European Union

Europe’s Internet and communications industry is lagging behind that of the US and Asia. A strong single digital market must make Europe and its companies more competitive – in all sectors of industry. To this end, Günther H. Oettinger has proposed a "Digital Union" for Europe. The EU Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society spoke about future projects in a confidential session of the German Council on Foreign Relation’s study group on EU policy.

The topic “rule of law” and its relevance for the EU integration of the Western Balkans were the focus of this year’s TRAIN Programme. During their four-day visit to Brussels, policy analysts from all the region’s countries had the opportunity to discuss the results of their policy research with representatives of the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Secretariat of the Council of EU, and Brussels-based think tanks, among others.

Die Beziehung zwischen Großbritannien und der EU ist seit jeher kompliziert. Die Ankündigung des britischen Premierministers David Cameron, nach einer Wiederwahl 2015 die britische Bevölkerung über den Verbleib des Landes in der EU abstimmen zu lassen, löst im Rest der EU Verunsicherung aus. Eric Bonse, Almut Möller, Tim Oliver und Manuel Sarrazin diskutierten über die Bedeutung Großbritanniens als Teil der EU sowie mögliche Folgen eines Austritts.