Research
Europe's military ambitions
01 June 2000
The European Union's 'Headline Goal', agreed at the Helsinki Summit in December 1999, calls for the creation of a 60,000-strong rapid-reaction force by 2003. Turning that goal into reality is extremely difficult. To deploy and sustain such a force in a combat zone for a year would require - given...
Mr Prodi's second chance
01 June 2000
The Commission is no longer the driving force behind European integration. In most of the European Union's growth areas, such as foreign and defence policy, or justice and home affairs, the member-states are in charge. Even in the fashionable area of economic reform, the Commission has been partially sidelined: the...
Federalism's last gasp
01 June 2000
The prospect of a two-tier Europe, with Britain outside the core, causes alarm in Downing Street. Joschka Fischer's vision of a European federation - with a group of more ambitious states forming its vanguard - is the latest such proposition, albeit one for the long-term. But does Tony Blair have much to fear?
Issue 12 - 2000
26 May 2000
- Beware the strong euro, Alasdair Murray
- Europe's military ambitions, Klaus Naumann
- Mr Prodi's second chance, Charles Grant
- Federalism's last gasp, Ben Hall
European governance and the future of the Commission
05 May 2000
No body has been so central to the development of the European Union as the Commission. It has been the architect and driving force behind the EU's greatest achievements, from the single market to the single currency.
Intimate relations: Can Britain play a leading role in European defence - and keep its special links to US intelligence?
05 May 2000
One of the most constant features of the geopolitical landscape is the special relationship between London and Washington on intelligence matters. One of the most rapidly changing and unpredictable elements of that landscape is the emergence of a European Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP).
A new economic model
03 April 2000
Slowly, and somewhat reluctantly, the EU is beginning to embrace economic reform. For years America's equity-orientated, shareholder-value-driven economic model appeared anathema to much of the continent.
Europe's revolving door
03 April 2000
The rotating presidency of the Council of Ministers is one of many issues not on the agenda of this year's inter- governmental conference. But the EU's forthcoming enlargement will gravely weaken the presidency.
The right charter
03 April 2000
The rise of Austria's far-right freedom party has stirred a debate about the EU's commitment to human rights. The EU treaties say that the Union shall, in principle, respect the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
Europe and missile defence
03 April 2000
On each side of the Atlantic a new defence initiative is seen from the other side as unnecessary, confusing and worrying: the Europeans' plan for a European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) and the Americans' plan for National Missile Defense (NMD).
Issue 11 - 2000
31 March 2000
- A new economic model, Alasdair Murray
- Europe's revolving door, Ben Hall
- The right charter, Ben Hall
- Europe and missile defence, Charles Grant
The spectre of tax harmonisation
04 February 2000
Europe's citizens, generally speaking, do not want their taxes set by Brussels. Taxation and representation still go hand in hand. So it is safe to assume that so long as people continue to look to their national governments to represent their interests (and turn out to vote for their national politicians in greater numbers than for MEPs), they will reject the notion of taxation policies being decided at European Union level.
Corruption in Eastern Europe
01 February 2000
Perhaps the greatest obstacle to the integration of Eastern Europe into the European Union - but the least discussed - is corruption. The problem is not absent in Western Europe or the EU institutions, of course, but in many parts of Eastern Europe bribery is endemic.
One cost of corruption...
One cost of corruption...
Open the US defence market
01 February 2000
The consolidation of Europe's defence industry continues apace, with the creation of a Franco-German-Spanish combine, EADS, being the most significant move to date.
How to help Russia
01 February 2000
Almost ten years after the collapse of Soviet Communism, most Russians accept that power should change hands through the ballot box, and that they need some sort of market economy. And yet their view of the world is very different from that of most Europeans or Americans.
Issue 10 - 2000
28 January 2000
- How to help Russia, Charles Grant
- Corruption in Eastern Europe, Liz Barrett
- Open the US defence market, Alexandra Ashbourne
The impact of the euro on transatlantic relations
07 January 2000
European Union is, almost by definition, subject to strain and tension. During the Cold War some stability was maintained by the common external threat that bound the NATO allies together under US leadership.