Gareth Mulvey The UK Government’s approach to the current refugee crisis in Europe is a continuation of policies intended to discourage migration to Britain, writes Gareth Mulvey. He argues that this strategy will do little to address the situation, may cause tension between London and the devolved administrations and could hamper relations with the rest …
Category: Foreign Affairs
EU-Russia Relations: A Eurasian Opportunity?
Francesco Saverio Montesano The costs and challenges associated with EU-Russia relations at present demonstrate that the EU needs a functioning working relationship with Russia, writes Francesco Saverio Montesano. He argues that the Eurasian Economic Union, launched earlier this year, provides a venue for pragmatic engagement with Russia on targeted areas of cooperation. EU-Russia Summit, Nizhny …
Turkey’s EU Perspective: How the Refugee Crisis has Accelerated Membership Negotiations
Renke Deckarm and Torsten Selck Turkey’s longstanding EU membership negotiations have been periodically delayed by reluctance from Member States, lack of progress in meeting the accession criteria and more recently deteriorating democratic institutions, write Renke Deckarm and Torsten J. Selck. They suggest that the refugee crisis has motivated the EU to advance the negotiations, despite …
Will China Cooperate with the EU at the Paris Climate Conference?
Feng Cunwan China and other major developing countries will play an increasingly important role in global climate negotiations, writes Feng Cunwan. He suggests that, although China has recently adopted a number of measures to step up its approach to addressing climate change, the differences on policy and worldview between China and the EU are significant …
The EU’s Relations with Kosovo – Or Why We Should Still Value Brussels Bureaucracy
Lorinc Redei Kosovo’s recent agreement with the EU is a milestone in its European relations, if not for the contents of the deal itself then for the sidestepping of disagreements over its legal status, explains Lorinc Redei. He argues that the European Commission’s success in managing the terms of the discussion on Kosovo serves as …
The Refugee Crisis Has Challenged Europe’s Outsourcing of Migration Control
Christina Boswell The refugee crisis in Europe should not be understood simply as a humanitarian crisis, writes Christina Boswell. Those Syrian refugees fleeing to Europe represent just a small fraction of people displaced worldwide. Instead, she argues that the significance of the crisis lies in its disruption of the European project of outsourcing migration control. …
The EU-Russia Gas Trade: A Case of Mutual Dependence
Marco Siddi The deterioration in EU-Russia relations as a result of the crisis in Ukraine has strained the EU-Russia energy partnership, writes Marco Siddi. He argues, however, that the mutual dependence of both sides favours continued cooperation in the near term, as the EU will need Russian gas and Russia will depend on the revenues …
The EU’s Energy Union: Solidarity amid Dissensus?
Antti Silvast The European Commission’s proposal for a European Energy Union, designed to integrate EU energy markets and energy supplies, is in large part a collection of previous policy goals, writes Antti Silvast. He argues that, in the attempt to connect all the related elements of energy policy together in one, the plans risk being …