Research Area

The row between the US and Russia over the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Force (INF) Treaty began in July 2014, when the US State Department published a Compliance Report, alleging “that the Russian Federati... Be More Curious...

Supporting the rule of law and the dismissed civil society in Turkey through reoriented IPA funds

Cengiz Aktar

11/04/2019

As a negotiating candidate country to the European Union, at least officially, Turkey continues to benefit from pre-accession assistance (IPA). Turkey’s negotiating process, in fact, has been ailing for a... Be More Curious...

OPINION | Lessons to learn after the first round of the Ukrainian presidential election

Robert Petraru

10/04/2019

Beyond Europe

On the evening of 31st March 2019, Volodymir Zelenskiy, former comedian, emerged as victorious in the first round of the Ukrainian presidential election with 30% of the vote. Petro Poroshenko, the incumbe... Be More Curious...

Should we expect a Russian disinformation campaign during the 2019 European elections?

Natalia Liagka

09/04/2019

Disinformation is understood as a verifiably false or misleading information that is created, presented and disseminated for economic gain or to intentionally deceive the public, and maybe cause public ... Be More Curious...

Why you should be prepared for a No-Deal Brexit

Bob Groome

04/04/2019

Chaos. Simply googling the word will quickly land you on a Brexit news article — the majority of which are now detailing several reasons as to why you should be prepared for a No-Deal Brexit. Reasons rang... Be More Curious...

Facing war and economic hardship, which candidate can address Ukraine’s biggest challenges?

Robert Petraru

28/03/2019

Beyond Europe, Publications

The 2019 Ukrainian presidential elections find the Eastern European country still engaged in conflict with Russia and struggling with implementing reforms in various sectors while its citizens have one ... Be More Curious...

Migration crisis: the worst might still come?

Jose Diogo Alves

28/03/2019

The European migrant crisis, which had its start in 2013 with the arrival of an exceptionally large number of migrants and refugees in Europe, was characterized by the greatest mass displacement of indivi... Be More Curious...

Turkish Local Elections in the Shade of Endangered Media Trust and Economic Credibility

Mehmet Onur Cevik

27/03/2019

Turkey is in a continuous election race as the local elections to be held on 31 March will be the 6th elections in the last five years. Besides the ongoing electoral tension, the country has also been in ... Be More Curious...

State of war in the upcoming Ukrainian elections

Ana-Maria Caminski

23/03/2019

Beyond Europe

*Edited by Carey Bennington For as long as they have existed, armed conflicts have simply served as pretexts to mask the hidden interests of an adversary camp or with the intention of escalation that c... Be More Curious...

The 2019 European elections: will populist anti-migration alliances prove to be real alliances?

Stephanie Leysen

15/03/2019

Publications, Western Balkans

On 26 May 2019 citizens all over Europe will head to the ballot box to cast their vote for the European Parliament (EP) elections. The European Parliament is the only transnational parliament in the wor... Be More Curious...

The Warsaw Summit on Iran – A Breaking Point for the “United Europe”

Soudabeh Nour

15/03/2019

Iran, Publications

After the US unilateral withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal in May 2018, Europe's positions have always been in support of it. In the margins of the 2019 Munich Security Conference, EU High Represe... Be More Curious...

Turkey and the European Union: Towards the post-candidacy era

Cengiz Aktar

14/03/2019

Turkey

It is safe to say that in the history of European Union’s enlargement, opening in 1973 with the accession of Britain, Denmark and Ireland, the first spectacular failure is the candidacy of the Republic of... Be More Curious...

Interview with Cengiz Aktar on Turkish Civil Society and Opposition

Stephanie Leysen

13/03/2019

Turkey

As part of our "Beyond Europe" research program, we have interviewed Cengiz Aktar who is a professor of political science at the University of Athens and a columnist for Ahval. Among many other issues, we... Be More Curious...

PANEL — Can the European Union Remain Connected to Turkey?

Pavel Vanev

12/03/2019

Events, Turkey

On the 6th March 2019, Vocal Europe organised an expert panel discussion on the future of EU-Turkey relations under the question “Can the European Union remain connected to Turkey?”. The central pa... Be More Curious...

Kosovo and the EU: The Need for Visa Liberalisation is Growing

Alejandra Finotto

09/03/2019

Just last year, Kosovo was celebrating its 10th anniversary of Independence, which it declared on February 2008 unilaterally from Serbia. Despite having a past marked by conflict, especially given the 1... Be More Curious...

Is Moldova heading into uncertainty as the Democratic Party of Moldova Grows Stronger?

