ELIAMEP

You can read here the article on the refugee crisis, which was written by Director General of ELIAMEP Dr Thanos Dokos. This commentary was published in the Greek daily Kathimerini on 9 September  2015.

The new issue of Southeast European and Black Sea Studies is now available online. The issue is a special compilation of original research related to the Ukraine Crisis and its global and regional repercussions. The inspiration for the issue was a conference organised by ELIAMEP in January, entitled ’Back to the Cold War or forward to a stable relationship?’ and supported by NATO Public Diplomacy Division and the Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Due to the high quality of the work presented at the conference, ELIAMEP Research Fellow Panagiota Manoli prepared this special issue with contributions from the conference speakers.

In this issue, regional experts provide analysis of the role of Russia in Ukraine, governance in the Black Sea region, NATO-Russia security challenges, Russia’s relationship with the West, and the energy dimension of the Russia-EU-Ukraine relationship. A number of the articles are currently free to access for a limited time.

You can find here more information.

Associate Professor  at the University of Athens and  Senior Research Fellow at ELIAMEP Dimitri A. Sotiropoulos wrote an article on Greek politics and opinion poll surveys in the Sunday edition of To Vima newspaper. The article was published on 6 September 2015 and is available here.

You can read here the article on the day  to come after the Greek election written by Professor Emeritus and Member of the Board of Trustees of ELIAMEP Theodore Couloumbis. This commentary was published on 6 September 2015 in the Sunday edition of Kathimerini. The content is available in Greek.

You can read here the article analysing the policy of Alexis Tsipras, which was written by Professor George Pagoulatos. The commentary was published on 6 September 2015 in the Sunday edition of Kathimerini and is available in Greek.

ELIAMEP Briefing Note 36/2015 explores whether Somalia could be stabilised in the future. It is written by Research Associate of Middle Eastern Research Programme  of ELIAMEP Mr Eleftherios Mastrotheodoros.

The euro and the Schengen zone have been two of the EU’s most tangible and widely recognizable achievements. Now, both are faced with considerable, even existential, challenges. The concept of a border-free Europe is being tested by the evolving migration and refugee crisis, with an extremely high number of people from Syria and other conflict regions trying to cross into European countries (mainly Greece and Italy) in an attempt to seek asylum in their final destination country in Northern Europe. The limited enthusiasm of most EU states—with the notable exceptions of Germany and Sweden—to undertake any commitments in the context of a burden-sharing agreement promoted by the European Commission is once more testing the limits of European solidarity and the idea of common European policies.

An additional concern about radical individuals entering Europe disguised as refugees complicates the situation even further at a time of increasing radicalization of societies in some EU countries and rising xenophobia or Islamophobia in others. Schengen, and the whole European experiment, will soon be dead unless Europeans act on the basis of the assumption that “we must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.” In the meantime, the fighting in Syria should stop. Talk to the Iranians and the Russians ASAP.

Dr Thanos Dokos

This article was published on Carnegie Europe website.

Research Fellow of  ELIAMEP Dr Filippa Chatzistavrou analyses the new political landscape in Greece in L’Express. You can read the article here.

Greek political instability has reached alarming levels, with the emergence of a new left-wing party in parliament defying Syriza.A new coalition government of national unity was needed, in order to start implementing the promised bailout reforms.But the call for snap elections by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, and then the launch of Popular Unity – a breakaway anti-austerity party led by former energy minister Panagiotis Lafazanis – have fuelled disunity.All reforms will be put on hold for about six weeks. Greece faces a key sequence of events during that time.

First, in line with the constitution, the main opposition parties will get a chance to form a new coalition government. The second-strongest party – centre-right New Democracy – is expected to fail. Then Popular Unity, launched on Friday and already the third-strongest party, will get its chance next week. Popular Unity will fail too, but Mr Lafazanis could wish for no better way to promote his party on the political scene.

Second, fresh elections will be held next month in a heated atmosphere. There is the now familiar division between supporters and opponents of the bailout. But on top of that, a new division will grow between Syriza voters still loyal to Mr Tsipras and Syriza voters who will shift their allegiance to Popular Unity.

