Enlargement fatigue?

‘The future of the Balkans is within the European Union’ – we now know that this statement made after the Thessaloniki Summit in 2003 …

Fast tracking Ukraine

Granting candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova in June 2022 was an important and worthwhile step taken by the EU. Yet, as currently devised, …

The flight of big businesses weakens Putin

When big companies like Ikea and Apple leave Russia, it puts pressure on the Putin regime. Critics of globalisation are forced to realise that …

Supporting Ukraine

Since the war in Ukraine intensified, a strong network of civil society united to help as much on the ground as possible.
Besides donations …

Oxfam’s bad ideas entrench poverty, disease and destitution

Oxfam is back to their old tricks, making pseudoscientific claims about inequality. It is once again hating on the rich while backing policies that will …

Will the 2020s be a good decade for classical liberals?

YES – says Alexander Hammond
It is unlikely that most people will be rampant classical liberals by 2030. Still, for the remainder of …

Classical liberalism and the geopolitical stand-off with Russia

Generations of students of international relations (IR) at British universities have learned that liberals detest war and actively seek possibilities to eradicate conflict out …

Can Lukashenko use migration to pit EU states against each other?

EU states neighbouring Belarus have been encountering the largest migrant flows through a newly discovered Eastern …

Diaspora Mainstreaming in EU Development Cooperation with Africa

Diaspora communities hold incalculable potential to support their home countries and have long been acknowledged as actors for development thanks to their unique transnational …

Prospects of a free trade deal with India

During the summer the EU Council published “A Globally Connected Europe”, in which it outlined its geopolitical strategy towards Asia, intending to deepen its …

Will centralisation resolve the EU’s asylum woes?

In June, the European Parliament and Council of the EU reached a provisional agreement to transform the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) into a …

Afghanistan is exposing the weaknesses of the EU’s security policy

The military withdrawal from Afghanistan has enabled the Taliban to gain full control of the country, which severely threatens civil rights. The rights of …

Nord Stream 2: further weakening EU strategy on Russia

The recent outrage sparked by the German-Franco proposal of an EU-Russia summit for Poland and the Baltic States shows how deeply the EU is …

Human rights violations and the future of the EU-Turkey relationship

Recent events in Turkey have created extreme tensions between Turkey and the EU. There have been serious violations in the justice system, social life, …

From FTAs to MRAs: The Potential Pathway forward for the EU and US

The United States lacks a comprehensive free trade agreement (FTA) with the EU, and the failed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations during …

Is the EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment a diplomatic loss for the EU?

In December 2020, negotiations were concluded for the highly anticipated EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI). Economically, the objectives and achievements of the CAI …

Should classical liberals encourage secession?

Europe is a continent of small and medium-sized nations, and many citizens in these nations wish to form even smaller ones. Should free-market liberals …

The economic cost of Catalonia’s hypothetical independence

Since the 2017 constitutional crisis in Catalonia, the momentum to secede from Spain has grown, but the potential economic impact has not been thoroughly …

Biden and the future of the transatlantic relationship

Under the Trump Administration, the world watched America retreat from globalism, international cooperation, and a committed partnership with Europe. The Trump presidency fostered American …

The rule of law crisis in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to serious health and economic emergencies all over the world. Moreover, it has also affected democratic institutions and the …

A step in the wrong direction

In September the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs held a debate on the New Pact on Asylum and Migration. …

The best choice for the US economy

The American presidential election was really about choosing the lesser of two evils. The combination of Biden as president and a Republican majority in …

Rule of law in Poland 2020

As a member of various international and European organisations, Poland is bound by the requirement to respect the rule of law so as to …

Finding the right balance: EU-China relations after Covid-19

The virtual meeting between top-level EU and Chinese officials on 14 September appears to be an ironic metaphor of the increasing distance in the …

Rule of law in Poland

The presidential elections in Poland in 2020, which were won by the incumbent Andrzej Duda, the candidate of the ruling Law and Justice party, …

Institutional proximity and economic freedom

The European Union has long positioned itself in a unique role in the international policy sphere. The concept of the EU as a ‘normative …

Chinese Puzzle

Covid–19 is provoking a major reorientation of the foreign policy of the US and Europe. At the heart of this is their changing relationship …

Foreign Policy: Should the EU have one?

To start off the year, President Donald Trump approved a co-ordinated drone strike which resulted in the death of Iranian general, Qassem Soleimani. As …

Decentralisation of the Climate Crisis: Introducing Green Visas

Neoliberals often criticise governments for overly centralising the decision making process . They argue that this makes it difficult for individual actors to intervene, …

A “Grave Historic Mistake” to reject EU membership for the Balkans?

Albania and North Macedonia have been left disappointed after French President Emmanuel Macron blocked membership talks for the two Balkan States. However, all hope …

Exporting Development Blueprints

The European Union’s budget for foreign aid for the 2014-2020 period is of €82 billion on. As part of a new humanitarian aid package, …

A new beginning – Greece after the elections

Unemployment peaked at 27.5%, more than 400,000 people emigrated in a single year, and the debt to GDP ratio reached 180%. The 2008 financial …

Reshaping Eurasian relations

The European Commission has recently begun the process of rekindling the EU’s relationship with Central Asia, located at the crossroads between the Middle East, …

The future of EU and Africa relations

Increasing globalisation has had many effects on international trade, and Africa is no exception. In Sub-Saharan Africa in particular, economic growth increased to 3.1% …

Macron’s malaise

Macron is right: Brussels cannot continue with business as usual after the European Parliament elections. In his recent open letter to the citizens of Europe, …