by Prof Dr Angelika Niebler MEP, EuropeanParliament, Brussels/Strasbourg Do you remember the attacks in September 2022 on the Nord Stream gas pipelines that connect Germany and Russia? The four explosions that hit the pipelines were immediately suspected to have been carried out by Russia, as there were already major political tensions after the Russian invasion…
by Jean-Dominique Giuliani, President of the Robert Schuman Foundation, Paris On 7 February, the European External Action Service (EEAS) released its first report on foreign information manipulation and interferences (FIMI), which a 2015 European Council asked it to draft. The European Parliament has set up a Committee of Inquiry on the same subject, as have…
by Dr Roberto Viola, Director General, DG CNECT, European Commission, Brussels As the digital and the physical worlds are converging more and more, it is of utmost importance to enhance cybersecurity. Cyberattacks know no borders. Therefore, a comprehensive EU approach based on trust, solidarity and mutual assistance is key to fight current and future threats…
by Professor Dr Thomas Jäger, Chair of International Relations and Foreign Policy, Cologne University, Cologne The international order is currently undergoing a geopolitical realignment. While the Unites States (US) and China are fixed as the two centres of the future world order, other powers are also striving for a place as world powers. But the…
by Nick Watts, Vice-President EuroDefense UK, London With the advent of a globalised and digitised world, the cyber threat has become all-pervasive. Unlike any other vector of warfare or terrorism, the cyber threat can reach into the lives of every citizen, and every business. To ensure that European civil society, as well as national security…
by Stefanie Buzmaniuk, Senior Research Fellow, Robert Schuman Foundation, Paris For some months now, the message has been clear in France: the Franco-German couple needs a “couple’s therapy”. The need for more emotions and affirmative reactions from the German side is repeatedly expressed by the French. The German media, on the other hand, have far…
by Gerhard Arnold, Publisher and Middle East correspondent to this magazine, Würzburg Since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war on 24 February 2022, the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has had an astonishing presence on the international and regional political stage. If one wants to adequately understand the Turkish leader’s increase in foreign policy prestige…
Has the war in Ukraine reached a turning point with the announcement that the west will deliver “Leopard2” main battle tanks to Ukraine, after such a long time of hesitation from Germany to send them and authorise their re-export from partner countries? First of all, there is the courage and bravery of the Ukrainian people,…
Interview with François Delattre, Ambassador of France to Germany, Berlin and Dr Hans Dieter Lucas, Ambassador of Germany to France, Paris The European: Excellencies, I am honoured that both of you have accepted this conversation. 22 January 2023 marked the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Franco-German Elysée Treaty in Paris. What did the…
Europe and the west have lost their balance. The war in Europe was the inducement to recognise that the world was experiencing a break with the past and that all over the world the cards are being reshuffled. Inside the European Union (EU), in some states the temptation to emulate populist promises is increasing, in…