ELIAMEP

The Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP) and the International Affairs Institute (IAI) in Rome, organised an International Conference entitled “Which “Crisis”? Understanding and Addressing Migration”. The event was organized within the framework of the New-Med, a research project developed by IAI, in cooperation with the OSCE, the German Marshall Fund (GMF) of the United States, Compagnia di San Paolo, and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

 

The conference was held in English, on Friday, 16 December 2016 at 09:45-16:00, at the Representation of the European Commission in Athens (2 Vas. Sofias Ave., ground floor).

You may find the agenda of the conference here.

You can read here the article on Greek foreign policy, which was written by Director General of ELIAMEP Dr Thanos Dokos. This commentary was published in the Greek daily Kathimerini on 15 December 2016 [in Greek].

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On December 5, 2016, the Turkish Earth observation satellite Göktürk-1 has been launched in low earth orbit of 700 km. This optical satellite, which costed 260 million usd has a very high resolution (70 cm in panchromatic and 2.5 meters in color) and has a life expectancy of seven years. Major European aerospace industries (Telespazio and Thales Alenia Space) were enabled in its construction with the help of Turkish institutions such as the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), Aselsan and TUBITAK. The Göktürk-1, followed Göktürk-2, launched in 2012, and constructed mainly in Turkey. This short analysis focuses on the implications this new satellite could have for Greece. Obviously the existence of two satellites increases the effectiveness of intelligence gathering from space as it will provide imagery with higher spatial and temporal resolution. Also a mobile ground receiving station will support theater operations. But the combination of large amounts of data with fewer image analysts, is an internationally well-known problem which does not always ensure operational advantage. Furthermore, the ‘cleansing’ inside the Turkish Air Force, which operates the Göktürk space program, after the attempted coup of July 15, 2016, have been significant. It is reasonable to expect that these might affect the operation of the program. This fact coupled with the damage suffered at the ground station of Turksat telecommunications satellite in Ankara during the coup attempt, indicates that there will be delays in the expected operation of the Turkish space program and largely negate the comparative advantage that Turkey could have in other circumstances.

Briefing Note 50/2016: The launch of Göktürk-1 and its implications for Greece (in Greek)

Author: Alexandros Kolovos

Southeast European and Black Sea Studies’ most recent issue is now available online. It is a special issue entitled ‘Exit from Democracy: Illiberal Governance in Turkey and Beyond,’ edited by Kerem Öktem & Karabekir Akkoyunlu, both of the Centre of Southeast European Studies, Graz.
The issue is very timely in light of the coup attempt in Turkey and its aftermath, as well as the global climate in general. It includes articles examining authoritarianism, populism, democratic breakdown and state capacity in both a Turkish and wider context.You can find here more information.

You can read here the article on the rise of populists, which was written by Professor George Pagoulatos. The commentary was published on 11 December 2016  in the Sunday edition of Kathimerini and is available in Greek.

The new book of Loukas Tsoukalis: In Defense of Europe. Can the European project be saved? has been published in Greek by Papadopoulos Publishing House. Europe has not been so weak and divided for a long time. Buffeted by a succession of crises, it has shown a strong collective survival instinct but a poor capacity to deliver. Loukas Tsoukalis is critical of the way Europe has handled its multiple crises in recent years. He addresses the key issues and difficult choices facing Europe today.

In particular:

- Can Europe hold together? Under what terms? And for what purpose?

- A look at the key choices facing Europe today, by a leading political economist and former special adviser to the President of the European Commission

- Explains how the international financial crisis has become an existential crisis of European integration

- Asks whether Europe can ovecome the basic contradiction of a currency without a state

- Looks at how the European Union can accommodate greater internal diversity – and thereby hope to avoid a Brexit or a Grexit

- Examines whether there is an irreconcilable contradiction between Europe’s yearning for soft power and the hard realities of the world outside

Book Reviews

‘An inexorable analysis. An eye opener, a heart cry from a true European’ - Herman van Rompuy, former President of the European Council

‘A deeply insightful book that illuminates how only a combination of skill and passion can save Europe’ – Enrico Letta, former Prime Minister of Italy

‘The European project has traditionally been driven by the region’s political, business and technocratic elites, with ordinary people indifferent and often hostile to it, even as benficiaries. This clear-sighted, non-idelogical book shows how this has to change for the project to survive. Tsoukalis argues Europe needs a wide range of reforms that deepens integration in some areas, while allowing for greater differentiation and democratic decision-making in others. He eschews simple solutions and magic pills. It is the book’s great virtue that is clarifies both the scale of the problem and some of the ways forward’ – Dani Rodrik,  Harvard Kennedy School

