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Transnational challenges

There is a growing overlap between the EU’s internal and external security problems. Terrorism, organised crime and unregulated migration not only pose a threat to European internal security, but also have a serious impact on the stability of Europe’s immediate neighbourhood. Very often, they find their roots in conflicts and instability further abroad in Africa or Asia.

For some time, the European Union has been active in international debates on the governance of these challenges, and has created new policy instruments of its own. Already in the early 1990s, the EU successfully linked its home-affairs priorities with its Common Foreign and Security Policy. The 2015 migration crisis showed the limits of that approach, and has sparked a new wave of reforms.

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    05October 2016
    App and coming: an ‘Uber migration’?
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    Migrant groups and host communities have developed a number of smart technology apps aimed at providing new arrivals with information on housing, education and employment opportunities. This Alert looks at how EU authorities can utilise these new technologies to help migrants, while exploring the associated dilemmas.

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    05October 2016
    World Wide Webs: who governs the diasporas?
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    Migrant groups are influential actors in the international arena. Globally, diaspora communities and governments alike are capitalising on this state of affairs, as demonstrated by the fact that diaspora lobbying is on the rise and governments are seeking to instrumentalise their expatriates. This Alert looks at how the EU finds itself increasingly exposed to foreign states’ interference through its migrant/diaspora communities.

  • 30September 2016
    Recasting EU Civilian Crisis Management

    On 30 September, the EUISS held its second meeting on ‘Recasting EU Civilian Crisis Management’ in Brussels. The project aims to describe and analyse the evolution of EU civilian crisis management (CCM).

  • 22September 2016
    Vulnerabilities and protection of migrants

    On 22 September, the EUISS and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) co-organised a conference in Brussels on the protection of migrants.

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    29July 2016
    Strategic communications – East and South
    With contributions from

    Both Russia and ISIL/Daesh have engaged in aggressive messaging and deceptive media campaigns, albeit with distinct narratives, targets and audiences. This Report analyses the ‘what’ and the ‘how’; and also draws attention to strategic communications efforts undertaken by the EU.

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    29July 2016
    Military coups: a very short introduction
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    This Brief seeks to explain why (and when) coups happen. What conditions are needed to persuade the military to attempt to topple a government? And what elements increase the likelihood of success or failure?

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    13July 2016
    Shaping (not just surviving) the future of energy
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    More than six months after the Paris climate talks concluded with a historic agreement, this Brief looks at how key trends in energy technology, investment and geopolitics will influence energy policy decisions across Europe and around the globe?

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    08July 2016
    Europeans migrating abroad – and back
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    EU citizens are increasingly migrating abroad as developing countries become more attractive destinations. Diaspora communities are becoming more important, while the emergence of more circular, bi-directional migratory patterns presents an opportunity to turn ‘brain drain’ into ‘brain exchange’

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    07July 2016
    Space security for Europe
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    This Report investigates opportunities for improving European strategic thinking on space security. It analyses potential threats to critical European space infrastructure, and offers ideas for improving space system resilience, reducing external dependence, and working with international partners to ensure a secure and sustainable environment for outer space activities.

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    01July 2016
    Euro 2016 – teaming up for security
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    With the UEFA European Championship 2016 having kicked off in France last month, this Alert looks at the unprecedented collaborative efforts of France and its international partners to combat the terrorist threat facing the tournament.

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    27June 2014
    The Arab War(s) on Terror
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    As Islamic extremists continue their advance across Iraq, this Brief takes stock of terrorism-related developments in the Middle East and North Africa. What factors explain the escalation in terror attacks? And what steps – legal or otherwise – are governments taking to counter the ‘jihadi highway’ that now spans the region?

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    13June 2014
    Energising TTIP: diversification through trade?
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    Trade has often been touted as an area where Washington and European capitals – with a little help from Brussels – could create common ground. While regulatory challenges abound, what role does energy play in the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership?

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    06June 2014
    Schengen’s maritime border: another annus horribilis in the Med?
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    Tackling an emotive issue, this Alert provides an overview of what steps the Union has taken in order to deal with uncontrolled maritime migration on its southern borders. What more might be done in order to break the ‘business model’ of organised people smugglers who prey on the vulnerable?

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    28March 2014
    China’s energy demands: are they reshaping the world?
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    Following the rise of China’s economy and subsequent discussions on the efficient use of resources, this Brief examines how China is seeking to manage its growing import dependency through diversification. With the EU and China becoming the world’s two most important energy importers, what effect will this have on the global energy markets?

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    14March 2014
    Handle with care: crowd-sourcing and non-proliferation
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    The use of information and communication technology is becoming a key asset in crisis management. But how can digitally connected crowds of people add similar value to other policy areas? This Brief contemplates the deployment of crowd-sourcing to counter the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

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    14March 2014
    EU cyber-defence: a work in progress
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    Following the proposal to prepare an EU Cyber Defence Policy Framework at last December's European Council, this Brief seeks to explore how the EU can improve its cyber-defence capabilities and thereby better protect its critical infrastructure. What is there, for example, to be learned from international partners in this ‘greenfield’ domain?

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    14March 2014
    The EU and its (cyber) partnerships
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    The rise of cybercrime and the threat this poses to the digital economy has led to increased awareness of the importance of a coordinated approach to internet governance, and of the need for intergovernmental mechanisms to support this. This Brief looks at the prospects for increased cyber defence cooperation at both international and regional levels.

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    28February 2014
    EU and sub-Saharan Africa: an energy partnership?
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    Sub-Saharan Africa is both blessed with immense energy resources and challenged by desperate energy poverty. This Brief explains how, as Europe diversifies its energy suppliers and seeks improved energy security, a focus on better energy governance and improved energy sustainability in Africa can help manage this contradiction.

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    14February 2014
    Energy moves and power shifts: EU foreign policy and global energy security
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    With contributions from

    This report undertakes an appraisal of global energy trends and lays out priorities for the EU to improve its energy security through action in the international arena. The shale gas revolution in the US, the nuclear meltdown in Japan, the rising use of coal in emerging economies and the shift of economic gravity to the Asia-Pacific have all complicated energy policy-making in Europe.

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    18December 2013
    Warsaw to Paris: beyond the climate divide
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    Following the Climate Change Conference held in Warsaw last month, this alert examines the difficult balancing act facing the EU as it struggles to reduce emissions in a manner that protects both its economy and the environment.

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