ELIAMEP

The Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP) and the Institure of International Economic Relation (IDOS) will organise seminars for students and professionals in November and December. The theme will be: ‘Greece and the future of the EU’. More information is available on the Greek version of ELIAMEP website.

You can read here the article on Wolfgang Schaueble and the eurozone, which was written by Professor George Pagoulatos. The commentary was published on 15 October 2017 in the Sunday edition of Kathimerini and is available in Greek.

You can read here the article about public opinion and Greek foreign policy which was written by Research Fellow of ELIAMEP Dr Ioannis Armakolas. This commentary was published in the Greek daily Kathimerini on 9 October 2017 [in Greek].

Papazisis publications just published the new book Understanding the Greek Crisis: Answers to Key Questions about the State, the Economy and Europe, edited by Dimitris Katsikas, Kyriakos Filinis and Marianthi Anastasatou. The book is the result of an initiative by ELIAMEP’s Crisis Observatory and its objective is to offer answers to much debated questions about the Greek crisis.

You can find here more information.

The Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy has started a new series of strategic dialogues. The second series is related to the State of the Union of Jean Claude Juncker and how it is perceived by Greek scholars. You can access it here (in Greek).

The “Balkan Silk Road” is the name given to the transport route and logistics corridor that China is beginning to establish in the region. The Balkans, and by extension Southeast Europe, is a region where China can empirically test various elements of its “Belt and Road Initiative” (BRI) which was launched by President Xi Jinping in 2013. As an investor and loan provider for infrastructure projects, China is a newcomer to the region. Its growing footprint in southeast Europe reflects how different actors – the European Union, Russia, Turkey and now China – are positioning themselves and seeking spheres of influence. The level of engagement by Chinese state-owned companies, political leaders and lending institutions in Central, Eastern and Southeast Europe is gradually redefining the relationships between China and countries comprising Southeast Europe. Greece, Serbia, the FYR of Macedonia and Bosnia-Hercegovina see in China the opportunity to provide them with the financial assistance to build highways, expand harbours and modernize public utilities.

Working Paper 82/2017:  Opening a New Silk Road from China 

Author: Dr Jens Bastian

ELIAMEP Crisis Observatory participates in the bi-regional research programme Jean Monnet Network “Crisis-Equity-Democracy for Europe and Latin America”. The aim is the comparative study of crisis and crisis management as well as its social and democratic implications, in Europe and Latin AmericaThis process will allow an exchange of information and experiences between Europe and Latin America, but also the opening of a bi-regional dialogue on the social and macroeconomic policies and crisis management, providing additional content to the Strategic Alliance  the Summits EU-CELAC are supposed to build.

The programme will be coordinated by IRELAC with the participation of:

Institute of International Relations of the University of Sao Paulo (IRI-USP) (Brazil)

Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP)

Istituto Affari Internazionali (Italy)

Academic Researcher: Stephan Schulmeister (Austria)

IRELAC (Belgium)

The duration of the project is three years (September 2016-August 2019).

For further information, please contact Dimitris Katsikas, head of Crisis Observatory.

The programme is co-funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ programme.

The kick-off meeting of the programme was held on 6th June 2017 in Brussels where Dimitris Katsikas represented the Crisis Observatory.

You can find here  the full schedule of the event.

On the occasion of the event organised by ELIAMEP, the Embassy of the US in Athens and GMF on 26 September 2017, Kathimerini reported on discussions held. You can access the article here (in Greek)

The project is geared towards enhancing the knowledge and debate about the European integration project and the role of citizens. Within and beyond a network of renowned policy institutes specialising in EU affairs, the partners intend to enhance (i) participatory and (ii) representative democracy and (iii) accountability in the EU, and thereby strive “Towards a Citizens’ Union” (2CU).

2CU fosters the dialogue between the academic world and policy-makers and to build bridges between different communities. The defined target group captures a wide cross-section of interlocutors, e.g. other think tankers, academics, politicians, national and EU-level policy-makers, representatives of civil society organisations (CSOs), and journalists.

