Europe

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.

Neben Entwicklungszusammenarbeit und Kriminalitätsbekämpfung standen vor allem Fragen der Erinnerungskultur und der politischen Bildung im Mittelpunkt. In Berlin und Hessen trafen die Teilnehmer des 8. Diplomatenkollegs mit Vertretern von Stiftungen und Institutionen zusammen.

What is the state of the “couple franco-allemand” 50 years after the signing of the Elysee Treaty? And how have relations between the French and German people developed since then? These topics were discussed by French Ambassador Maurice Gourdault-Montagne, Bundestag MPs Rolf Mützenich and Andreas Schockenhoff, as well as France experts Sabine von Oppeln and Claire Demesmay at the DGAP.

Ziehen sich die Briten aus Kernbereichen der EU zurück, droht gar ein Austritt? Im Land verschärft sich der Streit zwischen EU-Befürwortern und Euroskeptikern. Noch in diesem Monat wird Premierminister David Cameron eine mit Spannung erwartete Grundsatzrede zur Mitgliedschaft seines Landes halten. Lord Wallace stellte in Berlin die Balance of Competences Review vor, eine Initiative der Regierung zur Überprüfung der Zuständigkeiten.