If there was ever a moment for defence ministers to pool their efforts and resources, then this is it. Defence budgets across the continent are being severely cut as austerity measures kick in. Ahead of the defence ministers’ meeting in Ghent on 23-24 September, Nick Witney points out that the Lisbon Treaty offers defence ministers a ready-made ‘transnational defence cooperation’ device in the form of PESCO – and urges them to use it.
Europeans need to respect what non-Western powers think, and that includes their militaries. Europe’s Asian, African and Latin American counterparts are already playing a more vital role on the world stage; once Europe’s defence budget cuts start to bite, this role will only increase.
It’s easier to enter a maximum security prison than Gaza. Lord Patten argues that the world – starting with the US administration and the European Union – should tell Israel to take its boot off Gaza’s windpipe.
En Europa, la crisis tiene su lado político: el declive de la participación y el auge del populismo. La izquierda parece haber sido superada por una revolución conservadora. El miembro del Consejo de ECFR López Aguilar llama a esa izquierda atacada por un pesimismo de la voluntad a retomar la iniciativa, porque en esta crisis ¡es la política, estúpido!
Spain's footballing triumph at the World Cup came as a welcome distraction for the Spanish people. Their economy is a shambles; their politicians are struggling to do their jobs; and the Spanish presidency of the EU badly damaged their international reputation. But at least Spain's football team offer lessons as well as hope.
The second of two high-profile seminars hosted by ECFR to mark the opening of our new London offices in Westminster. A panel of George Soros, Emma Bonino, Joschka Fischer, Lord Kerr, Anatole Kaletsky and Mark Leonard examine how Europe is coping with the financial crisis and what it means for the future.
Spain’s EU presidency fell far short of expectations, but it was handed a presidency without precedent. One thing is certain: a foreign relations system based on holding summits without content has no future at all.
The European Council on Foreign Relations hosted two high-profile seminars to mark the opening of their new London offices in Westminster. The first of these looked at ‘British foreign policy in Europe and the world’, and included a panel discussion with Malcolm Rifkind, Timothy Garton Ash, Charles Grant, and Paddy Ashdown, moderated by ECFR’s Daniel Korski.
The euro crisis seems to have revealed a more inward-looking and nationalistic Germany. But Germany?s shift towards the domestic is more subtle than it appears. And it is certainly not just a recent development.
George Soros gave a public speech on the euro crisis in Berlin on 23 June. In his speech, Mr Soros argued that the euro crisis could lead to the destruction of the European Union, setting in motion a “downward spiral” as member states struggle to reduce public deficits. He said delicate manoeuving is required, with German leadership. You can download the full transcript of the speech here in English, German and French.