This week the EU revealed its new human rights strategy, an ambitious plan to 'place human rights at the centre of its relations with all third countries'. The key challenge will be to develop realistic objectives and a clear vision how to achieve them without repeating mistakes of the past.
How does the euro crisis look from Madrid?
As part of ECFR's 'Reinvention of Europe' project, the authors examine the euro crisis from the perspective of Spain, and argue that new powers must be transfered to the EU alongside an improvement in democratic governance and the acceptance of a new European social contract.
Europeans are strongly in favor of global governance when it is a process they inflict on others, but they are not so keen when others comment on Europe’s affairs. So, is Europe losing its religion on multilateralism?
Growth will not be created with marginal policy measures – we need a fundamental change of the current policy mix. An end to extreme austerity, more public investment and a reform of the financial system must be at the core of a EU growth strategy.
The case for cooperation in EU crisis management
Despite President Obama extending its use of drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia, the EU has been largely silent on the issue. But European leaders need to press the US to establish credible international standards to govern their use.
Against the backdrop of Egypt's presidential elections, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) staged a coup d’etat. For Europe, this counter-revolution constitutes a test of whether we have truly learned the lessons of the Arab uprisings.
A more inclusive Europe is the sustainable solution to the crisis
Europe would seem an unlikely place to look for fresh thinking regarding the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Yet that is precisely what just happened.