July 2023

Dear Readers,

"Strategy" is the word of the month as our latest edition of GED Monthly kicks-off with analyses of EU efforts to instil this virtue into its economic and trade policies, before inviting you to revisit our webinar on Germany’s first National Security Strategy.

Further articles consider Spain’s assumption of the Presidency of the EU Council, the role of transition regions in achieving the EU’s political aim of economic cohesion and latest opinion polling on European support for Ukraine at war.

With warm wishes,

Stephan Vopel and Malte Zabel

Director and Co-Director
Europe’s Future Program

 
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The European Economic Security Strategy: Zeitenwende in the EU’s Trade and Investment Policy?

Owing to its nature as an economic bloc, the EU has always been a classic free trader. However, Trump’s trade war against its closest ally, China’s increasing willingness to coerce other countries economically and Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine have shaken EU confidence to its core. Against this backdrop, the quest for an EU-wide economic security approach finds itself high on the agenda.
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Cluster Risk, Digitisation and Geopolitics: Why The EU Needs a Strategic Trade Policy

The early 1980s saw the development of the theory of strategic trade policy, which attempted to answer the question of how a country might increase its own prosperity through trade policy measures in the case of market imperfections, especially in oligopolistic markets. Today we see new market imperfections that justify the use of trade and economic policy instruments. Against this backdrop, we set out five reasons why the EU should revamp the way it trades with the world.
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Reichstag building in Berlin, Germany.

Germany’s First National Security Strategy: The Strategic Journey Has Just Begun

The German government last month adopted its first National Security Strategy. Our Executive Board Member Daniela Schwarzer and Christian Mölling, Deputy Director of the Research Institute of the German Council on Foreign Relations, hosted a joint webinar with Minister of State Tobias Lindner and renowned international experts to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the strategy – as well as the steps to follow.
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The Green Tech Potential of EU Transition Regions is Key to the Aim of European Cohesion

Europe’s economy is undergoing two significant transformations, known as the twin transition. The European Green Deal requires the economy to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, while the Digital Decade underlines the need to innovate to compete with the USA and China. Building on our recent study on how to square future technologies with the aim of EU cohesion, we dive deep into the specific role of transition regions. Read more

 
Elections in Spain for EU parliament. Hand inserting an envelope in a Spanish flag ballot box on European Union flag background

National Elections Loom as Spain Assumes the Presidency of the Council of the European Union

Spain is poised to take the helm of the European Union’s political agenda for the second half of the year as it assumes the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union from Sweden on July 1st. The Council presidency comes during times of turmoil for Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez who has just recently called for snap elections in his country following a stunning defeat in regional elections in May.
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Monitoring Europeans’ Support for Ukraine and Ukrainians since March 2022

Will support for Ukraine endure? How is it evolving? These are the questions many analysts are posing as Russia’s war against Ukraine continues. Drawing on recent opinion polling in 27 EU countries, we set out how the intense debate on energy security, energy-saving measures, and efforts to support Ukraine in defending itself against Russian aggression have influenced views across Europe since the war began.
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In the next edition

 

In the next edition we will look at developments in the Trade and Technology Council (TTC) as well as the NATO summit in Vilnius.

To keep abreast of our work, please keep an eye on our blog: globaleurope.eu

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