The project’s objectives are:

– To inform and influence national and EU-level debates about the citizens’ union

– To advance knowledge and experience of (young) researchers

– To advance the study area at (inter)national level

Its activities include:

• Organizing research workshops to simulate negotiations in the 3 key subject areas, “researchers-meet-EU policy-makers” seminars to gain feedback, and public outreach events to stimulate debate in capitals across Europe.
• Producing a series of policy briefs, published online and disseminated widely, as well as a final report synthesising findings and offering policy recommendations.

The project will be carried out by a consortium of 19 partners

• CENTRE FOR EUROPEAN POLICY STUDIES
• CENTRE FOR LIBERAL STRATEGIES
• EUROPEAN INSTITUTE FOUNDATION
• ISTITUTO AFFARI INTERNAZIONALI
• SABIEDRISKAS POLITIKAS CENTRS PROVIDUS
• Latvijas Arpolitikas instituts
• FUNDACJA INSTYTUT SPRAW PUBLICZNYCH
• EUROPEAN DIN ROMANIA
• Centre for International Information and Documentation
• Centre for European Reform
• Carnegie Europe
• STIFTUNG WISSENSCHAFT UND POLITIK
• Österreichische Gesellschaft für Europapolitik
• Institute of International Relations
• Tænketanken Europa
• ELIAMEP
• WISEEUROPA – FUNDACJA WARSZAWSKI INSTYTUT STUDIOW EKONOMICZNYC
• FUNDACION REAL INSTITUTO ELCANO DE ESTUDIOS INTERNACIONALES
• SLOVENSKA SPOLOCNOST PRE ZAHRANICNU POLITIKU
• Finnish Institute of International Affairs

Duration of the project: 1/09/2017 – 31/08/2020

Contact persons at ELIAMEP

Dr. Filippa Chatzistavrou

Konstantinos Papanikolaou

Co-funded by Erasmus+ Jean Monnet actions 2017

Sorry, this entry is only available in Greek.

Joining the debate on the role of President of Russia Vladimir Putin in international politics and the relations between Russia and the West, the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy publishes (in Greek) a relevant working paper written by Mr Alexandros Mpoufessis. You can access it here.

President XI Jinping’s “Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), launched in 2013, seeks to expand and secure maritime routes, road networks, railway and bridge infrastructure projects for China from Asia across Africa to the Middle East and Europe. The Chinese blueprint includes a mosaic of infrastructure investments, trade agreements, energy cooperation and establishing a financial footprint through extensive lending arrangements. The Balkan Silk Road initiative connects Beijing with Athens and establishes further infrastructure links with Belgrade, Sarajevo, Skopje, Budapest, Tirana, Podgorica, etc.

Seen from a southeast European perspective, the BRI has major repercussions in countries as diverse as Greece, Serbia, FYR Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Port infrastructure, highway projects, high-speed railway links and thermal power plant renovation form the constituent elements of the BRI in southeast Europe.

The report – written by the independent economic analyst Dr. Jens Bastian – was commissioned by the EBRD in London. It was presented and subsequently made available as a public document on Thursday, 14. September 2017. On the invitation of the South-East Europe” and the “Asian Studies” Programmes of ELIAMEP, Dr. Jens Bastian presented the report at the Office of the European Parliament in Athens.

Prof. Loukas Tsoukalis, President of ELIAMEP, chaired the event.

Dr. Peter Sanfey, Deputy Director for Country Economics and Policy at the EBRD made introductory remarks.

Dr. Plamen Tonchev, Head of Asia Unit at the Institute of International Economic Relations (IIER), Athens  served as a discussant to Dr. Bastian’s report

You can read here the article on required changes in the Greek national security, which was written by Director General of ELIAMEP Dr Thanos Dokos. This commentary was published in the Greek daily Kathimerini on 9 August 2017 [in Greek].

The Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy starts a new series of strategic dialogues. The failure of negotiations on the Cyprus Question is the first theme of analysis. You can find more information on the Greek version of our website.

Sorry, this entry is only available in Greek.

Transatlantic relations have entered a difficult period since the inauguration of Donald Trump. While during the administration of Barack Obama collaboration and mutual understanding were taken for granted on a plethora of issues of joint interest, the new US president does not significantly count on Europe. Although he has softened his rhetoric in comparison to his comments before the election of last November – principally regarding his support for NATO – the US and the EU have not yet worked out how their new symbiosis will look in the next four years.

