European Union
EU in the driver’s seat on Indo-Pacific trade deals
Australia’s long-running free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations with the European Union seem to be emerging from the hiatus they were plunged into by the Morrison government’s…
A new solidarity? Olaf Scholz on the future of Europe
The German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt once quipped that, in politics, “whoever has visions should go to the doctor”. Big-thinking and inspiring rhetoric do not marry easily with…
Six months of war in Ukraine: Europe’s life and fate
For the political analyst, it is often difficult to identify whether the decisions made by powerful actors are borne of a sense of strength or out of weakness. In this respect,…
Ukraine: The view from Warsaw
This week I was in Warsaw listening to experts on regional strategy and security. It was clear that Poland sees itself as Ukraine’s champion. Beyond the immediate emergency…
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…