Reports

Despite having declared a state of emergency early, the Italian government was late in responding to the coronavirus threat. This delayed reaction allowed the illness to wreak havoc in northern regions, the industrial powerhouse of the country. Nevertheless, citizens’ responsible reaction slowed the spread of the disease, leaving the country ...

The COVID-19 pandemic has made it clear that businesses need to take a hard look at their supply chains and governments need to reevaluate their emergency planning for crucial infrastructure. Here, the energy sector has some lessons that can be implemented to address the shortcomings of the healthcare sector. But ...

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has allowed governments to enact authoritarian emergency legislation, with no guarantee that the curtailed civil rights will later be returned to the population. China’s example shows what could await European countries if the coronavirus crisis becomes a political tool to exert more control over ...

Ukraine’s potential as a major international player in agricultural production was held back for nearly 20 years by a ban on land sales. The restrictions have been relaxed by parliament, in large part due to pressures from the West. A gradual market liberalization is now planned. The country’s economic future ...

Over the past decade, Germany has worked hard to keep its public finances sound, lowering its debt levels and recording budget surpluses. Though the coronavirus crisis will undoubtedly change that state of affairs, the country's previous fiscal responsibility gives it more room to maneuver than most of its peers. The ...

Worrisome trends have emerged during the eight-year rule of the Georgian Dream party. Unless the opposition manages to form a coalition in the upcoming October elections, Georgia faces further democratic backsliding and an increasingly corrupt judiciary system – potentially leading to weaker ties with the European Union and closer relations ...

The Catalan crisis in Spain drags on: the population in the region is split over the question of independence, with no end to the deadlock in sight. And while Madrid officially opposes secession, the current national government relies on the votes of separatist parties to maintain power. To avoid a ...

Leaving the high-cost, bureaucratized European Union is not enough for the UK to unleash its entrepreneur potential, boost its share in global trade and return to high growth. To bring benefits, Brexit would need to be followed by bold liberal reforms: cutting taxes, rolling back government spending and reducing excessive, ...

For years, corruption has been one of the biggest hurdles holding Romania’s progress back. Recently, however, several developments indicate the country may be headed in the right direction: corrupt leaders have been jailed, a referendum limiting moves to undermine the rule of law passed overwhelmingly, and the new, transitional government ...

With the Five Star Movement in free fall, Italy’s ruling coalition is becoming increasingly fragile. However, despite its enduring popularity, it remains unclear if Lega will manage to return to power thanks to this instability. Matteo Salvini’s opponents on the left and center will attempt to keep him out through ...

Estonia is one of Europe’s star performers in terms of economic growth and development, technological advancement, freedom and education. It faces three big dilemmas: defensive vulnerability, the non-integration of its Russian minority and rising nationalism. Yet the country seems well-placed to meet all three of these challenges.

German politics have reached an unprecedented level of incoherence and, with no clear source of leadership, the situation is likely to worsen. The Christian Democrats may survive the 2021 federal elections. However, they will need to seek new allies to govern, leaving them in poor shape to address the pressing ...

At the peak of the European migrant crisis, Germany and Sweden took what they considered “moral leadership” in welcoming refugees. Wedged in between its two morals-driven neighbors, Denmark made it abundantly clear that refugees were not welcome. The Danish example may serve as a crucial reminder to other European nations ...

The UK Conservative Party and its leader, Boris Johnson, received from British voters a clear mandate and a comfortable majority in Parliament to try to turn their political vision into reality. The list of social, economic, organizational and political challenges that the country faces domestically and in the international arena ...

When in March 2019 Italy became the largest EU country to sign a memorandum of understanding with China on its Belt and Road Initiative, it put Italy-China relations in the spotlight. Like other European governments, the leadership in Rome is struggling to balance economic interests with its security interests and ...

In France’s ideal republican model, the enlightened elite lead the public toward a unified, egalitarian system. The model is corrupted, however, with the some “more equal” than others, and increasing centralization causing distrust within society. The result is a lack of accountability for those governing, which has led to increasing ...

The leader of Ukraine had high hopes for the December 9, 2019, Normandy Four talks in Paris. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy promised Ukrainians the start of a vigorous peace process with Russia. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin is in no hurry to end the Donbas conflict. The United States has lost ...

Formerly Europe’s growth engine, the German economy is now lagging behind other eurozone countries, and could potentially affect growth in the entire region. This poor performance is partly caused by the looming threats of U.S. tariffs and a disorderly Brexit. However, systemic problems, like a lack of technological innovation in ...

Turkey and Russia, with their history of centuries-long rivalry in the Black Sea and the Middle East, are both pursuing deft regional policies that reflect a complex web of aligned and conflicting strategic interests

An ongoing international effort to rewrite the global tax rules for the digital economy would be a dramatic shift with potentially damaging consequences. Fear of countries unilaterally levying their own digital taxes has led to an alternative at the OECD, motivated by both fiscal and political factors. The new proposal would ...

Despite recent failures, the German government is more determined than ever to implement its renewable energy goals, which are much more stringent than those set by the EU. An increase in renewable energy sources will mitigate reliance on foreign energy imports, but Berlin will have to strike a difficult balance ...

Sweden may be nearing a political realignment of historic proportions. The mainstay, center-left Social Democrats can no longer deny that public safety problems stemming from mismanaged immigration are real or ignore the alarming erosion in the quality of education, healthcare and social security systems. The future of the party’s alliance ...

British politicians have been led astray by matters of identity and other fringe issues, alienating voters to the extent where many are abandoning lifelong party loyalties. Members of Parliament ought to address what matters to their constituents by reconnecting with fundamental British values.

A little over 30 years ago, the Berlin Wall came down. GIS expert Michael Wohlgemuth, who studied in both East and West Germany in the late 1980s and early 1990s, shares his impressions of how far the country has come economically, and the challenges it faces as a deepening political ...