Fittex

This analysis looks into the complex relationship between two trends in international governance: an increase in multilateral arrangements between countries in order to govern internationally on the one hand, and a lack of democratic control over the decisions taken by multilateral organisations or conferences on the other. Multilateralism in the modern sense refers to an international mode of operation involving peaceful negotiations and diplomacy, also referred to as a ‘rules-based international ...

'This is Europe' – an initiative proposed by the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola – consists of a series of debates with EU leaders to discuss their visions for the future of the European Union. On 22 June, the Prime Minister of Croatia, Andrej Plenković, was the third EU leader to address the Parliament since its Conference of Presidents endorsed the initiative on 28 April. Mr Plenković considered Croatia to be at the centre of EU integration and expressed his support for more ...

'This is Europe' – an initiative proposed by the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola – consists of a series of debates with EU leaders to discuss their visions for the future of the European Union. Following the first speech in this series by the Italian Prime Minister, Mario Draghi, on 3 May 2022, the Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister), Micheál Martin, was the second EU leader to address the Parliament, on 8 June.1 Mr Martin suggested numerous ways to strengthen and further develop ...

After one year of deliberation, the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE) delivered its first result in the form of 49 proposals, including concrete objectives, and more than 320 potential measures on ways of achieving them. As a follow up to the CoFoE, the European Parliament called on 4 May 2022 for the launch of a Convention under Article 48 TEU; this request has also received the support of some EU leaders, notably the French President, Emmanuel Macron, the Italian Prime Minister, Mario ...

Russia's continuing war on Ukraine was central to the EU leaders' debates at their special meeting on 30-31 May 2022. Closely linked to Ukraine, food security, security and defence, and energy were also high on the agenda. EU leaders approved €9 billion in special macro-financial assistance for Ukraine and agreed on a sixth package of sanctions against Russia, including a ban on seaborne oil (two-thirds of imports) with a temporary exemption for pipeline oil imports. On food security, the European ...

The Russian invasion of Ukraine shattered Europe's peace and altered its security situation. This change requires EU foreign, security and defence policy, including its tools, to adapt appropriately. The European Parliament is expected to vote on a draft recommendation in this regard during its June plenary session.

The EU’s subsea data cable network is both vital for global connectivity and vulnerable. This study provides a systematic review of the current security threats, as well as the actors at the origin of these threats. Building on reports and expert input, the paper takes stock of current awareness, preparedness and response mechanisms, both at the EU and Member State level. A number of recommendations suggest how to improve the resilience of the cable network. Proposals build on the need to enhance ...

In recent years, security and defence policy has become one of the most burgeoning fields of European cooperation, and the war in Ukraine is further accelerating this integration dynamic. Yet, the formal role of the European Parliament (EP) has not been recalibrated to fit this new setting. Indeed, as the intergovernmental blueprint of the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) remains unaltered, the EP’s role is limited. In light of the rapidly growing scope of CSDP activities and initiatives ...

The Russian war on Ukraine has shattered long-held views that war was 'a thing of the past' on the European continent. The new security situation has sparked debates in capitals all over Europe on security and defence arrangements, policies and strategic orientation. While it has become commonplace to argue that the EU has made substantial progress on European defence cooperation since 2016, the Strategic Compass, adopted in March 2022, represents a 'sea change' in EU defence landscape, according ...

Russia's war on Ukraine has been a wake-up call for many EU Member States when it comes to their defence budgets and capabilities, leading them to announce significant increases in their defence budgets after collaborative spending reached new lows in 2020. EU leaders made significant commitments on defence investment and capabilities at the Versailles Summit, which were subsequently underlined in the Strategic Compass. As a first step, the Commission presented a defence investment gap analysis on ...