ISTANBUL | Although a member of numerous regional and international organisations, Turkey is still not in the EU, despite negotiations dating back some 50 years. Öztin Akgüc wonders if the the country has missed its chance to become anything more than an auxiliary to US foreign policy in the Middle East.
BRUSSELS | by Eberhard Rhein | The three Baltic countries have managed a remarkable transition from being part of the Soviet Union to proud EU member countries that are also proud to be “Nordic countries” with responsible attitudes towards public administration and finances.
Roderick Parkes| If the free trade agreement between the US and Europe remains so appealing, it’s because nobody has actually shown that the EU could flourish without it.
By Ognyan Minchev, non-resident fellow with the German Marshall Fund of the United States’ Balkan Trust for Democracy | The clash between the Russian oligarchic model of economic and political control and a Western-style democratic system produces structural instability in the Eastern part of Europe, which may prove a strategic challenge for the EU.
By James Kilcourse, researcher at the Institute of International and European Affairs | Has the UK successfully forged an alliance with other “awkward partners” of Brussels? If the situation in the EU’s southern periphery deteriorates further, the ideas that emerge from the annual Northern Future Forum may become ever more influential.
By Liberlaboratory | The EU and the USA announced last week that they will launch negotiations for a free trade agreement. The potential benefits appear huge with the two giants representing 47% of global GDP. But mind the gaps ahead.
By Chris Kendall | The nation state is no more ‘natural’ a political unit than any other, including the EU. Arguments against the EU which are premised on the notion that the nation state has more legitimacy are fundamentally flawed.
In his annual State of the Union speech, US President endorsed long awaited EU-US free trade talks that could spur growth and create new jobs.
From Presseurope.eu | For Italian writer Claudio Magris, the only way to dispel the dismay prompted by the European economic and political crisis is to create a strong, decentralised and respected federal state.
Euro area and European Union government deficit has reached 4.1% and 4.4% of GDP, respectively. Government debt is at 87.3% and 82.5%, according to Eurostat.