ELIAMEP

The content is available in Greek.

You can read here the article on Greece and the challenge of migration, which was written by Director General of ELIAMEP Dr Thanos Dokos. This commentary was published in the Greek daily Kathimerini on 26 January 2016.

Dr Eleni Panagiotarea wrote an article in Kathimerini discussing the Greek economic policy. The article was published on 12 January 2016 and is available here .

The Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP) and the Embassy of Japan in Greece would like to cordially invite you to a public event on the theme of: “Maritime Security – Difference between Europe and Asia”.

Welcoming Remarks:
H.E Amb. Masuo Nishibayashi, Embassy of Japan, Athens

Speaker:
Prof. Satoshi Morimoto, National Security and Defense Policy Specialist & former Minister of Defense, Tokyo

Chair:
Dr. Thanos Dokos, Director General, ELIAMEP, Athens

The event will be held in English, on Friday 15 January 2016, at 11:00, at the Basil and Marina Theocharakis Foundation for the Fine Arts and Music (9, Vassilissis Sofias Avenue & 1, Merlin Street, 106 71 Athens).

You are kindly requested to confirm your participation to Ms. Anastasia Chatzopoulou by 13 January 2016 (Tel. 2107257124, E-mail:activities@eliamep.gr).

The content is available in Greek.

You can read here the article on perspectives for Greek foreign policy in 2016, which was written by Director General of ELIAMEP Dr Thanos Dokos. This commentary was published in the Greek daily Kathimerini on 2 January 2016.

Research Fellow of  ELIAMEP Dr Filippa Chatzistavrou discussed  the Greek crisis and the role of the EU in an interview with RTBF. The interview is available here.

In ELIAMEP Working Paper 69/2015 Research Associate of Migration Programme Ms Eleni Zervos analyses sex trafficking in Greece. In particular, she focuses on structural barriers and vulnerability victims face in seeking protection.

Since the early 2000s in Western Balkans (WBs) powerful groups have misused democracy in numerous ways. Governing elites have tolerated the capture of public policy sectors by business conglomerates and have also invited in selected businessmen to capture such sectors.  Elites have adapted to inherited frail institutions and have created other deficient institutions to serve their changing strategies. To a lesser extent, the same holds for policy capture by relatively privileged occupational groups of insiders, who are less powerful than elites. On their way up to enrichment and reproduction of relatively privileged status, elites and privileged occupational groups have not encountered the obstacles usually found in other European democracies, such as a relatively strong parliament, judiciary, civil society, mass media and a public bureaucracy functioning with a minimum of autonomy from the government. Policy capture would have been impossible without first achieving and consolidating the supremacy of the government over the legislature and the judiciary. This vital for contemporary democracies balance of powers has been destroyed in WBs to an extent larger than in other European democracies. It will not be rectified, as long as civil society and parliamentary opposition remain weak, while media pluralism is restricted in WB democracies.

Working Paper 70/2015: An Inventory of Misuses of Democracy in Western Balkans

Author: Dimitri A. Sotiropoulos

More than any other conflicts globally that of Palestine-Israel remains an enigmatic riddle waiting to be deciphered. After more than seven decades of constant regional instability and many efforts to reach a consensus, few things have changed today. This period has been one of the most fruitful in the diplomatic history of the conflict. It is perhaps the most productive one after the Oslo Accords (1993). As a result of the upgrade of the representation of Palestine to a non-member observer State in UN in November 2012 and the subsequent change of the mission title from “Palestine (represented by PLO)” to State of Palestine, in 2014 there was an intensive political effort by the international community to take the initiative and create the suitable political framework that could revive negotiations and lead to a permanent and viable solution to the conflict.

Cooperation between Greece and Palestine is much needed both in regard to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and in areas of mutual interest. Greek-Palestinian relations are of particular importance for geopolitical stability in the Eastern Mediterranean involving a series of issues including that of Cyprus. Increased cooperation between Palestine and Greece is a positive factor for enhancing geopolitical stability in the region. As a result of bilateral contact and cooperation both countries can be benefited mutually, both in resolving critical issues related to geopolitical stability and security and the geopolitical configuration of a secure environment conducive to the economic development of these areas.

Description: The Palestine News Forum is an online news platform and part of the ELIAMEP Middle East Research Project, focusing on political, economic and cultural news and developments regarding Palestine and Palestinian-Greek relations. These topics aim to provide the reader with an update as a means of shedding more light to this riddle which has a strong impact on future regional developments.