Popular Unity will be entitled to ample space in the Greek media, during the election campaign, to argue that it, not Syriza, is the true anti-austerity party. It will pose as flag-bearer of the anti-austerity movement that swept Syriza to power after mass protests in 2010-2014. So Popular Unity will try to draw on the pool of disaffected Syriza voters and other Eurosceptic voters on the left. They oppose the additional public sector cuts, sweeping privatisation and restructuring of pensions, required under the bailout.

Most likely, the new party will get considerable support from the many voters – 62% of the total – who said “No” to the third bailout, in the 5 July referendum. Soon after that “No” vote Mr Tsipras performed a u-turn, accepting the austerity demands of Greece’s creditors as the price for keeping Greece in the euro. So now Greece is committed to the €86bn ($95bn; £61bn) bailout from its eurozone partners – the country’s third in five years. If the elections have no clear winner and Mr Tsipras – until recently leading in opinion polls – cannot form a clear majority government, complicated negotiations will follow.

It could be a protracted period, during which potential coalition allies of Syriza jockey for position. So Mr Tsipras’s resignation – in order to call snap elections – has triggered a process of disintegration in Syriza. He may have saved Syriza from a damaging internecine fight between supporters and opponents of the new bailout. But he has also diminished the chances for a quick economic recovery. Economic instability has been compounded by political instability.

Source: BBC website 

Research Fellow of  ELIAMEP Dr Filippa Chatzistavrou discussed  political developments in Greece on TV5. The interview is available here.

The 15th issue of the Middle East Mediterranean focuses on Greek entrepreneurship in the Middle East. It mainly deals with four sectors of economy : basic chemicals and raw chemical material, pharmaceutical companies, fish-farming and frozen fish, agro-technical products. The Middle East Mediterranean Report is available here.

The Crisis Observatory of the Hellenic Foundation of European & Foreign Policy and the  Europe Direct ELIAMEP Information Center launch a call for papers on “Economic Governance and Democratic Legitimacy in the European Union”. Those interested may submit scientific papers regarding the economic, social and political consequences of the crisis on member states of the Eurozone, the institutional reforms promoted in the context of economic governance by the EU and the Eurozone, the emergence of institutional weaknesses within the Eurozone, the investigation of democratic legitimacy of institutional reforms and/or policies implemented both at member-state and European Union/Eurozone levels.

The best papers will be presented at the 3rd Annual Conference of the Crisis Observatory and some of them will be honored with monetary awards.

Eligible to participate are postgraduate students, Master’s Degree holders and PhD candidates in the fields of economic, political and social sciences.

The papers must be written in Greek.

Paper Submission Deadline: 30 September 2015 

More information you can find here.

Application form

Research Fellow of ELIAMEP Dr Eleni Panagiotarea commented on the 3d Memorandum on Bloomberg. The interview was given on 14 August 2015 and is available here.

You can read here the article on the need for Greece to strengthen its position at the EU level, which was written by Director General of ELIAMEP Dr Thanos Dokos. This commentary was published in the Greek daily Kathimerini on 12 August  2015.

The answer is an unequivocal yes. However, the Greek prime minister’s humiliating treatment during recent negotiations in Brussels (admittedly, to an extent the result of his own mistakes and those of previous Greek governments) and the chill caused in several European countries by German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble’s shock and awe strategy opened a wound that will not easily heal. A vindictive Europe that treats a member state as the enemy and forces it to choose between humiliation and suicide is probably not what supporters of European integration bargained for.

Furthermore, the image that Europe projects has not increased respect for the EU among its strategic competitors: European leaders spend endless hours resolving the problems of a member state that represented 1.3 percent of the EU’s GDP in 2014 only to impose recessionary policies that will barely allow Greece to stay alive but will not help the Greek economy recover.

It took repeated warnings from Washington to remind Europeans of the wider geopolitical ramifications of a Greek exit from the eurozone. And it took spirited resistance by France and a few other countries (as well as individual German politicians) to prevent a black page in Europe’s history. All this does not bode well for deeper European integration—whose need is stronger than ever.

