Thirty years ago, in February 1992, in an idyllic city in the Netherlands, 12 leaders signed the Treaty on European Union. The Maastricht Treaty is considered the most important EU treaty, because it paved the way for the euro. However, its as yet incomplete 2nd pillar, that of a common foreign and security policy, could not be more relevant today.…
When faced with foreign security threats of systemic proportions, such as from a nuclear military power like Russia, EU defense can only be effective in the transatlantic alliance framework. As long as Russia constitutes the biggest security threat for a number of EU member states, NATO will remain the main security provider in Europe. However, European strategic autonomy is not…
Changes come about in different ways. Gradually, over the long term. Or suddenly, with “events, dear boy, events,” whose proportions we sometimes define as “historic.” Or changes happen through the regular back and forth of real life, or by oscillations, sometimes in multi-decade cycles. Changes occur visibly or imperceptibly, sometimes going in opposite directions. Entering the new year 2023 offers…
George Pagoulatos writes about the indiscernible boundaries between public and private and explains, on the occasion of Qatargate, that the problem is not “lobbies” but the transformation of public action, which derives from the position of (Euro)MP, into private action as an opportunity for illegal enrichment. Click to read the article, in Greek.
As fundamental pillars of the global order are shifting, the European Union is forced to adjust to a world driven by great power competition. In doing so, it must not lose track of its own existential purpose. Europe is faced with seismic changes in its regional and global surroundings. Following Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, Europe is confronted by the…