TTIP: Winning Back Trust
TTIP: Winning Back Trust

The EU Commission should take concrete steps to address the public’s concerns

by Claudia Schmucker | Europe, Free Trade

The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, if signed, would create the world’s largest economic zone. But its supporters face a credibility problem: ever more Europeans, especially Germans, see in TTIP a threat to their way of life, and to democracy – a “secret treaty” that protects corporate interests while undermining high European standards for the environment, health and consumer protection. Here are five issues the EU Commission and German government must address to win back public trust.

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DGAP Viewpoint

Welcome, Escalation!
Welcome, Escalation!

Why Minsk 2 is not going to work

by Stefan Meister | Ukraine, Security

The February 12, 2015 cease-fire in eastern Ukraine was a triumph for President Putin, who was able to push through a slew of major points without making any concessions of his own. Stefan Meister argues that Ukrainian leadership should give up control of Donetsk and Luhansk in order to protect the rest of the country from further destabilization from Russia. The EU urgently needs to make a clear decision on whether to integrate what is left of Ukraine – with all the consequences this entails.

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Speech

A Fresh Look at German Foreign Policy: The Next Six Decades

Celebration marks the DGAP’s 60th anniversary and the conclusion of the Foreign Ministry’s “Review 2014” project

Auswärtiges Amt | German Foreign Policy

Last year Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier launched an extensive review of German foreign policy, inviting scores of political observers and commentators to offer their input. He presented the results at the foreign ministry in an official ceremony to celebrate the DGAP’s 60th anniversary. The occasion could not be more fitting, he said, since the DGAP, too, has worked for 60 years in pursuit of the same ideal: a fresh look at German foreign policy

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Publication

Right Goals, Wrong Tools?
Right Goals, Wrong Tools?

Civil Society Empowerment in the EU Accession Process

by Natasha Wunsch | Eastern Europe, Enlargement Process

The European Commission has long stated its aim of empowering civil society in EU candidate countries. In its accession process, Croatia enjoyed strong initial support for its civil society organizations (CSOs). EU interest grew less robust, however, once the accession date was set, and CSOs lost a crucial ally in their reform efforts. The experience shows the limitations of the Commission’s current policy. Seven recommendations for strengthening CSOs as active partners in the accession process.

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Event Report

We are Fighting for Ukraine

Vitali Klitschko, mayor of Kiev and former boxing champion, pleads for greater German and European support for Ukraine

DGAP | Ukraine

“As an athlete, I know that you can’t win without a fight. We are fighting for our country,” Vitali Klitschko told a group of 230 guests at the DGAP on January 30. Ukraine needs to intensify its orientation toward Europe. It needs European expertise, technology, good practices, and above all, financial support. So Kiev’s current mayor and head of the pro-European, anti-corruption party Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform (UDAR) is lobbying for more support from the EU and from Germany.

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Analysis

(Re-)Building Coalitions
(Re-)Building Coalitions

The Role and Potential of Member States in Shaping the Future of the EU

by Almut Möller, Josef Janning | European Union

Reforming the EU is hardly possible without coalitions of “builders” – member states willing and able to engage in sustainable coalition building at EU level. Since 2008, the EU and its members have found themselves in the middle of yet another formative phase. Will member states eventually succeed in shaping a Union able to guarantee the prosperity, security and freedom of its citizens?

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