Research Area

Five years ago Croatia became EU's 28th member-state. The accession process was seen as in important step for the Balkan region and the “Ex-Yugoslav area” to become Europeanized. One interesting thin... Be More Curious...

Is the European Arrest Warrant Becoming a Political Tool?

Joseph Hammond

25/09/2018

All opinions in this column reflect view of the autor(s), not of Vocal Europe The saga of one of the European Union’s most problematic policies took an unusual turn late last month with an EU judicial ... Be More Curious...

Macedonia referendum: ”the once-in-a-life occasion”

Sergio Caliva

24/09/2018

After the achievement of the historical “name-deal” between Macedonia’s and Greece’s governments, which would allegedly will bring an end to their 27 years long dispute, on 30 September Macedonians wil... Be More Curious...

Will a European Plastics Ban really help the Environment?

Richard Mason

22/09/2018

Over the course of this year, it seems as though the debate on environmental protection has greatly shifted to the issue of plastics, namely the effects of ill-disposed of waste on marine life. This... Be More Curious...

Departing further from European values

Helmut Scholz

22/09/2018

First Kosovo. Then Moldova, Georgia, now Ukraine. Or just the way around. Not important. But everywhere the same unbelievable facts of parallel and somehow frightening tendencies over last months and ye... Be More Curious...

The lady’s not for turning

Julien Hoez

21/09/2018

Theresa May’s disastrous participation in the Salzburg summit was evidently fresh in her memory. She was described as having “showed too much arrogance” in a miscalculation similar to David Cameron, had... Be More Curious...

Fighting Online Terrorist Speech

20/09/2018

William Echikson, a former senior policy manager at Google, is head of the Digital Forum at the Centre for European Policy Studies. David Ibsen is Executive Director for the Counter Extremism Project (CE... Be More Curious...

Why they just don’t get it

Julien Hoez

20/09/2018

Another suffocatingly hot day in the Palace of Westminster and another all-party parliamentary group meet in committee to discuss Brexit. Stephen Kinnock, Labour MP for Aberavon and Chairman of the All-... Be More Curious...

Land-swap deal: ideal solution or Pandora’s box?

Sergio Caliva

18/09/2018

Despite the declared intentions of both the Kosovar and Serbian governments to achieve the land-swap deal, which would allegedly contribute to the detente of their bilateral relations and more generally... Be More Curious...

Pension reform: Will Russians have the chance to retire?

17/09/2018

Russia

Last weekend saw the violent reaction of the Russian police over protests against the pension reform that has been proposed by the government. However, those protests were not the first one to show oppo... Be More Curious...

Generational decision: Will Macedonia’s citizens accept Agreement with Greece?

17/09/2018

This piece was published in cooperation with European Western Balkans. On 30 September 2018, citizens of Macedonia will have an opportunity to strongly influence their country’s future. By voting for or ... Be More Curious...

Dealing with Autocrats: A principled approach to Erdogan’s state visit to Germany

Julius M. Rogenhofer

14/09/2018

Despite ongoing tensions between Turkey and its Western allies, the German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier invited his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan for a state visit in late September. The... Be More Curious...

Sweden Elections: One Crisis, Two Major Parties, Numerous Outcomes

Christina Cigir

14/09/2018

Sweden’s recent elections has left a dual impression among many people: impressed and unimpressed. Ever since the 2015 migration crisis, Sweden has been placed in a predicament. This exact predicament h... Be More Curious...

Politics of the Street: How to respond to Germany’s far-right revival?

Julius M. Rogenhofer

13/09/2018

The German far-right successfully instrumentalises crimes allegedly committed by refugees to mobilise its supporters. These often violent rallies reveal an open affiliation of members of the Alternative... Be More Curious...

Juncker’s State of the Union Speech: Time for European Sovereignty

12/09/2018

This morning was marked by the annual State of the Union speech to the European Parliament by the President of the European Commission in Strasbourg. Jean-Claude Juncker spoke for the fourth and last ti... Be More Curious...

EESC — Youth, digital and cooperation as pills to foster the European spirit

Sergio Caliva

12/09/2018

After the Commission’s adoption of the “Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on specific provisions for the European territorial cooperation goal (Interreg)”, on the 7... Be More Curious...

Can Macron still create a political cataclysm for the European election?