Dr Thanos Dokos

This article was published on Carnegie Europe website

Despite high ambitions about Turkey’s “central power” role in its surrounding regions, Turkish foreign policy has faced sizeable challenges in the Middle East and beyond. As war and conflict continued tearing apart several Middle Eastern countries, Turkey’s capacity to influence diplomatic developments declined; instead of offering solutions, it appeared in many cases to become part of the problem. The target of regime change in Syria remained elusive, while the international community found it hard to understand why Turkey appeared more comfortable bordering jihadist than Kurdish political entities in Syria and remained neutral in the jihadist assault on Iraq. These had a negative spillover effect on Turkey’s own Kurdish question and brought a hard-won peace process to the brink of collapse. The spectrum of regional isolation emerged, as Turkey withdrew its ambassadors from a number of countries in its vicinity because of various diplomatic confrontations. This was one of the reasons for Turkey’s failure to be elected as non-permanent member of the UN Security Council despite investing considerable resources on that goal. Turkey’s perceived self-righteous albeit unpopular status was described with the use of term “splendid isolation.” This situation raised substantial concerns about Turkey’s ability to maintain an important regional role and called for a reconsideration of key aspects of Turkish foreign policy.

Working Paper 67/2015: From “Central Power” to “Splendid Isolation”: Turkish Foreign Policy’s Declining Ambitions

Author: Ioannis N. Grigoriadis

We are pleased to announce that the Greek nomination process for the 2016 Marshall Memorial Fellowship program has begun. This process is for candidates who are citizens of Greece and Cyprus.To nominate an exceptional leader from your community, please follow the guidelines and steps outlined below.

Guidelines:

1. You may nominate only one individual for the program. The deadline for nomination is Monday, September 21, 2015.

2. Your nominee must meet the general eligibility criteria. Most importantly, please make sure that he or she is between 28 and 40 years of age, is a citizen of Greece or Cyprus, is available to travel in 2016, and occupies a leadership position with potential for growth.

You can find here more information.

The Marshall Memorial Fellowship (MMF) is the flagship leadership development program of the German Marshall Fund of the United States(GMF).  The Fellowship provides a unique opportunity for mid-career leaders from the United States and Europe to explore policies, institutions, and culture on the other side of the Atlantic.  GMF awards over 100 Marshall Memorial Fellowships each year to the best and brightest from all professions, including politics, business, media, and nongovernmental organizations.  Founded in 1982, the MMF program features a network of over 2,000 alumni who remain engaged through annual conferences, regional meetings, online communications, and involvement in other GMF program areas.   For more information on the Fellowship, please click here.

You can read here the article on the so-called ‘Plan B’, which was written by Professor George Pagoulatos. The commentary was published on 2 August 2015 in the Sunday edition of Kathimerini and is available in Greek.

Associate Professor  at the University of Athens and  Senior Research Fellow at ELIAMEP Dimitri A. Sotiropoulos wrote an article in The Book’s Journal on negotiations between the Greek government and its creditors.  The article is available here (in Greek).

Twenty three years after the end of the Cold War and the demise of the Soviet Union, tensions among the United States, Russia and the European Union on Ukraine are escalating. As the Ukrainian crisis  keeps unfolding, the country has become the centre of international attention. Joining the debate the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP) offers research material on developments in Ukraine and international politics.

Material collected by Dr  Evangelos Ilias-Tembos, Expert- First Counsellor, Ηellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs, [European Union & European Defence Policy] & Senior Research Fellow of ELIAMEP:

