European Union

To ensure circularity, it is critical that secondary raw materials find their way into new products with the least environmental impact. Paper recycling is already high-quality recycling, as it is recycled back into paper products. A material recycling loop is the best way forward for paper and board recycling.

The biggest group in the European Parliament, the centre-right European People's Party, has recently adopted a more aggressive approach towards key legislative proposals, upsetting some of its lawmakers and putting the balance of the EU's legislative machine at risk.

The Covid-19 pandemic, Russia’s war against Ukraine, and intensifying US-China competition and its repercussions on EU member states have prompted the bloc to increasingly reflect on its position on the geopolitical chessboard and forced it to take concrete action.

As a result, the EU has adopted many new instruments and policies allowing the bloc to act in a unified and more resolute manner: the Covid recovery plan and the European Green Deal as economic answers aim to restore growth and economic recovery whilst also making the EU economic fit for the future. In the field of security and defence, the adoption of the Strategic Compass was a major achievement to outline the EU’s ambition and planned tools as a security actor. And lastly, the combination of its different tools to react to Russia’s war against Ukraine — sanctions, massive economic support for Ukraine, enlargement as a geopolitical tool, and funding of lethal weapons through the European Peace Facility — shows that the EU has beefed up its role as an actor in international security.

 

Strategy for European Sovereignty: In the Making

These actions are also increasingly underpinned by strategy based on the objective of European sovereignty: this implies reducing dependencies and define European approaches to global challenges based on European interests, while working with partners wherever possible. The EU’s strategies published over the last year — such as its maritime security strategy and or cyber security strategy — as well as the announced economic security strategy reflect that specific strategies slowly merge into an embryo of grand strategy for European sovereignty.

As such, the European sovereignty agenda is good news for the European continent. A European Union that is more able to act in strategic domains can generate concrete benefits for member states and ultimately EU citizens, but is also a more capable partner in international affairs.

 

EU-UK Relations

Nevertheless, the EU’s sovereignty agenda also implies the need to adapt for the country that deliberately decided to leave the bloc: the UK. While relations between the EU and Britain have visibly been warming up since Prime Minister Sunak has taken office, EU-UK relations still need to catch up with the EU’s sovereignty agenda. The UK’s relations with the bloc mostly rely on the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), which entered into force in 2021 and focuses mostly on free trade, but also includes provisions on judicial cooperation. In contrast, there is no framework on cooperation on geopolitical challenges, such as security and defence, or questions like jointly securing supply chains for the European continent. London has managed relations in these fields either with EU member states on a bilateral level, coordination within NATO, or more informal international formats like the G7 or the G20.

 

Challenges of EU Engagement

The EU’s increasing actorness in security and defence can hence pose a challenge to London – but also constitute an opportunity. The fact that member states have enhanced their cooperation through Brussels makes the EU institutions more important interlocutors in strategic domains; the creation of the EU-US Trade and Technology Council, as well as its EU-India equivalent, are just one example. Similarly, Brussels is seeking closer ties with partners in the Indo-Pacific on supply chains, or aims to install a dialogue with the US on working with partners of the “Global South”. All these issues are also of high strategic importance for the UK, and both the “Refresh” of the Integrated Review and recent statements from the British government show that London is aware of the necessity to work more closely with the EU. In fact, the EU is the most salient framework for the UK to engage on many of these issues — and this is something that other partners already realised earlier. Through the Johnson years and following its quest for “Global Britain”, London has lost time to think about constructive engagement with the EU as a bloc. In other words, it now needs to catch up.

This phase of catching up can also be a significant opportunity for London. Besides the fact that public opinion now creates a permissive political environment at home than a few years ago, the financial weight of the EU still makes it an attractive partner not only for the UK, but also for EU-UK cooperation with partners outside the European continent. A first concrete example for enhancing cooperation could be cooperation on supply chains with Indo-Pacific countries. In the field of security and defence, the UK’s participation in the military mobility project of the EU’s Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) shows that this cooperation on practical matters is not only possible, but objectively a reasonable solution.

In the end, the UK cannot escape its geography, and geography makes that the UK will remain part of the European continent. That’s also why the UK must take reflections on European sovereignty – which goes beyond EU sovereignty – seriously and actively engage in them.

 

 

The UACES microgrant allowed me to travel to London for field research, and gather additional data through exchanges with policy-makers and experts on the UK’s view on current developments in the EU and the debate on European sovereignty. This was also part of the interviews I conducted for my PhD research on ad hoc formats in European defence cooperation.

 

 

The post European Sovereignty Agenda and the UK: Time to Catch Up appeared first on Ideas on Europe.

President Joe Biden said on Monday (19 June) the threat of Russian President Vladimir Putin using tactical nuclear weapons is "real", days after denouncing Russia's deployment of such weapons in Belarus.

A new report by the European Court of Auditors throws cold water on Europe’s ambition to be the world’s global battery powerhouse, warning that the EU is at risk of losing the battery race.

The EU's 27 energy ministers could not agree on extending state aid to investments in existing nuclear assets when they met on Monday (19 June), with Germany, Austria and Luxembourg warning this will heavily benefit France and distort the EU's internal market.

This special report takes a closer look at the European Commission's proposal to review the EU's seven-year budget, the so-called multi-annual financial framework (MFF), which has come under pressure due to rising costs and emergency needs.

The EU's Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), unveiled earlier this year, is a landmark piece of legislation in Europe’s journey towards a more sustainable and competitive industrial future. Despite its promising elements, the current proposal omits a component that is key to Europe's smooth transition to a greener economy and increased industrial resilience: aluminium.

