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Greece’s choice was a no-brainer: side with the IMF, have less austerity, have immediate and deep debt restructuring, and implement reforms that will make Greece more competitive and bring it out of the crisis. Instead, the Greek government sided with the EU, accepted higher austerity and less debt restructuring. Why? The Greek government wants to avoid reforming and shrinking the State because civil servants are its main block of voters. Compounding this error, the Greek government has now violated the fiscal agreement and reverted to the defiant tactics of the first half of 2015. But there’s still hope.

How Greece’s troubled economy could turn around in 2017

By: EBR | Thursday, January 5, 2017

Violating the terms of its bailout program, the Greek government recently announced that it will distribute a sizeable “Christmas gift” to Greek pensioners even though this requires additional borrowing from the EU since the Greek budget is not balanced and Greece cannot borrow from money markets

Western business leaders need to realise that they are key players in the survival of a globalised system that has benefitted them and their nations greatly. Brexit and Trump, among others, are indications that this system is threatened. Business leaders need to redouble their efforts to make globalisation palatable to the people, thus enabling politicians to “sell” high levels of economic openness, including EU membership, to voters so their countries can reap the attendant benefits. I have previously laid out some options.

The Future World Order

By: EBR | Wednesday, January 4, 2017

With globalisation on the ropes and a hegemon in decline, prevalent political science theories suggest a conflictual future

The mechanism that is most often offered for this state of events is the existence of echo chambers or filter bubbles. The argument goes that first social media platforms feed people the news that is closest to their own ideological standpoint (estimated from their previous patterns of consumption) and second, that people create their own personalized information environments through their online behaviour, selecting friends and news sources that back up their world view.

Can social media transform politics?

By: EBR | Thursday, December 29, 2016

Of course social media is transforming politics. But it’s not to blame for Brexit and Trump

For EU decision-makers, the main challenges derive from “the perceived lack of control and fears related to migration, terrorism, and economic and social insecurity”, reads the Bratislava summit’s conclusions. “We need to tackle these issues as a matter of priority over the coming months”, the statement emphasised.

2017 seen as turning point for liberal democracies

By: EBR | Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Western democracies will be further challenged next year, as populist parties are expected to make gains in Europe, while China and Russia increasingly set the global agenda, taking advantage of a US withdrawal

It can never be said enough: lobbying is action. However, for two or three years we have seen a growing trend of lobbies who talk a lot about action but do little. The secretary-generals or director-generals appointed to lead European associations these days are mostly communicators, sometimes technical experts from the national scene, but rarely career lobbyists. They therefore have to adapt their new jobs if they want to reach the required performance levels – and the leadership that goes with it.

2017: action, action, action

By: EBR | Thursday, December 22, 2016

“My right flank is destroyed, my left flank is in retreat, everything is fine – attack!” Those were the words of General Foch in the darkest moments of World War One. We are there once again. Sink or act – that is the choice we have.

Halfway through a transition from election to the inauguration, Donald Trump is forging a transactional path to the presidency. He is passing over loyalists, defending people he once pilloried and rethinking central campaign promises as he assembles his administration.

Trump easily affirmed the winner of the 2016 election

By: N. Peter Kramer | Thursday, December 22, 2016

Donald Trump was easily affirmed the winner of the 2016 election after the Electoral College met in the US state capitals. It was the end of the last-ditch attempts by activists to deny Trump the US Presidency.

NATO is needed more than ever today, especially given Russia’s occupation of parts of eastern Ukraine and the massive instability along Europe’s southern neighborhood. A European army would instead be welcomed by Russian president Vladimir Putin because the United States wouldn’t have a say in the affairs of such a force.

The last thing Europe needs right now is an army

By: EBR | Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Donald Trump is right about one thing. The European members of the NATO alliance have long taken it for granted that the United States would always be their security umbrella

Angelos M. Syrigos, associate professor of International Law & Foreign Policy at Panteion University in Athens, Greece, assesses everything that has occurred in the recent months concerning the Cyprus issue, he evaluates and explains the negotiations’ developments, the plan and the proposals that are on the table, what is at stake, what is the role of Greece, what the Turkey’s intentions are, as well as its incentives and possible next steps.

A. Syrigos: The worst possible timing for closing the Cyprus issue

By: EBR | Monday, December 12, 2016

“Turkey is under severe pressure at its Eastern borders. It is pushing for a broadest swapping of territory and power in its neighborhood. It is placing many of its claims on the table, led by an arrogant leadership”

Turkey’s attitude vis-à-vis the EU will not be driven by foreign policy considerations. Rather, domestic political requirements will likely impose new strategic choices to push the country toward a societal setup that is hardly compatible with EU and Western standards. Such choices are in sharp contrast with the diversity of Turkish society. If this trend is confirmed, 2017 could witness a transformation of historical proportions in Turkey.

Turkey’s impending estrangement from the West

By: EBR | Monday, December 12, 2016

Turkey’s leaders are heading toward a clear-cut divorce from the European Union, due to current domestic political trends in the country. This is a highly risky course

The Russian government is offering foreign firms that sign a ‘Special Investment Contract’ which includes a pledge to invest in the country, the same status as domestic producers, making them eligible to apply for state contracts and special tax benefits.

Wall Street Journal reveals boosting investments in Russia

By: N. Peter Kramer | Monday, December 12, 2016

‘German companies are quietly boosting investments in Russia even as Western leaders are warning Moscow about possible new sanctions…’, the Wall Street Journal reported last week

This means there are no formal diplomatic relations between the United States and Taiwan -so Trump’s decision to take Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s call could risk a major upset. Trump reacted right away with a remarkable Tweet: ‘Interesting how the U.S. sells Taiwan billions of dollars of military equipment but I should not accept a congratulatory call’.

