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562. Senegal Redefines International Partnerships
- Author:
- Jędrzej Czerep
- Publication Date:
- 06-2024
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Polish Institute of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- The new Senegalese authorities, who vowed radical reforms during the campaign, have begun a review of the state’s international relations. As part of this process, they plan, among other things, to renegotiate the fisheries agreement with the EU, expel French troops, and reform or leave the regional monetary union. Despite the revolutionary rhetoric, similar to that of the populist military regimes from the Sahel, the Senegalese approach to the economy and regional politics is rational and, in the long term, aligned with EU interests.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Treaties and Agreements, European Union, Partnerships, and Populism
- Political Geography:
- Africa, Europe, and Senegal
563. Human Rights, but with CPC Characteristics, Rising in China's Foreign Policy
- Author:
- Marcin Przychodniak
- Publication Date:
- 07-2024
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Polish Institute of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- For China, human rights in relation to a sovereignty is gaining importance in its cooperation with countries of the Global South. The Chinese authorities emphasise the right of governments to make their own decisions in this area, which is welcomed by many of these, mainly authoritarian, states. For the EU, it is important both to counter the Chinese narrative on such disparities in human rights standards and to apply sanctions against China in cases of violations.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Human Rights, Sovereignty, Sanctions, and European Union
- Political Geography:
- China, Europe, and Global South
564. Prospects for the Normalisation of Turkish-Armenian Relations Improving
- Author:
- Aleksandra Maria Spancerska and Wojciech Wojtasiewicz
- Publication Date:
- 08-2024
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Polish Institute of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- The fifth round of negotiations between Türkiye and Armenia, held on 30 July, offers hope for an acceleration of the normalisation of their relations, including the opening of borders between the countries. However, the success of the negotiations depends on the settlement of Armenia’s relations with Azerbaijan. Such an agreement would unblock transport routes in the South Caucasus region, as well as increase the presence of the EU and Poland in the region.
- Topic:
- Bilateral Relations, Borders, Negotiation, Transportation, Normalization, and Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict
- Political Geography:
- Europe, Turkey, Poland, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and South Caucasus
565. Growth, Decarbonisation, Security: a Recipe for Strengthening the EU's Economic Condition
- Author:
- Melchior Szczepanik and Jolanta Szymańska
- Publication Date:
- 10-2024
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Polish Institute of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- Mario Draghi and Enrico Letta, in their reports on the economic condition of the EU, urge the organisation to double down on its objectives formulated in recent years: stimulating growth in a manner consistent with climate policy and reducing dangerous economic dependencies. The most controversial issue is how the recommended measures will be financed. Their implementation also will require striking a balance between several priorities—not entirely compatible—both within EU economic policy and in relations with main economic partners.
- Topic:
- Security, Climate Change, European Union, Economy, Economic Growth, and Decarbonization
- Political Geography:
- Europe
566. Russia Changes Its Nuclear Doctrine
- Author:
- Artur Kacprzyk
- Publication Date:
- 11-2024
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Polish Institute of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- The publication of Russia’s new nuclear doctrine is another in its attempts to intimidate NATO states, especially in order to discourage them from supporting Ukraine. Russia is lowering the declared threshold for the use of nuclear weapons and specifying additional situations in which it is to be possible. This does not mean, however, an increased danger of nuclear weapons use in the ongoing conflict. Russia is nonetheless likely to take further steps to heighten the fears of such a scenario among NATO governments and societies. At the same time, the document reflects the weakening of Russia’s conventional forces.
- Topic:
- Security, NATO, Nuclear Weapons, and Russia-Ukraine War
- Political Geography:
- Russia, Europe, and Ukraine
567. The role of local communities in European policies. Thirty years of cohesion funds.
- Author:
- Fairouz Hondema-Mokrane
- Publication Date:
- 12-2024
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Robert Schuman Foundation (RSF)
- Abstract:
- The tragedies caused by the adverse weather conditions in Valencia (Spain) and cyclone Chido in Mayotte have suddenly brought the responsibilities of local authorities, Member States and the European Union, and the need for solidarity between territories, to the fore. While the news usually focuses on the - sometimes tense - relations between ‘Brussels’ and national capitals, the day-to-day work of local authorities is closely linked to the European venture, even if it does not receive the same attention. This point was developed at the 20th Congress of Regions of France in Strasbourg in September 2024, it is also the focus of the work of the European Committee of the Regions. This commitment comes as no surprise, given that the regions are a key territorial level in the implementation of European policies. Amendments to EAFRD and ERDF/ESF texts to take account of the effects of natural disasters[1], were approved by MEPs on 17 December and by the Council on 18 December. Throughout Europe, the local level ensures the implementation of European texts, facilitates the use of cohesion funds and encourages citizens' commitment to Europe. The Member States retain sovereignty over their territorial organisation, but these levels all play a key role in consolidating European policies.