‘This is an important and enlightening book in which one of the most knowledgeable scholars of European integration takes a hard look at what has has gone wrong over the last quarter century. Though deeply committed to the success of the European project, the author’s account of present European crises is characterized not only by an unflinching realism but also by the masterly integration of economic and political analyses – and by the perceptive reconstruction of the conflicting interests and (mis-) perceptions that explain German, British and Greek contributions to present policy failures. Remarkably, nevertheless, the book ends neither in a counsel of despair nor in idealistic precepts but in a series of pragmatic proposals whose usefulness is not obviously in conflict with political feasibility’ – Fritz W. Scharpf, Max Planck Institute

‘As ever thoughtful and thought-provoking, Loukas Tsoukalis prompts us to re-examine the fundamentals of contemporary European integration. His deep analysis is timely, nuanced and challenging’ - Dame Helen Wallace FBA, British Academy

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President of ELIAMEP, Professor Loukas Tsoukalis wrote an article in the Sunday edition of Kathimerini on the future of Europe. This article was published on 11 December 2016 and is available here (in Greek).

ELIAMEP is looking for an intern to assist in the project “The future of EU-Turkey Relations: Mapping Dynamics and Testing Scenarios” (FEATURE).  More information is available on the Greek version of the website.

In ELIAMEP Briefing Note 49/2016, Bledar Feta and Pranvera Tika, Junior Research Fellows of the South East Europe Program, analyse FYROM’s two-year political stalemate. In particular, they focus on the importance of the upcoming early parliamentary elections as an opportunity for the formation of a stable government that could help the country emerge from political crisis.

The Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP) is interested in hosting researchers intending to submit an application for the call of the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (ELIDEK). Applicants must have a doctoral degree, for no more than 15 years by the time of the call deadline. Further information on the eligibility criteria, the reimbursement rates and the proposal duration and research team, are available in the pre-call text.

ELIAMEP welcomes project proposals from all areas of social, political and economic sciences. Researchers who wish to cooperate with ELIAMEP for the submission of a proposal should send an expression of interest, consisting of a short CV and an abstract of their research proposal, to the email development@eliamep.gr . Expressions of interest may be submitted to ELIAMEP up to 20 December 2016.

 

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You can read here the article on the Cyprus Question, which was written by Director General of ELIAMEP Dr Thanos Dokos. This commentary was published in the Greek daily Kathimerini on 30 November 2016 [in Greek].

The Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP), in collaboration with the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights (NCHR) of the University of Oslo, organizes a workshop on: ‘European Courts, New Technologies and Fundamental Rights’.

The event will be held in English, on Friday, 9 December 2016, from 9:00 to 15:30, at Electra Metropolis Hotel (15 Mitropoleos str., Athens).

The workshop will bring together experts from Norway, Greece and other European countries. It will be closed to the public but representatives of civil society and policy-makers will be invited to attend it.

The event is funded by the EEA Grants NGO Programme in Greece ‘We are all Citizens’ (3rd call for proposals for bilateral initiatives – measure b).

For more information, please contact:

Ms. Aimilia Kontogianni, Τ: 210 7257 123, F: 210 7257114, E-Mail: aimilia.kontog@gmail.com

A roundtable discussion was organised by The Crisis Observatory of the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP) on November 29th on the occassion of the book publication by professor Zafiris Tzannatos entitled: “Greece of Memoranda: 2010-2012. The numbers, the programme and the international experience from 1980″.

The discussion was coordinated by Professor Loukas Tsoukalis, and was held at ELIAMEP’s offices with the participation of academics, researchers and representatives of social organizations.

Director General of ELIAMEP Dr Thanos Dokos wrote an article on Huffington Post on scenarios for a resolution of the Cyprus Question . The article is available here (in Greek).

Associate Professor  at the University of Athens and  Senior Research Fellow at ELIAMEP Dimitri A. Sotiropoulos wrote an article on violence, technology and justice in the Sunday edition of To Vima newspaper. The article was published on 27 November 2016 and is available here (in Greek).

You can read here the article on the Cyprus Question, which was written by Professor Emeritus and Member of the Board of Trustees of ELIAMEP Theodore Couloumbis. This commentary was published on 27 November 2016 in the Sunday edition of Kathimerini. It is available in Greek.

Working Paper 77/2016 written by postdoctoral Fellow of ELIAMEP Dr Dimitris Skleparis is based on the findings of LOMIGRAS research project. In particular, it focuses on longstanding migrants who began to settle in the country since the late 1980s and especially the 1990s. It also analyses migrant integration policies across four municipalities in Greece (Athens, Thessaloniki, Patras, Heraklion) and three policy domains (legal-political, social-economic, and religious-cultural).

Keywords:

Migration, Integration, Inclusion, Local Government, Municipalities