Security - The New Federalist

The Need for a European Defence Policy

Eurobull has previously discussed the subject of the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). It is one which comes up time and time again in federalist discourse, as a commonly stated key element of a federal state. A federal state is unimaginable without a body controlling foreign and (…)

Sunday 29 November 2020

China and the EU – Why Engagement with China Requires a Unified Strategy

Faced with crisis, including the present Covid-19 pandemic, Europe realizes again how “powerless in spite of its intentions” it is. This is how Dr. Feng Zhongqing, vice president of the Beijing-based China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, describes the current situation of the (…)

Thursday 2 July 2020

A stand for true reciprocity

The participation of Finland, Sweden, Austria and the Netherlands in the next phase of PESCO – the EU’s key defence cooperation framework – should be made conditional, by the Council, upon their reciprocal support of the Next Generation EU recovery package. At this crucial turning point, (…)

Wednesday 17 June 2020

The Munich Conference: the annual meeting for international security

A summary of the first edition of the European Magnifying Glass.

Saturday 4 April 2020

The Munich Security Conference: Where is the Franco-German tandem?

THE EUROPEAN MAGNIFIYING GLASS. The 56th Munich security conference took place on the 14-16th February 2020. This year, the main topic of this annual meeting, dedicated to international security issues, was the “decline of the West.” The European Union, especially the French-German partnership (…)

Saturday 4 April 2020

Brexit and its limited impact on European security

This year’s 56th Munich Security Conference attempted to shed some light on the decline of both Europe and the Western world. At the heart of negotiations between the European Union and the United Kingdom is the impact of Brexit upon European security and defence, which is turning out to be (…)

Tuesday 31 March 2020

Debate: On Iran, Europe Also Faces a Choice (Part II)

On January 23rd, 2020, the hands of the Doomsday Clock inched forward once again, this time stopping at only 100 seconds before midnight. The clock, which represents the likelihood of an imminent global catastrophe, is closer to midnight than ever before in its 73-year history. The most (…)

Thursday 20 February 2020

Debate: On Iran, Europe Also Faces a Choice (Part I)

On January 23rd, 2020, the hands of the Doomsday Clock inched forward once again, this time stopping at only 100 seconds before midnight. The clock, which represents the likelihood of an imminent global catastrophe, is closer to midnight than ever before in its 73-year history. The most (…)

Wednesday 19 February 2020

NATO: Brain dead or stronger than ever?

At the 70th anniversary NATO summit in London, which took place in December 2019, it was clear that the problems faced by the organisation have changed very little since its formation in 1949. Although the Soviet Union no longer exists, the threat of Russia still dominates much of the (…)

Monday 17 February 2020

European defence: advances were made, but where are they headed?

Since 2016, the European Union has changed its paradigm in the field of defence. But how can we give body and life to this Security and Defence Union? Only a true European defence project may ensure an overall coherence, and this will be the mission of the next Commission. After decades of (…)

Friday 10 May 2019

PESCO, the pathway towards a common defence

The Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) is the most recent proposal of the European Member States with regard to co-operation in military defence. Introduced with the Treaty of Lisbon in 2009, PESCO seems to promote and to promise at the same time, closer collaboration amongst EU member states with regard to military defence. It is a sensitive and thorny pathway because, in Manfred Weber’s words, the area of our own policies in defence (both from the economic and political point of view) is fundamental for our identity as a nation.

Monday 22 April 2019

Baltic states’ Russian disquiet

EU member states since 2004, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are at the junction of two powers, namely the EU and Russia. Despite the continued border cooperation with Russia, one can’t help but notice these countries’ growing distrust towards the influence of the Russian neighbour. Noémie Chemla from Courrier d’Europe - Made in Sorbonne gives a summary of Baltic states’ politics in the shadow of Russia.

Tuesday 26 March 2019