This seminar, jointly organised by the EUISS, the Dutch Embassy in Paris and the French and Dutch Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defence, aimed at stimulating dialogue about the changing nature and increasing importance of national and supranational security policy in Europe.
‘The EU may be a post-imperial power in decline, but this decline is relative and slow. A post-imperial power is not a Switzerland writ large.’
‘Two positive developments in the region are to be supported by the EU: the thaw in relations between Cuba and the US, and the peace process in Colombia.’
A month after Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) submitted its membership application to the EU, this Alert takes a closer look at the CSDP relationship between both partners. The signing of a Framework Participation Agreement in September 2015 is arguably part of a drive to put BiH back on the accession track, while reasserting the role of the EU as a relevant security provider.
After several years of being largely absent from the agenda, the Western Balkans is back in focus largely due to the refugee crisis. How has this changed the way in which states from the region deal with each other and with the EU?
‘The new EUGS needs to address the Union’s postmodern dilemma; namely, that the use of military force has become obsolete for Europeans while outside the EU, power politics and traditional notions of territorial security remain very much alive.’
Developing a strategic approach to these long-term challenges is an existential endeavour for the EU, as a failure to demonstrate not only resilience but an ability to shape its own security environment could have catastrophic consequences.’
‘The EU has overlooked both the enormous potential and the encompassing character of its cultural assets for some time now, more often than not while seeking to appease or follow other powers.’
On 1 February, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the Zika virus a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). Are the health crisis management structures currently in place, not only in Latin America but also in the EU, ready to face this challenge?
‘The countries of Europe’s south and east are all part of the same Union but they have different strategic priorities and must compete for relatively scarce resources. More resources alone will not eliminate that competition but fewer resources will make it