Reports
The German economic policy agenda for Europe
The German presidency of the European Union is likely to have a mixed legacy. On one hand, the financial packages agreed should be considered a French-German political success. On the other, the fiscal consequences of the new measures will allow the European Union to raise debt on an unprecedented scale, ...
The EU’s new, more practical strategy for Africa
The EU’s new strategy for Africa focuses on areas that are of crucial importance in the eyes of African governments: green transition and energy access, digital transformation, sustainable growth and jobs, peace and governance, and migration and mobility. However, a lack of political cohesion on the European side could prevent ...
Relevance beyond the crisis: Emerging contours of a weakened Europe
The coronavirus crisis has had a profound effect on Europe, not only bringing changes that no one thought possible just months ago but deepening divisions and intensifying acrimony between EU countries. With these ruptures laid bare, the bloc again faces an existential crisis. It should survive for now, but a ...
Relevance beyond the crisis: The future of macroeconomic policy
While the scale of the coronavirus emergency requires government intervention, it is worth asking what the consequences of those rescue measures will be in the long term, especially considering the preexisting weaknesses of the economy. Unless the magnitude of the crisis raises awareness of governments’ failings, some European countries’ bloated ...
Blockchain in shipping, more than a buzzword
Blockchain could considerably lighten the administrative load of the maritime transport industry, in addition to preventing devastating cyberattacks. However, companies are hesitant to adopt the technology because of the legal uncertainty that surrounds it. The current lack of comprehensive regulations is perceived as a security liability, but there are also ...
Opinion: European airlines set to lose competitiveness under new rules
European Commission President-elect Ursula von der Leyen has made it clear that she intends to create a level playing field for EU airlines. However, the legislative package currently being discussed contains measures that would have the opposite effect. Taxes on kerosene could hobble EU aviation companies by putting them at ...
Cyberwarfare, the privateering of today
Germany’s Ministry of Defence is creating a unified cyberwarfare command, adding what amounts to a fifth service to the four traditional operational areas – land, sea, air and space. Minister Ursula von der Leyen has appointed a physicist and former McKinsey consultant, Katrin Suder, to supervise the process. The reorganisation ...
West’s sanctions on Russia or arming Ukraine
Russia annexed Crimea and is supporting the brutal separatists in the Donbass with weapons and soldiers. It is without doubt involved in Ukraine’s civil war, writes Prince Michael of Liechtenstein. The US and the European Union have responded to this breach of the European security framework and other agreements by ...