10/09/2018

With the European elections coming up in 2019, Emmanuel Macron’s possibilities to change the political landscape at the European level seem to not be as easy as expected. The last week of August was mar... Be More Curious...

Can a Bavarian Make Europe Great Again?

Christina Cigir

07/09/2018

As the 2019 elections for the European Union’s commission president approach, the ongoing talks about an ideal candidate has granted its attention to leader of the European People’s Party, Manfred Weber... Be More Curious...

Polish and Romanian civil society in fighting for the freedom of Justice

Ana-Maria Caminski

05/09/2018

The times when the Law protected their citizens are passed away. With more than a century ago, nobody would ever thought after the falling down of the Czarist Imperium that a Law could be given in order... Be More Curious...

Why Iran rejects Trump’s offer for unconditional talks?

04/09/2018

Iran

Kazem Wali is an Ahwazi freelance journalist and human rights activist based in London. After re-imposing the first phase of American economic sanctions against Iran on 6th August, President Trump propos... Be More Curious...

Europe and Qatar block

Michele Di Salvo

04/09/2018

Beyond Europe

This is not the first time that a crisis started between Qatar and the other Gulf countries (the last one dates back to 2014). Tensions had risen when the state news agency of Qatar reported a quote from ... Be More Curious...

Is Abduction Becoming a Tool for Turkish Foreign Policy Under President Erdogan?

Alessio Tardivo

01/09/2018

Turkish foreign policy appears to become increasingly aggressive. Despite the growing concerns echoed by her Western friends and allies, Ankara seems to act with a modus operandi inspired by the ruthles... Be More Curious...

Looking Globally – Europe with Hard Power

31/08/2018

There have been a few moments in the last century of Modern Europe’s history that shaped the structure of the continent for the next decades. Without any doubt, World War One and World War Two have trul... Be More Curious...

Nationalism Is Bringing Together Israel and Eastern Europe

30/08/2018

Israel

David Wainer is a contributor to Bloomberg. Milda Seputyte is a contributor to Bloomberg. During his recent visit to Lithuania, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu laid a wreath at a memorial to 70... Be More Curious...

Europe’s Concerns about Maldives Are Growing

24/08/2018

Europeans do not usually think about the Maldives in geopolitical terms, but rather as an idyllic holiday destination in the middle of the Indian Ocean. However, the fact is that this tiny island nation... Be More Curious...

Nearly a year of pre-trial imprisonment with no legal grounds, despite German Court ruling

Arnau Perello

23/08/2018

Two events have weakened Spain's reputation in the last month. The first one is the case of the €4 billion submarines that are too big for its own dock - after the modification that allowed them to floa... Be More Curious...

Four countries, one threat

Ana-Maria Caminski

22/08/2018

On the chessboard of the world, every pawn seems to be an important pawn. Especially when the stake of the game is the expansion of the political power by gaining of the old sphere of influence and the ... Be More Curious...

Israel’s New Right-Left Divide

18/08/2018

Israel

Michael Koplow is policy director at Israel Policy Forum. Assessing what constitutes right-wing policies and what constitutes left-wing policies can often be confusing. What looks right-wing in one country... Be More Curious...

Attempts to suffocate Iran’s economy might just backfire

Paul Monaghan

18/08/2018

Iran

The decision of the United States to unilaterally impose a programme of boycott, divestment and sanctions on Iran is arguably designed to force European based companies to reconsider investment plans an... Be More Curious...

Can Russia gain from a failing Iran deal?

14/08/2018

Russia

This article was first published by Bear Market Brief. It is no secret that Trump’s sudden decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal has left Tehran in a difficult situation. Emerging from a period of ... Be More Curious...

2019 Ukrainian elections, what to expect from Russia

14/08/2018

Russia

The Ukrainian presidential and parliamentary elections that are scheduled respectively in March and October 2019 are to draw our attention, especially taking into account the numerous Russian interferen... Be More Curious...

Opposition in decay: Erdogan’s perpetual victory

Irene Christodoulaki

13/08/2018

After the June elections, the Turkish opposition is in disarray. It seems to be out of ideas while trying to reorganize itself. Even the ongoing currency crisis with the USA was not enough to make the o... Be More Curious...