Week period 1

The unanimous decision of the plenary committee of the Greek Parliament that urges the Greek government to recognise the Palestinian State in conjunction with the visit of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Athens on 20-22 / 12/2015  are developments of particular importance both for bilateral Greek-Palestinian relations and the Palestinian Question. It reiterates the historical friendship of the two peoples and takes place in a period of geopolitical instability and change of balance of power in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East. Additionally this initiative, which was launched during the presidency of Zoe Konstantopoulou, reflects indirectly the intentions of the Greek foreign policy on the Palestinian issue and the Arab world, boosting the image of the current Greek government in the Greek public opinion. The only imperfection in this initiative of the Greek parliament was the fact that President Abbas spoke at the Senate Hall and not the Plenary Hall.

Just a year ago (12.14.2014, Daily) we wrote about the prospect of an initiative of the Greek Parliament to proceed to the direction of recognising the Palestinian State. The basic argument for such a development is the necessary motivation and diversity of Greek foreign policy in the Middle East with the Palestinian be a reference point in the relationship between Greece and Palestine particularly, and the Arab and Muslim world in general.

As for the decision of the Greek Government to use in the official documents of the Greek state, the term “Palestine” instead of “Palestinian Authority” is in the right direction, but it will become essential when the Greek Government applies systematically the decision of the Greek Parliament. Otherwise it will be a fleeting decision not binding for future Greek governments. Greece is one of the 57 members of a total of 193 members of the UN and one of 21 members in total 28 EU members that have not recognised the Palestinian State government. Knowing that Cyprus, with which Greece shares a common geopolitical, and not only, environment, recognised the Palestinian State in 2013, the question is why Athens is reluctant to do something similar. Obviously the politicians in Greece need to be more courageous and determined.

Currently Greece participates in two “triangles” (Greece-Cyprus-Israel and Greece-Cyprus-Egypt) which form essentially a quadrangular (Greece-Cyprus-Israel-Egypt). In this context the Greece-Cyprus-Palestine relations have their own potential regardless of whether there is in practice an independent Palestinian state. The size and importance of Palestine is not confined to the narrow context of a nation-state but is represented by the Palestinian Diaspora around the world. The power of the Diaspora is greater in the economy and culture although politically-strategically there is not yet a state-benchmark for this. The Greek political and business world needs to acknowledge the strength of the Palestinian Diaspora in order to continue the Greek-Palestinian cooperation in the future on more solid foundations. When this is understood, then we can talk about a new regional triangle, that between Greece-Cyprus-Palestine.

This article was published in Kathimerini.

You can read here the article on the challenge of migration, which was written by Director General of ELIAMEP Dr Thanos Dokos. This commentary was published in the Greek daily Kathimerini on 16 December 2015.

President of ELIAMEP, Professor Loukas Tsoukalis will be the Pierre Keller Visiting Professor at Harvard University for the Spring Semester 2016. He will teach a graduate course on ‘The Political Economy of European Integration in Crisis’ at the Harvard Kennedy School.

You can find here more information.

Europe is imbued with a multitude of social, cultural, economic and political meanings. In their new book Professor Anna Triandafyllidou and Dr Ruby Gropas show that there can be no single definition of Europe but that a lot can be learned from addressing its diverse meanings.

In particular, the authors of this comprehensive text present an authoritative yet accessible introduction to understanding Europe today, moving beyond accounts of European integration to provide a holistic and nuanced study of contemporary Europe and its historical development.

This book explores evolving definitions of Europe from antiquity, to the Cold War, right through to Europe in the midst of the Eurozone and global financial crises. By examining the different roles and meanings that Europe has held inside and outside of the continent, including the European Union’s ‘branding’ of Europe, the text grounds its analysis in an understanding of Europes plural.  Chapters explore concepts of Europe as civilization, Europe as progress, Europe as unity and Europe as diversity.

How do Europeans think of themselves and their respective national identities in a multicultural and multi-ethnic age? How has modernity and the pre- and post-industrial values of Europe affected the Europe of now and what are the political legacies of Europe?  To what extent are notions of social solidarity shared across the continent? This is the first text to systematically answer these questions, and other, in order to better determine ‘what is Europe?’

You can find here more information on the book ‘What is Europe’ published by Palgrave Macmillan.

You can also read here a sample chapter.

On Tuesday 8 December 2015 the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP) and the Embassy of Israel in Athens organised a discussion on the theme of ‘Developments in Iran: Israeli and European Perspectives‘. The main speaker was Dr Raz Zimmt, Expert on Iran and Research Fellow at the Alliance Center for Iranian Studies at Tel-Aviv University. His talk was followed by comments made by Dr Charalampos Tsardanidis, Director of the Institute of International Economic Relations; Associate Professor, University of the Aegean. Dr Thanos Dokos, Director General of ELIAMEP moderated the discussion.