Robert Petraru

04/03/2019

Beyond Europe

The Republic of Moldova heads into months of uncertainty and political negotiations, as no party managed to win enough seats to form a government. Only four parties managed to enter into Parliament and es... Be More Curious...

The 2019 European Elections: A Trial to Macron’s Leadership

Jose Diogo Alves

01/03/2019

Between the 23rd and the 26th of May, the European Union will have one of the most important elections in its history. In a time of political instability and strong nationalist movements, parties are de... Be More Curious...

Commentary — A European Perspective on Israel’s Nationality Law

Alejandra Finotto

13/02/2019

Israel, Publications

On July 19th, 2018 the Israeli Knesset, which is the House of Representatives of the State of Israel and thus works as the legislative branch of the government, passed a bill known as “Israel as the Nat... Be More Curious...

POLICY PAPER – European Populism Feels at Home in Moscow: the Italian Case

05/02/2019

With the recent rise of tensions in the Azov Sea, Russia-EU relations seem to have reached a new low after the Salisbury attack. However, some European political parties, and notably the so-called populis... Be More Curious...

POLICY PAPER — EU Support to Dismissed Civil Society in Turkey: Yes, There is a Better Alternative

Stephanie Leysen

04/02/2019

It has been fourteen years since the negotiations on Turkey’s accession to the European Union (EU) were formally opened and the process has been bumpy to say the least. Whereas the European leaders ... Be More Curious...

Italian Politics — which way to the European elections?

Alessio Tardivo

02/02/2019

The Italian electoral campaign for the European elections in May finally started and the latest projections on the topic have generated a turmoil in the country. According to Europe Elects, Salvini’... Be More Curious...

A challenge for New Year: who will buy the Leviathan gas?

Ana-Maria Caminski

20/01/2019

Israel

The days when treasures seekers were looking for gold are not entirely left behind. If at the beginning of modern epoch, the fighting was for the fields of gold, in our post-modern world is for the fiel... Be More Curious...

Federalism or Centralism: Competing Visions for Iran’s Future

Editorial

20/01/2019

Iran

Ghazaei is a writer and sociologist residing in Amsterdam. He is a political activist and translator of various books on politics, philosophy and sociology. You can follow him on Twitter. The ever-increa... Be More Curious...

Public say for far-right, the Trojan horse

Vicky Pathiakaki

18/01/2019

The rise of far-right has brought to the forefront the debate about whether such ideas should or not have a public say and as to whether they should occupy public space and time. Many even argue that if... Be More Curious...

What are universities for in an era of authoritarianism?

Zeynep Mentesoglu

16/01/2019

“This is unprecedented. A U.S. institution has been driven out of a country that is a NATO ally. A European institution has been ousted from a member state of the EU” stated the CEU president Mich... Be More Curious...

An independent Ukraine Orthodox Church: why now?

15/01/2019

Beyond Europe, Publications

In Ukraine, this year’s celebrations for the Orthodox Christmas on January 7 assumed a whole new meaning, as the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has now gained its religious independence - or autocephaly - fr... Be More Curious...

The Battle for Europe: Europe in 2019

Julien Hoez

12/01/2019

2019 is shaping up to be an exciting, if worrisome, year for Europe. While everything seems to be slowing down in preparation for the eventual hand-over of institutional positions, time never stands sti... Be More Curious...

Vocal Cast with Mimoza Kusari-Lila

Ebubekir ISIK

31/12/2018

Vocal Cast, Western Balkans

As part of our Vocal Cast series that are supported by Science 14, we have talked to Mimoza Kusari-Lila, former deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo and member of Kosovar Parliament where she leads the polit... Be More Curious...

OPINION — The Militarisation of Culture in Iran

Editorial

28/12/2018

Iran

Mohammad S. Alzou’bi is a Fellow at the International Institute for Iranian Studies. The human identity among different nations around the world are shaped according to the nature of region and surround... Be More Curious...

OPINION — Why is tension in Cyprus rising again?

Tionenji Lishomwa

27/12/2018

Inside Europe, Turkey

For much of the international community watching, ‘Ayşe will go on holiday again’ means very little. Especially if 1974 is before your time, you may have wondered what such a bizarrely innocuous phrase ... Be More Curious...

OPINION — Spanish banks and Supreme Court at work: housing bubble under construction

Arnau Perello

24/12/2018

Business, Inside Europe

The lack of independence of the judiciary system, its sloppy performance, as well as the lack of control of rent increases by the successive governments, remain rampant in Spain. All of these are exemp... Be More Curious...