President-elect Donald Trump is making noise and news

By: EBR | Friday, December 9, 2016

Donald Trump spoke on the phone with MsTsai Ing-wen, president of the Republic of China (Taiwan), who congratulated him

This will be the first time EU judges give their view on the disruptive sharing economy. The ruling will contribute to harmonise national laws, given the many restrictions imposed on Uber by local and national authorities across the EU. It could also have an impact on how authorities deal with other sharing economy players in other fields, such as Airbnb.

Uber in EU Court - Airbnb restricting its market

By: N. Peter Kramer | Monday, December 5, 2016

Sharing economy companies are under legal pressure

Questions remain about the long-term impact of the deal and the ability to enforce the quotas, the agreement was hailed by investors.

OPEC reached a landmark deal

By: N. Peter Kramer | Friday, December 2, 2016

After two years, the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) made on Wednesday a historic decision to avoid cutting output and allow prices to fall, the group said that it agreed to cut production by 1.2 million barrels a day from the current 33.6 million barrels

On this basis, from May 2017, France will enter a new phase of a more liberal economic policy and it is not impossible the next Prime Minister to be Emmanuel Macron, whose economic program is really radical in all respects. In such a case and taking into account that the approaching German election of 2017 will end up with a new “marriage” between Christian and Social democrats, the strong economic axe of Europe will move in directions radically different than those that the Greek government is planning to.

Behind Fillon’s victory in France

By: Athanase Papandropoulos | Tuesday, November 29, 2016

More than 3 million of French people chose the liberal Francois Fillon for the central-right leadership, who is considered already as almost the certain winner of the approaching presidential election of May 2017

Migrants and refugees have special stories. They are not just numbers. And migration brings continents closer together, requiring them to work together at different stages of the migration journey.

A first step towards a better approach to migrants and refugees

By: EBR | Monday, November 28, 2016

At last: the international community finally acknowledged the need for coordinated action and an international agreement on how to handle the unprecedented wave of migration that has hit Europe and elsewhere

The connection that remains to be made is explicitly linking skill-based volunteering to EU democracy. To make that connection, we recently established The Good Lobby, a platform enabling anyone, be they a student, academic, lawyer or other professional, to provide assistance to NGOs advocating for important social issues. The Good Lobby intends to unleash the potential in each of us to contribute to a more equal representation of interests in the policy process.

Citizens Empowerment: Good lobbying

By: EBR | Friday, November 25, 2016

European citizens feel disconnected from EU institutions, and NGOs and civil society’s influence on European decision-making process cannot compete with the well-organised corporate lobbies. A new movement aiming at filling this gap is emerging, tells one of its founders

In many ways, the symptoms of DAD resemble impulse-control disorders or even obsessive-compulsive disorders. Though prevalent in society, and emerging as a problematic phenomenon, DAD still needs a considerable amount of research. Studies of this disorder fail to agree whether DAD is a disorder in its own right or a symptom of other underlying conditions such as an obsessive-compulsive or impulse-control disorder. Whatever it’s called, DAD presents a compulsive behaviour pattern that can completely take over the addict’s life.

When does the obsession with digital technology become a health problem?

By: EBR | Friday, November 25, 2016

Digital technology has greatly enhanced our lives both inside and outside the workplace. But it is not all positive. Recently, when I was running a workshop, one of the participants (let’s call him Phil) had to excuse himself regularly from the room

Trumps policies seem designed to let the US seize victory in the global game of investment banking, at the expense, of particularly European rivals. Richard Buxton, CEO of UK equities at Old Mutual Global Investors, said recently in the London Times, ‘Trump’s presidency will be hugely positive for US banks.

Trump, Wall Street and European banks

By: N. Peter Kramer | Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Campaign promises often disintegrate when confronted with the realities of office. Trump has pledged to shred bank regulations which he blames for America’s anaemic recovery from the 2008 financial conflagration

The new Democratic minority leader in the Senate, Chuck Schumer of New York, has spoken with Donald Trump, also a New Yorker, several times and it is expected that Democrats plan to announce populist economic and ethics initiatives they think Trump might like. The leftist Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren said ‘I will work with Donald Trump’; Senator Bernie Sanders: ‘I and other progressives are prepared to work with him’.

Democrats try to align with Trump

By: N. Peter Kramer | Monday, November 21, 2016

Whilst Europe is still in disarray and most journalists can’t stop writing about US President-elect Donald Trump, his wife, children and victory, politicians in Washington DC are looking forwards, trying to find their way how to handle the new situation

Dive deeply in the developments reading experts’ opinions and get a real taste of the actuality based on thoughtful arguments. Among other topics, you will meet ideas about how “Taiwan seeks to join fight against global warming” by Ying – Yuan Lee, Minister for Environmental Protection in Taiwan, “The Junker Plan and funding opportunities for public works” by Nikos Kostopoulos and don’t miss out two special opinion articles: “The last thing Europe needs right now is an army” by Judy Dempsey and last but not least “Four leadership principles for the fourth industrial revolution” by Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum.

New EBR issue released

By: EBR | Monday, November 21, 2016

Another fascinating issue is out full of interesting topics

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EU Actually

Guterres: the one and a half Celsius is dead

By: N. Peter Kramer

On the eve of the UN climate conference COP30 in Brazil, the word was finally out.

Europe

France remembers Bataclan attacks but knows enemy has not gone away

Just as France marks the 10th anniversary of the Bataclan massacres, another reminder has come of the permanence of the jihadist threat.

Business

China to loosen chip export ban to Europe after Netherlands row

Beijing has said it will loosen a chip export ban it imposed after Dutch authorities took over Nexperia, a Chinese-owned chipmaker based in the Netherlands.