Research Area

06/08/2019

Business, Publications, Russia

The idea of a European Union united under common energy policies and energy security strategies, seems to be even more far-fetched, after the amendment of the old Gas Directive (Directive 2009/73/EC),... Be More Curious...

Reflection on the potential emergence of a new party in Turkey and what it means to the EU

Ebubekir ISIK

31/07/2019

With the potential emergence of a new political party in Turkey resulting from the fragmentation of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), the current political set-up in Turkey might turn in... Be More Curious...

The EU Hybrid Diplomacy Between Deep Concern for Ukraine and no ‘Red-Line’ for Russia

Editorial

29/07/2019

She is graduated with a degree in International Studies and Diplomacy from the University of Trieste, Italy. Currently, she is running her master’s degree at the University of Konstanz with a specialisation in ... Be More Curious...

POLICY BRIEF | The Jerusalem security summit: what are the implications for the European Union?

Mariaeugenia Benato

23/07/2019

Israel, Publications

The European Union has often played a primary role in founding the modern Middle East and, over time, it has emphasized the growing importance of this region in tackling international issues such as secur... Be More Curious...

POLICY PAPER | A look inside the Russian Information War against the West

Marta Barandiy

17/07/2019

In the post-truth world of Putin and Trump the international law is being spurned by some states; a development led by the two most powerful permanent members of the United Nation’s Security Council. In t... Be More Curious...

US-EU-Iran: EU reaches its level of mission in compliance with the EU funding treaties, Next step?

Astrid Viaud

09/07/2019

Iran, Publications

On May 8, 2019, a year to the day after the US unilateral withdrawal from the Agreement, Iran took a new step by suspending two of its major commitments to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). ... Be More Curious...

Interview with Marta Barandiy on EU-Ukraine-Russia Triangle

09/07/2019

Russia

As part of our interview series supported by Science 14, we have talked to Marta Barandiy, founder of Promote Ukraine. Among many relevant issues, we have talked about recent matters related to Ukraine, R... Be More Curious...

POLICY BRIEF | Nord Stream II: What’s all the buzz about it?

27/06/2019

Nord Stream II is a gas pipeline that is planned to start in Russia and end in Germany, passing through the Baltic Sea with an underwater route of approximately 1.200 km, and it will transfer 55 billion c... Be More Curious...

COMMENTARY | Reflection on the Results of the European Elections and a Forecast for Europe’s Future

Carey Bennington

25/06/2019

The recent European elections have shed an informative light on the state of politics both within individual member states and in the wider European sphere. There has been a rise in voter turnout in most ... Be More Curious...

POLICY BRIEF | The US – Iran Information Warfare: the backstage of the Nuclear Deal and the role of the European Union

Mariaeugenia Benato

25/06/2019

Iran

The concept of Information Warfare (IW) is not recent. It could be define as “a targeted effort to undermine and neutralize hostile command and control systems for the purpose of protecting and coordinati... Be More Curious...

REPORT | A Message for Europe from the President of North Macedonia

Carey Bennington

24/06/2019

Western Balkans

LISTEN TO THE ENTIRE SPEECH President of North Macedonia, Mr Stevo Pendarovski, recently spoke at an event moderated by Shada Islam and hosted by Friends of Europe in Brussels, Belgium. H... Be More Curious...

Interview with Prof. Dirk Rochtus on Politics in Belgium

Carey Bennington

19/06/2019

As part of our interview series supported by Science 14, we have talked to Dirk Rochtus, a Professor of Political Science at Catholic Leuven University, and member of Vocal Europe's Advisory Board. Among ... Be More Curious...

OPINION | 2019 European Elections enlarged the gap between globalists and nationalists

05/06/2019

Out of its global view, Europe and not only is facing with new tendencies in the effort to conserve his heritage. A nationalistic view situated in opposition with the predominant vision of globalists have... Be More Curious...

British Politicking Puts Us All At Risk

Julien Hoez

05/06/2019

Rather than these EU elections being used to promote genuine, positive participation on a European level as they are across the continent, within the U.K. these elections are instead being misrepresented ... Be More Curious...

OPINION | Why Would Turkey Torture its Diplomats?

Leighann Spencer

31/05/2019

Turkey

Reports of torture are nothing new in Turkey, particularly since the 2016 coup attempt. This set the scene for an unprecedented crackdown on anyone considered ‘enemies of the state’. Since then, over 100,... Be More Curious...

The Balkans Ahead of the New European Parliament: A Change of Paradigm?

Zoran Cicak

24/05/2019

However, there remains a paradox which is indeed endemic in Western Balkans. It is more or less overt support extended by the European Union to policies and leaders which are both inherently anti-European... Be More Curious...

POLICY BRIEF | Which Direction Will Volodymyr Zelenskiy Go?

21/05/2019

The 2019 Ukrainian presidential elections were concluded on 21st of April. In the second round of the elections two candidates claimed people’s vote, the actor Volodymyr Zelenskiy and the former President... Be More Curious...

A new cooperation for energy security: the U.S. strategy in the Eastern Mediterranean

Mariaeugenia Benato

19/05/2019

Business, Publications, Research Area

In April 2019, the U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Marco Rubio, Senior United States Senator, announced the establishment of the Eastern Mediterranean Secu... Be More Curious...

COMMENTARY | How North Macedonia’s rebranded name affects its international position?

Aleksandra Toska

16/05/2019

The collapse of Yugoslavia in 1991 led to the birth of several nation states, with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (henceforth FYROM) being one of the initial offspring. Compared to the rest o... Be More Curious...

Will the New Israeli Government Break the Diplomatic Disharmony Between Tel Aviv and Brussels?

07/05/2019

Israel, Publications

Amid a neck in neck Israeli election, the incumbent Prime Minister, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, will likely garner enough support “to extend his decade-long stretch in power to become the country’s longest-se... Be More Curious...

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

07/05/2019

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...

North Macedonia’s Unusual Waltz with Turkey – Will it frustrate the EU and NATO?

30/04/2019

The saga, surrounding the name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), finally came to an end this February (2019) with a brand new North Macedonia label stamped over the old contested FYROM... Be More Curious...

A Possible Empowerment of the EU from the US in its Sanctions Policy?

Astrid Viaud

20/04/2019

A French version of this article will be available in the Revue Défense Nationale (May 2019). The United States withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on May 8, 2018, and the reinsertio... Be More Curious...

The Looming Spectre of the 2.0 Nuclearization and the European Union

13/04/2019

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...

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

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

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

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?

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

Vera Ventura

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?

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?

Vera Ventura

15/01/2019

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