Tag: European Union

Photo of a group of men sitting at a table in a magnificent hall. Behind them you can see the flags of the USA, Saudi Arabia and Russia

A Sober Perspective for the Negotiating Table: Europe Must Contribute Diplomatically to Ending the War in Ukraine and Shape the Withdrawal of the US

Written on 9. April 2025. Posted in English.

Despite the deadlocked military situation for Ukraine and the policy shift in the US, Germany and Europe still lack a negotiating strategy for a diplomatic solution. But only military support for Ukraine and sanctions against Russia are not going to end the war on the most favorable terms for Kyiv. As difficult as it may be, positive offers equally needed. Europe’s confrontation with President Trump’s diplomatic efforts will also not help to achieve more European sovereignty. Rather, we will have to negotiate with him and President Putin about the future of Ukraine and our own security architecture. Instead of panicking and investing solely in the military, European governments should therefore pull themselves together and, above all, seize the diplomatic opportunity to secure their fate.

Photo einer Gruppe von Männern, die in einem prunkvollen Saal an einem Tisch sitzt. Dahinter sieht man die Flaggen von USA, Saudi-Arabien und Russland

Mit nüchternem Blick zum Verhandlungstisch: Europa muss die Beendigung des Ukrainekrieges und den Rückzug der USA diplomatisch mitgestalten

Written on 4. April 2025. Posted in Deutsch.

Trotz der längst verfahrenen militärischen Lage für die Ukraine und bekannten Kurswechsels in den USA hielten Deutschland und Europa an der unrealistischen Strategie fest, nur mit militärischer Unterstützung und Sanktionen eine Verhaltensänderung Moskaus zu erreichen. Damit allein lässt sich der Krieg nicht zu möglichst günstigen Bedingungen für Kyjiw beenden. Die europäische Passivität gegenüber dem diplomatischen Ansatz von Präsident Trump wird auch nicht helfen, mehr europäische Souveränität zu erlangen. Vielmehr wird die Zukunft der Ukraine und unsere eigene Sicherheitsarchitektur mit ihm und auch mit Präsident Putin ausgehandelt werden müssen. Statt panisch nur ins Militär zu investieren, sollten sich die europäischen Regierungen ausnüchtern und diplomatisch rüsten, ihr Schicksal in die Hand zu nehmen.

Photo that shows Donald Tusk, Polish Prime Minister, Antonio Costa, President of the European Council, and Ursula von der Leyen on a stage speaking into a microphone.

Europe’s Defence Dilemma: Rising Militarization Amidst Industrial Fragmentation and Weak Export Controls

Written on 2. April 2025. Posted in English.

The issue of arming Germany and the EU countries is currently dominating the headlines. The threat posed by Putin’s Russia and the uncertainty as to whether the USA under Trump will still stand by its security policy commitments within NATO have prompted the EU states to embark on a massive rearmament program. However, the EU Commission is currently setting the pace with the publication of the new White Paper and a series of defence industry programs. The discussion about the considerable arms expenditure obscures the focus on the fragmentation and competition among the European arms industry, the differences in threat analysis between the EU nation states, and the possible risks and problems of lowering the standards of German and European arms export policy.

Moving in the Rights’ Direction? An Assessment of the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime

Written on 10. December 2024. Posted in English.

Four years ago, on December 7, 2020, the European Union (EU) adopted its Global Human Rights Sanction Regime (EUGHRSR), which has been applauded as a milestone in the field of human rights promotion and protection. December 10, the UN’s global Human Rights Day, is a suitable occasion to put both the EUGHRSR and its performance to date to scrutiny.

Ein Soldat überreicht lächelnd einem anderen Soldaten eine blaue, zusammengewickelte Fahne. Rechts von ihnen stehen sechs Soldat*innen, von denen zwei jeweils die deutsche und die US-amerikaische Fahne tragen. Sie befinden sich auf einer grünen Wiese, im Hintergrund sind links weitere Soldat*innen zu sehen. Dahinter befinden sich weiße Reihenhäuser.