OPINION — VOX: the ultra-right enters the political game in Spain

Alejandra Finotto

20/12/2018

Given the ascent of ultra-right political parties such as the “Rassemblement National” led by Le Pen in France, or the “Lega Nord” headed by Salvini in Italy, many were wondering why this kind of moveme... Be More Curious...

OPINION — Where Hungary’s future lies

Leonardo Veneziani

19/12/2018

The fall of the Berlin Wall and of the Soviet Union, in 1989 and 1991 respectively, were a sign of fate. From that moment on, a large part of Europe was finally free from despotism and tyranny that went... Be More Curious...

Are Yellow Vest protests taking ground in Israel?

Marie Shuqha

17/12/2018

Israel

In the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, hundreds of people dressed in fluorescent traffic-safety vests protested against the high cost of living such as food items and utilities. Groups in Israel’s social m... Be More Curious...

COMMENTARY — As Soros University leaves Hungary, so does academic freedom

Elisa Telesca

15/12/2018

On 3 December 2018, Hungary’s Central European University (CEU) declared that it has been forced out from its campus in Budapest by the far-right government of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The decisi... Be More Curious...

COMMENTARY — How effective is the European Court of Human Rights against the human rights violations in Turkey?

Mehmet Onur Cevik

15/12/2018

As it is known by most, Turkey has been in an extraordinary atmosphere since the 15 July 2016 attempted coup. Fotis Filippou, Amnesty International's Deputy Europe Director, describes this atmosphere wh... Be More Curious...

Brexit: the never-ending story continues

Julien Hoez

11/12/2018

Theresa May had hoped that 11 December 2018 would become a historic day, where her parliament would vote to pass the Withdrawal Agreement, signalling the end of Britain’s participation within the Europ... Be More Curious...

Huge disparities in European breast cancer care shown by new index

Editorial

11/12/2018

With nearly 100,000 women lose their life to breast cancer every year in the European Union it is the most lethal cancer diagnosis for women in the EU. And while health systems of the 28 differ... Be More Curious...

Forget enlargement. First, the EU needs a ‘war on corruption’ to stave off extreme nationalism

Youssef Kobo

10/12/2018

Since the Schuman and Europe Declarations in 1950 and 1951 respectively, it has been the stated aim of the EU to strengthen democracy amongst its members. The EU is, contrary to sceptical or reductio... Be More Curious...

OPINION — Beware of Russia’s bilateral cyber world order

Marta Barandiy

07/12/2018

Russia

This piece, which was first published on Euromaindanpress, was co-authored by Marta Barandiy and Katria Tomko. Russia, the United States, France, and China held secret talks on cybersecurity in Pari... Be More Curious...

COMMENTARY — The Turkish model: How Turkey has coped with 3.6 million Syrian refugees

Robert Ellis

06/12/2018

There is one issue that has preoccupied Europe since the outbreak of civil war in Syria in 2011: immigration. More than six million Syrians are internally displaced and five million have fled to neighbo... Be More Curious...

COMMENTARY — No option left? In the Azov Sea, the EU is all Talk and No Action

04/12/2018

On November 25, Russian border patrol boats seized three Ukrainian naval vessels in the Azov Sea — two artillery boats and a tugboat — as they were attempting to pass through the Kerch Strait and used w... Be More Curious...

OPINION — Democracy under Threat? The Future of Democracy in the European Union

Yoeri Maertens

03/12/2018

Last week East-Flanders' Europe Direct Information Centre hosted a lively debate about the future of the European Union. Senior transatlantic fellow of the German Marshall Fund Rosa Balfour and Fidesz M... Be More Curious...

OPINION — How Russia may be isolated on energy trade

Ana-Maria Caminski

02/12/2018

Russia

After the division of Russian empire in the end of First World War, a new concept has appeared in the political field. Intermarium was the answer of newly independent states at the Eastern imperialism. ... Be More Curious...

REPORT — High Level Conference, 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Elisa Telesca

01/12/2018

On 20 November 2018, the European Parliament (EP) held a High Level Conference to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The Conference launched the EP’s... Be More Curious...

COMMENTARY — Brexit: a promising agreement for Northern Ireland but many challenges ahead

Bob Groome

28/11/2018

The recently published withdrawal agreement spells the beginning of the end for Brexit. Theresa May and the EU believe the agreement is the best outcome resulting from the EU-UK negotiations. This 585-p... Be More Curious...

COMMENTARY — European army: a problematic dream?

Elisa Telesca

27/11/2018

The concept of a European army has been widely discussed in the past years and particularly weeks, raising many questions about the possibility of such an idea becoming a reality. Where did the noti... Be More Curious...

POLICY BRIEF — “Elections” in Donbas: more European involvement needed to change the status quo

25/11/2018