The event took place at the Representation of European Commission in Greece.

Research Fellow of ELIAMEP Dr Angeliki Dimitriadi gave an interview in the Sunday edition of To Vima newspaper analysing whether Turkey could efficiently co-operate with the EU on the refugee crisis . The article was published on 6 December 2015 and is available here.

The 3rd Annual Conference of the Crisis Observatory will take place on Wednesday, 16 December 2015 (12:00-18:45), at the French Institute of Greece (31 Sina, Athens), on:

“Economic Governance and Democratic Legitimacy in the European Union”

In the first part of the conference (12:00-16:00), eight papers that were distinguished in the Young Scientists Academic Paper Competition of the Crisis Observatory will be presented.

In the second part of the conference, a roundtable discussion on “Economic Governance in the EU: Challenges and Perspectives” (16:30-18:30) will take place. The participants will be:

• Iain Begg (Professorial Research Fellow, European Institute, London School of Economics and Political Science)
• Zsolt Darvas (Senior Fellow, Bruegel)
• Stefano Micossi (Director General, ASSONIME, Professor, College of Europe)
• Nikos Christodoulakis (Former Minister, Professor, Athens University of Economics and Business)

At the closing of the conference, the authors of the four best papers that took part in the Young Scientists Academic Paper Competition of the Crisis Observatory will be awarded monetary prizes (18:30-18:45).

The conference will be held in Greek with simultaneous interpretation in English.

Certificates of attendance will be provided.

The programme of the conference is available here.

You can confirm your participation here by 13/12/2015. Tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

For more information: tel.210-7257110, e-mail: crisisobservatory@eliamep.gr.

The Annual Lecture of ELIAMEP will follow the conference. It will be delivered by Martin Wolf, the principal economic columnist of the Financial Times and internationally acclaimed author. Register for ELIAMEP’s Annual Lecture here.

Das Progressive Zentrum organised  a debate to launch its new project ‘Civil Society Dialogue on Europe ‘ in Athens on Monday 7 December 2015.  The Hellenic Foundation for European & Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP) contributed to this event.  President of ELIAMEP, Professor Loukas Tsoukalis made the introductory remarks and focused on the importance of fostering dialogue. In addition, Research Fellow Dr Eleni Panagiotarea presented the conclusions of the workshop on sustainable growth and Associate Professor of the University of Athens Dimitri A. Sotriopoulos participated in another workshop on euroscepticism proposing measures against the rise of populism.

ELIAMEP provides the channel for recruiting Greek students for the Master’s Programme at the College of Europe through the Greek Selection Committee for the College of Europe, which operates on the ELIAMEP premises. The College of Europe is a centre of academic excellence, with fιve programmes, leading to a Master’s degree. It operates in two campuses, in Bruges (Belgium) and Natolin (Poland). The five one-year programmes are: Politics and Administration, Law, Economics as well as EU International Relations and Diplomacy in Bruges, and the “European Interdisciplinary Studies: The Internal and External Dimensions of the EU” programme in Natolin.

Applying: The requirements for admission are a relevant University degree of good standard and working knowledge (writing and speaking) of English and French.

Closing date for applications is January 20th, 2016. Interviews for short-listed candidates take place in April / May in Athens by the Greek Selection Committee. Application files should include the documents (in English or in French) listed below:

1. The Application Form of the College of Europe.

2. a CV indicating the totality of your studies as well as the grades obtained.

3. a certified copy of your degree(s) (if you are not yet in possession of your final degree, please send it as soon as it is available).

4. a transcript from your University, Faculty, School, detailing results for every year of your studies and grades obtained.

5. 2 letters of recommendation from two of your university professors.

No other documents are required. Please note that applications which are not complete, especially with respect to the certificates detailing the results of your studies and the marks obtained cannot be taken into consideration. Please also note that the Master’s Degrees awarded from the College of Europe are now recognized from the National Academic Recognition Information Center (NARIC).

Applications should be sent electronically to the College of Europe and in hardcopies to ELIAMEP, at the following address:

ELIAMEP, College of Europe, 49, Vas Sofias Ave, 106 76 Athens Greece

Applications need to be sent both electronically for the College and in hardcopy for the Greek Selection Committee in order to be considered as eligible.

For further information and a brochure, do not hesitate to contact Ms. Matina Meintani, tel: +30 210 360 7611.

You can read here the article on the day after the downing of the Russian plane, which was written by Director General of ELIAMEP Dr Thanos Dokos. This commentary was published in the Greek daily Kathimerini on 3 December  2015.