Turkey’s Pledged Economic War: Pastor Brunson Effect or A Self-fulfilling Prophecy

Zeynep Mentesoglu

13/08/2018

On last Friday, Turkish Lira has fallen to a record low against the dollar suffering its worst one-day lost. At the wee hours Turkish lira has traded at the exchange rate of 6.30 Dollar and 7.22 Euro. ... Be More Curious...

Erdogan educating African youth: consequences for radicalization in Europe

08/08/2018

Like France or the United Kingdom, Turkey runs schools located outside of its territory. However, unlike the other examples, the Turkish schools were not managed by the state, at least until very recent... Be More Curious...

Robbery at Portuguese Base offers lesson for NATO

Joseph Hammond

08/08/2018

Grenades and high-explosives taken from Portuguese military base in a brazen heist are still unaccounted for over a year later. Portugal marked the first anniversary of a series of deadly wild fires ear... Be More Curious...

EU elections: what remains to be known before 2019

05/08/2018

The European Union is at a turning point, and 2019 will be the major benchmark in this process. If it all goes according to planned, the UK will leave the EU in March, and two months later, the European... Be More Curious...

Will the Name Deal between Greece and Macedonia be Preserved?

Vicky Pathiakaki

04/08/2018

There are times when historical time thickens, and the importance of specific moments not only concern the narrow boundaries of a country but also spread out in space and time. Such a historic time was ... Be More Curious...

Turkey’s Presidential System and Resource Distribution Tools

Xavier Palacios

03/08/2018

Analysts in Europe, the US and Turkey have focused on how the latest victory of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the presidential elections and the victory of the Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi (AKP) in the parliamentar... Be More Curious...

Puigdemont is back, what is next?

Alessio Tardivo

03/08/2018

On Saturday 28 of July, the former President of the Generalitat de Catalunya Carles Puigdemont came back to Brussels after being detained in Germany. His return to Belgium was possible after the Spanish... Be More Curious...

Will the Salvini-effect spread to Europe?

Valeria Mingardi

31/07/2018

The new Italian government, result of an extenuatingly long negotiating process between the League and the Five Star Movement (M5S), has been now in office for the past two months. Even though the role ... Be More Curious...

Can cyber attacks cause a major war?

Valeria Mingardi

30/07/2018

In the last two decades, the world has seen a rapid digitalization of services, both in civil society and state functions, thanks to the Internet and to the world wide web. As much as this is considered a p... Be More Curious...

“I am German when we win, an immigrant when we lose”

Zeynep Mentesoglu

27/07/2018

Mesut Ozil, Germany’s star football player of Turkish origin has announced his retirement from Germany’s national team on Sunday. Ozil stated discrimination and racism he has experienced particularly after ... Be More Curious...

American unilateralism vs. European multilateralism: the world is watching

26/07/2018

As the great powers keep on leaning towards nationalist and unilateralist positions, the world becomes an increasingly polarised – and thus more dangerous – place. It is no surprise for countries like China... Be More Curious...

Between a rock and a hard place: how EU should deal with “Turkish issue”

Mehmet Onur Cevik

22/07/2018

Rather than talking about the necessity of cooperation between the EU and Turkey, an issue that has been triggering a massive body of literature, this analysis will focus on what strategy the EU mig... Be More Curious...

Iran after the Trump-Putin summit in Helsinki

Heshmat Alavi

19/07/2018

Iran

The Middle East situation on the ground is significantly different in comparison to a short while ago. There were times when Iran sought to become the leading hegemon in the region. With Tehran’s ho... Be More Curious...

Polish women’s rights are European women’s rights

19/07/2018

During his last visit to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Mateusz Morawiecki, the Polish Prime Minister, gave a speech in which he addressed the critics made against the Polish state regarding its... Be More Curious...

NATO Summit: The Atlantic Drift

19/07/2018

Since he took office, President Trump has called on European NATO members to increase their military spending, in order to fulfil the pledge of 2% of national GDP assigned to defence, made during th... Be More Curious...

Spain: everything must change, so everything stays the same

Arnau Perello

18/07/2018

One of the greatest novels of all times is 'The Leopard' by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa. It is set in Sicily during the Italian unification, as the old regime comes to an end. The main character, the S... Be More Curious...

Catalonia — the growing role of the EU

17/07/2018