Meetings between Trump and European leaders help both sides formulate their approaches. In that regard, the third visit of the US president to the EU deserves particular attention as he decided to go to Paris, accepting the invitation of his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron to attend the Bastille Day celebrations. The timing is symbolic. This year, American troops joined their French allies in the annual parade, to mark 100 years since the US intervened in World War I.

Until their recent meeting in Paris, Trump and Macron had met on the sidelines of other multilateral summits and events such as a NATO gathering in Brussels. One of their initial handshakes is still attracting the attention of international media. Macron treated Trump to a strong handshake in front of the cameras in May, which he then refused to release for several long moments. As he explained to French media, he wanted to show he would not make small concessions to his American counterpart.

In the French capital, the two presidents had of course much more to say than focusing on handshakes and publicly explaining them. Although their meetings started with Trump’s bizarre compliment of Macron’s wife, Brigitte, on her figure, the two leaders did later start serious discussions about Syria and terrorism. As Macron asserted during the press conference, both countries are “determined to take any necessary measures in order to root out terrorism and to eradicate it no matter where, in particular the narrative on the Internet” and also tackle cyber crime.

Also, the two presidents agreed to work together in Syria supporting a political roadmap for the post-conflict days, months and years. It is important to mention – as Macron revealed – that Paris no longer requires Assad’s departure. This constitutes a fundamental shift in French policy.

From the American side, however, the outlook for the future is obscure. Trump praised Macron in the press conference saying that “the friendship between our two nations – and [themselves] is unbreakable.” However, as it is the case with almost all of his public remarks, he was ambiguous on critical issues.

It is not clear how the US and France will cooperate on trade as Trump advocates a new type of protectionism and Macron is always talking about free trade, or more recently about fair trade, possibly as a courtesy to his American counterpart. France is enjoying a trade surplus with the US that amounted to $15.6 billion in 2016 with the total trade volume reaching approximately $78 billion.

Cooperation between the US and France on climate change also remains a mystery. Trump sent ambivalent messages about the Paris agreement when he said, “Something could happen with respect to the Paris Accord. We’ll see what happens.” With regard to NATO contributions, Trump is demanding member states spend two percent of GDP on defense. France’s current contribution is 1.8 percent. It is close to the target but still falls short of satisfying Washington’s interests.

Last but not least, it is worth-mentioning that both Trump and Macron referred to their Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping with great respect in the press conference. Trump described him as a “friend” who “loves China” and “wants to do what’s right for [it].” Macron announced that he will visit Beijing early next year, and said that he saw China as “a key partner in order to build peace all around the world” and commented positively on Xi’s multilateralism vision. When two world leaders meet to discuss other topics and simultaneously talk about the need for cooperation with China, this clearly shows the growing international role of the country.

Πηγή: Global Times

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 13 July 2017 [in Greek].

The London School of Economics and the Hellenic Observatory published a new book on Greece: Modernisation and Europe 20 years. The book is edited by Dr Spyros Economides. Contributions include chapters written by Professors Loukas Tsoukalis, George Pagoulatos and Dimitri Sotiropoulos.  By clicking here, you can access the book.

Assessments of the quality of democracy focus on deviations from the rule of law and decreasing levels of political participation, but do not adequately explore the mechanisms through which the quality of democracy decreases. Populism is such a mechanism, used by populist leaders, after they ascent to power. Populism is combined with clientelism and corruption to form means of political domination in democratic regimes which are backpedalling or backsliding. Examples are three recently consolidated democratic regimes of Western Balkans. The governments of Aleksandar Vucic in Serbia, Nikola Gruevski in FYR Macedonia and Milo Djukanovic in Montenegro purposefully use populism, clientelism and corruption. Although not present in all backsliding democracies, populism, clientelism and corruption are associated with backsliding from recently consolidated democracies and deterioration of the quality of democracy.

Τhe paper written by Dr Dimitri A. Sotiropoulos is available here.

You can read here the article about terrorism and the refugee crisis, which was written by Director General of ELIAMEP Dr Thanos Dokos. This commentary was published in the Greek daily Kathimerini on 9 July 2017 [in Greek].