The roles & policies of other member-states
Britain and France must pool parts of their defence
01 August 2006
In European Union defence, Britain and France spend the most money (45 per cent of the total), maintain the largest and most effective expeditionary forces, run the biggest defence industries and manage the most important research facilities.
The Austrian EU presidency and the future of the constitutional treaty
24 January 2006
Austrians heaved a sigh of relief when the UK presidency brokered a last-minute deal on the EU budget in December 2005. The Austrian government hoped that the agreement would free its hands to focus on more rewarding issues during its presidency.
Germany's foreign policy: What lessons can be learned from the Schröder years?
02 September 2005
The German general election on September 18th 2005 is of massive interest to people all over the world. Because Germany is a large and influential EU member, its foreign policy matters not only to other European countries, but also those further afield, such as the Americans, the Russians and the Chinese.
Liberal versus social Europe
01 August 2005
Europe is in the grip of a fundamental debate about its economic future, or at least that is what some politicians and many journalists would have us believe.
Europe’s social dilemma
01 August 2005
Of all the items on the agenda of the British EU presidency, perhaps the least expected is a debate on ‘social Europe’. Tired of being crudely caricatured as ‘neoliberal’, Tony Blair has invited EU leaders to an informal summit in October to discuss the future of Europe’s social model.
Issue 43 - 2005
29 July 2005
- Liberal versus social Europe, Katinka Barysch
- A bad European dream, Daniel Keohane
- Europe’s social dilemma, Alasdair Murray
Issue 42 - 2005
27 May 2005
- Europe beyond the referendums, Charles Grant
- Unshackling services is the key to Europe's economic future, Digby Jones
- When the dust settles, Alasdair Murray
What happens if France votes No?
02 May 2005
In just over two weeks France will hold a referendum on the EU constitutional treaty. The outcome of the 29 May 2005 referendum remains on a knife-edge with the latest polls suggesting the country is split down the middle.
A French lesson for Europe? A guide to the referenda on the EU constitutional treaty
01 April 2005
On 29 May 2005 France will hold the second of ten national referenda on the EU constitutional treaty. The 25 EU governments have until November 2006 to ratify the treaty.
Will the French vote 'Non'
01 February 2005
President Jacques Chirac recently declared that the French referendum on the EU's constitutional treaty would take place "before the summer", and not in the second half of 2005 as previously planned.
Issue 40 - 2005
28 January 2005
- Europe's transformative power, Mark Leonard
- Making multilateralism work, Lord Hannay
- Will the French vote 'Non', Aurore Wanlin
Poland: the EU's new awkward partner
02 February 2004
As a former member of Poland's communist Politburo, Leszek Miller has little in common with Margaret Thatcher or John Major. But the Polish prime minister has adopted very similar negotiating tactics in the EU.
Issue 34 - 2004
30 January 2004
- Jobs for the boys, Steven Everts
- Poland: the EU's new awkward partner, Heather Grabbe
- Policing public sector aid, Alasdair Murray
Issue 30 - 2003
30 May 2003
- Clear skies across the Atlantic , Nick DeLuca
- An unconventional bargain , Steven Everts and Daniel Keohane
- Defrosting the entente glaciale, Charles Grant
The return of Franco-German dominance?
03 February 2003
The Franco-German alliance has provided both stability and momentum to the European Union, for most of its history. But by the time that François Mitterrand and Helmut Kohl left the scene, the EU's 'motor' had more or less broken down.
Issue 28 - 2003
31 January 2003
- How Europe can help the Middle East peace process, Steven Everts
- Is an old versus new European divide replacing East against West?, Heather Grabbe
- The return of Franco-German dominance?, Charles Grant
New designs for Europe
04 October 2002
Everybody agrees that the EU's institutions are in bad need of reform. In the Convention on the Future of Europe, and elsewhere, a real debate has begun on how Europe should be governed.
Playing the European game
03 June 2002
Football is the most European, and simultaneously, the most global of sports. The British Empire spread the game throughout Europe, and then worldwide.
Issue 24 - 2002
31 May 2002
- A 'competence catalogue' is code for protectionism, Ulrike Guérot
- Europe's future is in Ireland's hands , Daniel Keohane
- Playing the European game , Antonio Missiroli
Germany and Britain: An alliance of necessity
04 February 2002
Europe needs Germany and the UK to form an alliance. These two countries are closer than they have been for a generation on many vital issues.