA

6 July 2021

In order to deliver a successful strategy, to avoid conflicts between EU Member States and the European Commission, the best strategy is to conceive national competition authorities as the ‘executive arms’ of the new digital regulation, particularly when national players are affected. In this way, the knowledge and experience of national regulators can be put to best use. Read the full article here.

CCC podcast on Belarus with our Director

1 July 2021

The Consumer Choice Center interviewed our Director for a podcast on the Belarusian sanctions. Adam Bartha praised the EU for implementing further sanctions on the Lukashenko regime, but also expressed a need to go further to help the local population — through financial instruments and an open door policies for dissidents wishing to settle on EU soil. Listen to the podcast here.