Mehr als nur Abschreckung: Mittelstreckenwaffen und Multi-Domain-Operationen in Europa

Written on 8. November 2024. Posted in Deutsch, PRIF Spotlight.

Seit die USA und Deutschland am Rande des NATO-Gipfels 2024 bekanntgegeben haben, dass ab 2026 konventionelle Mittelstreckenwaffen in Deutschland stationiert werden sollen, stehen die neuen Waffensysteme im Fokus der sicherheitspolitischen Diskussion. Dabei werden Rolle und Bedeutung der Systeme hauptsächlich unter dem Gesichtspunkt der Abschreckung diskutiert. Allerdings spielen sie auch eine zentrale Rolle im neuen Multi-Domain-Operationskonzept der US-Armee. Um alle Dimensionen der geplanten Stationierung erfassen zu können, müssen die weitreichenden Waffen deshalb auch unter dem Aspekt der Kriegsführung betrachtet werden.

French president Macron giving a speech at the European parliament.

The French Paradox: Risks to European Defence Harmonisation and Arms Export Control

Written on 5. August 2024. Posted in English.

In his speech on Europe on 25 April 2024, President E. Macron reiterated France's commitment to building a credible European strategic autonomy. Indeed, the country has one of the most important technological and industrial defence bases in the European Union. However, its often very nationalistic view of the European Union seems to hinder the harmonisation of a common defence strategy and the establishment of a rigorous arms export control system that guarantees the application of international humanitarian law (IHL).

A Gap between Social and Ecological Rights: A Commentary after One Year of the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act

Written on 4. April 2024. Posted in English, Socio-Ecological Transformation Conflicts.

Frequent violations of human, labor, and environmental rights continue to impact supply chains globally, with notable prevalence in the Global South, but also in the Global North. The German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (SCDDA, in German: Lieferkettensorgfaltspflichtengesetz [LkSG]), enacted in 2023, represents significant progress in upholding rights within the context of socio-ecological transformation across value chains. However, the law faces challenges, particularly in terms of its prospective enforcement and the absence of a cohesive link between social and ecological rights. This article provides a commentary and argues that addressing these issues should be a priority.

The EU and the Israel-Palestine Test

Written on 31. October 2023. Posted in English.

Although the US has often prided itself of the status of sole interlocutor in the Middle East “conflict”, it has equally gained the reputation of an interested and biased mediator. In parallel, the European Community or EC – now European Union, EU – claimed to have a 'more balanced’ approach on the Middle East file, which in turn garnered Palestinians’ trust. But during the current escalation, the EU has been woefully disunited. This blog argues that a more unified European voice can only come about by “walking the talk” of an Israel-Palestine policy/peace agreement based on purported basic European values.

EU Democracy Support in the Southern Neighborhood: How the EU Contradicts its own Practices

Written on 10. October 2023. Posted in English, Regime Competition in a Fragmented World.

For decades, the EU has declared that it aims to support democratization in its southern neighborhood. Yet, the EU’s cooperation with repressive rulers in other policy fields, such as energy, migration, security, and trade, contradicts the EU’s own democracy support objectives. European policymakers have apparently not learnt from the pre-2011 period. As we argue in our project SHAPEDEM-EU, the EU must embark on a journey of un-, de- and re-learning, and it must avoid contradicting practices in different policy fields. This can be done by introducing a democracy learning loop.

Debating Foreign Interference in a Multipolar World: Is the EU Becoming Illiberal?

Written on 24. August 2023. Posted in English, Regime Competition in a Fragmented World.

The ways in which foreign interference by China, Russia and others are currently discussed in Brussels indicate that the EU is considering moving away from liberal principles in the area of international civil society support and the foreign funding of NGOs in particular. Based on a co-authored comment in the Heidelberg Journal of International Law, this blog post argues that it is helpful to read the current EU debate on foreign interference in the light of the ongoing, conflict-ridden transformation of the global order.

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