European Union
A required update for the EU-US Trade and Tech Council
The second EU-US Trade and Technology Council meeting took place in Paris at the weekend. An outcome of the EU-US Summit in June 2021, the TTC was established to strengthen and…
The time is right for Australia to forge stronger ties with Europe
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has reminded Western Europe that security must still sometimes be guaranteed by the gun. Despite occasional glimpses of the…
European neutrality is dying out
Vladimir Putin’s war of aggression against Ukraine has had the opposite effect of his desire to divide Europe. Former neutrals – Finland, Sweden, Austria and Switzerland – are…
A rebirth of the European Union in the shadow of the Ukraine invasion
No matter what happens in Ukraine, this war has been a key turning point for the European Union.
Russia, a divisive issue before the war
In order to understand the current…
Europe triggers “temporary protection” for Ukraine war refugees
Until this week, everyone thought the European Union’s Temporary Protection Directive was dead in the water. Drafted 21 years ago in the aftermath of the Yugoslav crisis, it was…
Back in the USSR – surprises in the Russia-Ukraine conflict
My grandfather Kopel Harkowitz was born in Lismore, which is experiencing the worst floods in more than a century. In 1880, when the last big wet hit the Northern Rivers, his…
How long will Europe’s generosity towards Ukraine’s refugees last?
Six days after Russia invaded Ukraine, a mass exodus has begun. At least half a million people are estimated to have fled Ukraine, around half of them to Poland, and others to…
How to speak green: Europe’s new energy taxonomy
It could “destroy the future of our children,” claimed Austria’s Environment Minister Leonore Gewessler. “We believe this technology is too dangerous,” said German government…
Europe is finally getting serious about China
On 1 December, the European Commission unveiled its Global Gateway Strategy, a new scheme which will mobilise “up to €300 billion” in investments between 2021 and 2027. At first…
Nord Stream 2: Will you go to the Gazprom with me?
Of the several spectres haunting Europe, the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline is one of the most persistent. This week, the project hit another snag. Its approval process was…