- Topic:
- European Union, Regional Politics, and Cohesion
- Political Geography:
- Europe
568. The path to "controlled" immigration
- Author:
- Joël Dine
- Publication Date:
- 12-2024
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Robert Schuman Foundation (RSF)
- Abstract:
- Europe needs to change its immigration policy completely. It must move from being a ‘fortress Europe’ to a Europe that organises its immigration, so that it is conducive to its economic development. It must do so in order to rediscover the human values that have underpinned its construction for nearly seventy-five years. The sight of thousands of people drowning in the Mediterranean Sea, the English Channel and the Atlantic Ocean, or abandoned in the desert or in the cities, hunted down by the police and at the mercy of traffickers and smugglers of all descriptions, is a daily affront to our consciences. In the midst of this hell in which tens of thousands of young Africans find themselves, there may be a solution. It involves organising ‘controlled immigration’ in the countries from which this immigration originates. This would mean a complete change in the European policies pursued to date. But migration is a practically insurmountable force, built into human nature. History is ample proof of that! Opposition to the free movement of people - and to the way it is currently practised - is doomed to failure. If it is possible to change the situation, then let us do it.
- Topic:
- Economic Development, Human Trafficking, and Immigration Policy
- Political Geography:
- Africa, Europe, and Middle East
569. Digital legislation: convergence or divergence of models? A comparative look at the European Union, China and the United States
- Author:
- Aifang Ma
- Publication Date:
- 11-2024
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Robert Schuman Foundation (RSF)
- Abstract:
- In 1964, when the Canadian pioneer of media studies, Marshall McLuhan, argued that media is an extension of man, he did not foresee that future media, at the beginning of the 21st century, would produce increasingly pernicious effects[1]. While media have indeed extended human capacities, they have also shown to be generators of complicated social and ethical problems. In the same year philosopher, Herbert Marcuse, who analysed relations between Man and Machine from a deeply pessimistic viewpoint. His predictions seem to be corroborated by what we are now experiencing: the easy life made possible by technological progress has progressively gnawed into the individual critical reasoning. Instead of imposing their control over technologies, human beings are increasingly at their mercy. The domination of technology over individuals is all the stronger, since it seems harmless and is pleasant to use. In this context, the regulation of digital technologies[2] is flourishing in autocracies and democracies alike. Its importance goes far beyond the need of authoritarian regimes to cut off the transmission of destabilising content. It is universal since digital technologies set common challenges to national governments: illegal collection of users’ personal data, precarious working conditions for gig workers, monopolistic practices of large platforms, threats to human dignity and domestic security. These problems are causing trouble to all governments around the world. This article aims to be pragmatic. Beyond differences in political regime, it studies the regulatory approaches of the three largest digital economies in the world: China, the United States, and the European Union. The three models can potentially hinder or stimulate the development of digital technologies without necessarily opposing each other.
- Topic:
- European Union, Media, Legislation, and Digital Policy
- Political Geography:
- China, Europe, Asia, North America, and United States of America
570. Ukraine's accession negotiations with the European Union: reforms undertaken in ten years and the challenges ahead
- Author:
- Snizhana Diachenko, Viktoria Melnyk, and Dmytro Naumenko
- Publication Date:
- 11-2024
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Robert Schuman Foundation (RSF)
- Abstract:
- 10 years ago, European Union representatives were still far from enthusiastic about Ukraine. Indeed, the Association Agreement signed by President Poroshenko in 2014 which came into force three years later[1], although far-reaching, lacked a clear political objective[2]. Russia's massive invasion of Ukraine has considerably accelerated the relaunch of the enlargement policy. Indeed, after Ukraine applied for membership on the fourth day after the Russian invasion, the Union took a positive decision with extraordinary speed and granted Ukraine candidate status in June 2022. On 14 February 2023, the European Council gave the green light to the opening of accession negotiations with Ukraine which started on 25 June 2024. The situation was unprecedented, and the EU seems to have accepted the geopolitical challenges and responded quickly. For Ukraine, approaching the gates of the European Union is a concrete expression of the will of the people who defended the European path during the Revolution of Dignity – otherwise known as EuroMaïdan, in 2014, and which is defending European values on the front line. European integration is proving to be a matter of national security for Ukraine, since from 2019, "the European identity of the Ukrainian people and the irreversibility of Ukraine's European and Euro-Atlantic path" are enshrined in the Constitution of Ukraine, following amendments made on the basis of the "strategic path of the State to acquire full membership of the European Union and NATO". Prior to this, Ukraine's National Security Law of June 2018 had already defined ‘Ukraine's integration into the European political, economic, security and legal space and membership of the European Union’ as one of the State's fundamental national interests. And so, Ukraine has already started working towards its rapprochement with the EU with the implementation of this text. Given its scale and ambition, the lessons learned from Ukraine's implementation of the association agreement can help to effectively organise the accession negotiation process.
- Topic:
- NATO, Reform, European Union, Russia-Ukraine War, and Enlargement
- Political Geography:
- Europe and Ukraine