European Parliamentary Research Service Blog
EPRS Strategy
2016: A Year of Shifts and Shocks [What Think Tanks are thinking]
Written by Marcin Grajewski, 2016 may rank as an ‘annus horibilis’ for the European Union – a year when it confronted several simultaneous crises, or a ‘polycrisis’ as the President of the European Commission characterised the situation, including the United Kingdom’s decision to leave the EU, deadly terrorist attacks, migration pressures, growing Russian assertiveness, eurozone … Continue reading
The EU and the fight against terrorism [What Think Tanks are Thinking]
Written by Marcin Grajewski, Following the deadly terrorist attacks in Paris in 2015 and in Brussels and Nice this year, the European Union is moving ahead with its Security Union concept to help strengthen internal security cooperation, combat terrorism and prevent youth radicalisation. As part of anti-terrorist efforts, the European Parliament and the Council are … Continue reading
Time to get tough on tax avoidance: EPRS-OECD conference
Written by Marcin Grajewski, Despite substantial progress in recent years, countries worldwide should step up the fight against corporate tax evasion and tax avoidance, as they deprive governments of much needed funds at a time of fiscal austerity. These activities exacerbate social inequalities that fuel populism, according to politicians and analysts speaking at a conference … Continue reading
EU Defence [What Think Tanks are Thinking]
Written by Marcin Grajewski, Europe’s increasingly unstable neighbourhood, Britain’s plans to leave the European Union and a search for potentially successful areas of cooperation amid several crises have all renewed momentum for increased EU defence cooperation. Plans for stronger military ties among EU Member States, already envisaged in the recent EU Global Strategy, have received … Continue reading
EU energy policy [What Think Tanks are Thinking]
Written by Marcin Grajewski, On 30 November, the European Commission unveiled its ‘Clean Energy for All Europeans‘ legislative package, which it hopes will mark a major step twards creating an Energy Union that ensures a functioning internal market in gas and electricity, addresses security of supply issues, promotes renewable energy sources, encourages energy efficiency and … Continue reading
The EU’s Eastern Partnership [What Think Tanks are Thinking]
Written by Marcin Grajewski, The Eastern Partnership was launched in 2009 as a regional programme of the European Neighbourhood Policy to promote integration and cooperation between the European Union, its Member States and Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. It has achieved limited progress, partly due to conflicts and political instability in the region. … Continue reading
The upcoming Trump Presidency [What Think Tanks are Thinking]
Written by Marcin Grajewski, The Republican candidate, Donald Trump, won the US presidential election on 8 November, unexpectedly defeating the Democratic nominee, former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, after a bitter campaign during which the business tycoon, with little political experience, made a number of controversial promises to radically change the government’s policies on migration, … Continue reading
US elections [What Think Tanks are Thinking]
Written by Marcin Grajewski, The United States choose their next president on 8 November, with implications for international relations, security, trade and fight against climate change. The vote follows an acrimonious campaign, which analysts say points to a deeply divided nation on issues such as the US international role, immigration, social protection, taxation as well … Continue reading
Brexit: Implications and outlook [What Think Tanks are Thinking]
Written by Marcin Grajewski, Uncertainty about the future relations between the European Union and the United Kingdom has contributed to turbulence on financial markets and in European politics, following the country’s vote by referendum on 23 June to leave the EU. The new British Prime Minister, Teresa May, detailed some of her plans in a … Continue reading
Russia and security in Europe [What Think Tanks are Thinking]
Written by Marcin Grajewski, Russia’s assertive foreign policy, its annexation of Crimea and conflict with Ukraine have challenged the post-Cold War security order in Europe, highlighting the need for NATO and the European Union to bolster defence strategies, according to many analysts and politicians. The EU, along with the United States, has imposed sanctions against … Continue reading
The EU’s global role [What Think Tanks are Thinking]
Written by Marcin Grajewski, As foreseen in the European Union’s updated global strategy, the Union aims to play a stronger role in international affairs and conflict resolution, to reinforce a rules-based global order in an increasingly complex world and to better coordinate internal and external actions to bolster security and defence. The document, entitled “Shared … Continue reading
The EU and migration [What Think Tanks are Thinking]
Written by Marcin Grajewski, The migration crisis has eased since the agreement in March between the European Union and Turkey closed one major route through which people had been trying to reach Europe. A long-term solution to a better management of migration flows still appears elusive, as the Turkey deal could still unravel and other … Continue reading
The EU and Western Balkans [What Think Tanks are Thinking]
This note offers links to recent commentaries, studies and reports on the topic from major international think tanks on EU links with Western Balkans and the political and economic situation of the countries in the region. More publications on the EU enlargement can be found in a previous edition of ‘What Think Tanks are Thinking.’ Continue reading
EU environmental policies [What Think Tanks are Thinking]
This note offers links to commentaries, studies and reports on the topic from major international think tanks on EU environmental policies. More publications on the EU role in securing an agreement in Paris last year on handling climate change can be found in a previous edition of ‘What Think Tanks are Thinking.’ Continue reading
The State of the Union [What Think Tanks are thinking]
This note offers links to commentaries, studies and reports on the topic from major international think tanks on the state of the EU and possible reforms. Continue reading
Podcasts of June 2016: Listen again!
Written by Richard Freedman, In the second episode of a series of podcasts on science and technology, in June 2016, we touched on the provocative topic what if our shopping was delivered by drones? With drones becoming more common place and affordable, the list of tasks they could fulfil is only getting bigger! Discover with … Continue reading
Podcasts May 2016: Listen again!
Written by Richard Freedman, In May 2016, EPRS introduced a new series of podcasts focussing on the latest science and technology developments, looking into the impact they will have on our lives and capturing their policy implications. This complimented the two other podcast series namely Plenary and Policy podcasts. What if others could read your … Continue reading
Podcasts April 2016: Listen again!
Written by Richard Freedman, Looking back on this series of EPRS podcasts, in April 2016 the Plenary podcasts focussed on protecting businesses’ trade secrets and on the technical pillar of the fourth railway package. Protecting businesses’ trade secrets Industrial espionage is a growing problem in the EU. To allow companies to better protect their trade … Continue reading
Podcasts of March 2016: Tune in again!
Written by Richard Freedman Returning to March 2016, the Plenary podcasts focussed on the reformed scheme for fruit and milk in schools and market access to port services and financial transparency of ports. Reformed scheme for fruit and milk in schools To promote healthier lifestyles and combat obesity among school children, the European Commission has … Continue reading
The EU, the Middle East and North Africa [What Think Tanks are thinking]
Written by Marcin Grajewski, The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is of strategic importance for the European Union because of its proximity, historic links, energy resources, trade routes and ability to export instability that results from wars, political volatility and poverty in the region. The EU wants to contribute to stability in MENA through … Continue reading
