Europe

The European Union’s common security and defense policy remains incomplete; only slowly is the EU becoming a strategic actor. Pieter Feith, international crisis management expert, and Claudia Major, deputy head of the research division for international security policy at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), discussed the current standstill on the establishment of a robust security and defense policy.

Turkey’s EU membership would not only be an advantage for Turkey – Brussels, too, would gain, emphasized Turkey’s Minister for European Union Affairs Egemen Bağış at the alumni and interim seminar of the Goerdeler-Kolleg in Istanbul. In addition to EU accession, Turkish foreign policy, administration reform, and development plans for Istanbul’s infrastructure were discussed.

The perspective of an EU-accession for Turkey has receded far into the distance: Sinan Ülgen, Visiting Scholar at Carnegie Europe, presented his proposal to reinvigorate Turkish-European relations at a DGAP “Brussels Briefing.” With Almut Möller, head of the Oppenheim-Centre for European Policy Studies, he discussed new forms of flexible integration – not as an alternative but as a complement.

In late February Italians go to the polls. Pier Luigi Bersani, the center-left candidate has good chances to become Italy's next leader. In Berlin, he talked about Italy's problems and his plans as Prime Minister. He stressed that the economic crisis can only be overcome through deeper integration and member state solidarity.