Publications

  • The EU should talk to Hamas
    The EU should talk to Hamas
    11 July 2007

    The conspicuous role of Hamas in the recent release of Alan Johnston was not only good news for the BBC correspondent. Hamas showed that it cares about how it is perceived abroad, that it wants to be considered a credible actor, and that it hopes to end its international isolation.
  • Portugal's presidency
    Portugal's presidency
    Briefing note by Katinka Barysch
    09 July 2007

    On 1 July 2007, Portugal took over the EU's rotating presidency from Germany. Angela Merkel's six months at the helm will be a tough act to follow.
  • Why Europeans don’t have babies
    Why Europeans don’t have babies
    Insight by Katinka Barysch
    29 June 2007

    Europeans live longer, work less and have fewer babies. On current trends, the EU will not have enough workers to pay for its growing number of pensioners.
  • Hurrah for an end to EU navel gazing
    Hurrah for an end to EU navel gazing
    Briefing note by Hugo Brady
    28 June 2007

    European leaders will open negotiations on a new EU 'reform treaty' on 23 July 2007. At a cliffhanger summit last weekend, German Chancellor Angela Merkel worked hard to accommodate national concerns that threaten to derail the new treaty.
  • What the summit says about the EU
    What the summit says about the EU
    Insight by Katinka Barysch
    26 June 2007

    At 4.30am on Saturday 23rd June, after 36 hours of wrangling, EU leaders agreed on a deal to revive parts of the failed EU constitutional treaty.
  • EU business and Turkish accession
    EU business and Turkish accession
    Essay by Dr Rainer Hermann, Katinka Barysch
    22 June 2007

    Many EU politicians and their voters are unsure about the merits of Turkish accession. Europe’s entrepreneurs are not. They are showing confidence by investing billions into the fast-growing Turkish economy, partly because they expect that EU accession will continue to change the country for the better.
  • Poland
    What do you do with a problem like Poland?
    Insight by Paweł Świeboda
    21 June 2007

    Behind the scenes, Angela Merkel has striven to get agreement on a mandate for treaty change ahead of this week’s EU summit. She has by now dealt with concerns of most of the key players in the debate – France, the Netherlands and the UK.
  • Serbia's European choice
    Serbia's European choice
    Policy brief by David Gowan
    19 June 2007

    Serbia's accession prospects are looking up, following the formation of a new government in Belgrade and the resumption of SAA talks with the EU. However, disagreements over Kosovo could quickly derail the process again.