UACES Chair, Prof Simon Usherwood

Dear Colleagues

One of the great pleasures of being Chair of UACES is the repeated opportunity to talk with colleagues who have contributed to the life of the Association through the years and who continue to want to do their bit to our on-going endeavours.

It’s fair to say that Prof Uwe Kitzinger did more than most in that regard, and so news of his death recently has rightly been felt across our community: our thoughts go to his family and friends. As Prof Willie Paterson explains in his obituary for us, Uwe was responsible for setting up the Journal of Common Market Studies and making it the flagship journal for European Studies. His foresight in keeping ownership with UACES laid the foundations for a stream of income that makes the Association quite so much as it does: any of you who have received funding from us have done so in no small part thanks to Uwe.

As Willie writes, Uwe did much more than this and I encourage you to reflect on how we can all make a contribution to our professional community and to society at large. Perhaps more than most fields of study, the connection between our research and those beyond academia is clear and pertinent and we have a responsibility to help inform and educate where we can.

With that in mind, I’m very happy that we can also announce the relaunch of our Research Networks programme. This offers funding to support on-going collaborations of colleagues in more focused fields, while also stimulating work that the entire membership can access and benefit from. Notably, we have moved away from fixed terms and our support will be dependent upon both the number of people involved and the maintenance of activity, which will give you more scope to optimise your network to your needs.

You have until 30 September to apply and I look forward to seeing the first fruits of the successful applications at our conference in Trento next year.

Mention of the conference also prompts me to encourage any of you yet to secure accommodation for Belfast this September to do so as soon as possible, since it appears various world-class musical acts (and Lewis Capaldi) will be playing that week. I am sure that those trying to double-head their trip will share their hard-rockin’/head-noddin’ experiences during the coffee breaks.

And for those of you who think they can top all that, we are now looking for a host for 2026. If you want to see 400 colleagues what you and your town/city are all about, then you have the summer to register your expression of interest.

Finally, I’m very happy to note various changes to the UACES team. Dr Vivianne Gravey and Dr Koen Slootmaeckers will take up their positions as Secretary and EDI Officer respectively this September. Both Dr Kathryn Simpson and Prof Roberta Guerrina have given a lot to these roles during the past three years, providing thoughtful and constructive support in making their portfolios work during what was a less-than-ideal set of circumstances with the pandemic.

On the Committee, we say goodbye and thanks to Prof Ben Farrand for his work, and welcome Dr Ben Leruth and Dr Olga Litvyak as new members. Every year we look to colleagues to give some time to being part of the Committee and it was really heartening to see so a strong roster of candidates this year.

And finally, we have a new member of the UACES Office. Ollie Pilkington brings a great breadth of experience to his position as Events Officer and it’s been great to see him step into the role so smoothly this spring. Emma Marlow, who did so much for this position for over three years, goes to new work with our best wishes and thanks.

So as the summer sets in and we all wonder whether we really should have said yes to those book chapters that are due last week, I will wish you all an excellent break and hope that I see very many of you in Belfast in September, where you are welcome to explain why I am wrong about Lewis Capaldi.

 

Prof Simon Usherwood, UACES Chair

 

 

The post UACES Chair’s Message — June 2023 appeared first on Ideas on Europe.

The European Commission is pushing for certain kinds of gene-edited plants to be treated as conventionally produced plants, according to a leaked draft of the EU executive's upcoming proposal, garnering mixed reactions from stakeholders. 

Ukraine has shown that it is possible to rebuild during active conflict, and it is vital that post-war planning should move to an advanced stage. But this can only be a success in the context of the country’s long-term future...

This hearing will serve to prepare the joint report on “Implementation of the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) – Global Europe", two years since the beginning of the MFF 2021-2027 and the entry into force of the regulation.
This has taken place in a challenging global context marked, among others, by the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic and by Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. The hearing, and report, will enable the Parliament to provide recommendations ahead of the mid-term evaluation of the Global Europe instrument, which the Commission shall conclude by the end of 2024.

The hearing will be moderated by Tomas TOBÉ (EPP, DEVE Chair), Pedro MARQUES (S&D, AFET), Charles GOERENS (Renew, DEVE) and Eider GARDIAZABAL (S&D, BUDG).
Location : European Parliament, Brussels, room Antall 2Q2
Poster of the hearing
Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP

From June 24 to June 28, MEPs and parliamentarians from 78 African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries will meet in Brussels.

Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP

From June 24 to June 28, MEPs and parliamentarians from 78 African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries will meet in Brussels.

Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP

With a natural agricultural potential, sound investment climate and unprecedented state measures, Kazakhstan can become a reliable partner of the European Union in enhancing regional and global food security, writes Yerbol Karashukeyev.

Rewatch this EURACTIV Virtual Conference to explore the EU's Farm to Fork Strategy and learn what lies ahead for the future of food and sustainable food systems. Does the EU's Farm to Fork Strategy go far enough? What elements should be included in the proposed legislative framework for sustainable food systems (FSFS) to accelerate the transition towards sustainable food systems?

Ukraine said on 19 June that Hungary has been ignoring requests for contact with prisoners of war that Kyiv said had been secretly transferred from Russia and called the move an act of self interest on Viktor Orbán's side.

Interest rate rises set by the European Central Bank (ECB) to curb inflation will take their toll in terms of lower economic growth, Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti said on Monday (19 June).

In today’s edition of the Capitals, find out more about Czechia planning to push for lower VAT on recycled products, Montenegro sentencing a fugitive Korean crypto king to jail, and so much more.

Monday saw two shock bombs set off near the police station in Zvecan, north Kosovo, as tensions continue to simmer and the EU issued an ultimatum to Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksander Vucic to return to...