• EU increases support for the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, 20.6.2015
• G7 Summit, Leaders’ Declaration 7-8.6.2015 (p.8)
• Statement by the Spokesperson on the fighting around Mariyinka in Eastern Ukraine, 4.6.2015
• 17th EU-Ukraine Summit. Joint-statement, 27 April 2015
• Remarks by President of the European Council Donald Tusk following the EU-Ukraine summit in Kyiv, 27.4.2015
• Background note on the EU-Ukraine Summit of 27 April 2015
• Ukraine. Council approves €1.8bn in loans, 31.3.2015
• EP and Council March 2015 decision on macro-financial assistance to Ukraine, 27.3.2015
• European Council Conclusions on external relations (19 March 2015)
• Joint press release following the endorsement of the updated Association Agenda by the EU-Ukraine Association Council, 16.3.2015
• The EU-Ukraine Association Agenda, to prepare and facilitate the implementation of the Association Agreement, 16.3.2015
• Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the EU on Crimea, 16.3.2015
• EU extends validity of sanctions over action against Ukraine’s territorial integrity, 13.3.2015
• Remarks by High Representative-Vice-President Federica Mogherini following the Informal Meeting of Ministers for Foreign Affairs (Gymnich), 6.3.2015
• Call between HRVP Federica Mogherini and OSCE CiO Ivica Dacic, 27.2.2015
• List of persons and entities under EU restrictive measures over the territorial integrity of Ukraine, 16 February 2015
• Phone call between HRVP Federica Mogherini and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, 26.2.2015
• Call between the HR-VP Federica Mogherini and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on the situation in Ukraine, 24.2.2015
• Statement by the President of the European Council Donald Tusk on the situation in Ukraine, 20.2.2015
• Statement by High Representative-Vice-President Federica Mogherini on the violation of the ceasefire in Debaltseve, 18.2.2015
• Fact sheet EU-Ukraine relations, 17.2.2015
• G-7-Leaders-Statement-on-Ukraine-13.2.2015
• Council conclusions on Ukraine, 29.1.2015
• Commission January 2015 proposal on macro-financial assistance to Ukraine, 8.1.2015
• Main results of the Foreign Affairs Council, 9.2.2015
• Crimea and Sevastopol. Further EU sanctions approved, 18.12.2014
• Joint Press Release following the first Association Council meeting between the European Union and Ukraine, 15-12-2014
• EU strengthens sanctions against separatists in Eastern Ukraine, 28-11-2014
• EU to launch Advisory Mission for Civilian Security Sector Reform in Ukraine on 1 December, signs agreement with Ukraine, 17.11.2014
• Council conclusions on Ukraine, 17.11.2014
• Statement by High Representative-Vice-President Federica Mogherini on the latest developments in Ukraine, 9-11-2014
• Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the EU on ‘elections’ in eastern Ukraine, 5.11.2014
• Joint Statement by the Presidents of Ukraine, the E. Council and the E.Commission on the occasion of the beginning of the provisional application of the Association Agreement, 31.10.2014
• Statement by the Spokesperson of the EU High Representative on early local elections in Eastern Ukraine, 29.10.2014
• Joint statement on the parliamentary elections in Ukraine by Herman Van Rompuy and President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso, 27.10.2014
• Ukraine. unilateral trade measures extended, 24.10.2014
• Council conclusions on Ukraine, 20.10.2014
• Statement by EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht after his meeting with Ukraine minister Klimkin, 9.10.2014
• Statement by the Spokesperson of the EU High Representative on violations of the ceasefire in Eastern Ukraine, 2.10.2014
• Concept of operations for EU civilian advisory mission in Ukraine agreed, 30.9.2014
• Joint statement of the Council and the Commission on the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, 29-9-2014
• Joint statement by President Herman Van Rompuy and President Jose Manuel Barroso on the ratification of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, 15-9-2014
• Statement by the EU High Representative on the reported holding of local ‘elections’ in Crimea, 15-9-2014.
• Statement by the Spokesperson on the second Russian ‘humanitarian convoy’ dispatched to Eastern Ukraine, 15.9.2014
• Factsheet on EU-Ukraine relations (update), 12.9.2014
• EU SCALES UP ITS ASSISTANCE FOR THE CONFLICT AFFECTED PEOPLE IN UKRAINE, 11.9.2014
• Statement by the President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy on further EU restrictive measures against Russia, 11.9.2014
• Reinforced restrictive measures against Russia, 11.9.2014
• Statement by the President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy on further EU restrictive measures against Russia, 8.9.2014
• RUSSIAN TRADE BAN. COMMISSIONER DAMANAKI READY TO SUPPORT EU FISHERIES SECTOR WITH FINANCIAL HELP, QUOTA FLEXIBILITY, 8.9.2014
• Joint letter by Herman Van Rompuy and José Manuel Barroso on restrictive measures against Russia, 5.9.2014
• Statement by the Spokesperson on the agreement reached on a ceasefire in Ukraine, 5.9.2014
• Special meeting of the European Council (30 August 2014) Conclusions
• Statement by President Barosso following the European Council, 31.8.2014
• Statement by President Barosso following his meeting with President Poroshenko of Ukraine 30.8.2014
• Remarks by President Herman Van Rompuy following the special meeting of the European Council, 30.8.2014
• Remarks by EU High Representative Catherine Ashton at the end of the Informal meeting of European Union Foreign Ministers (Gymnich), 30.8.2014
• Fact sheet. EU – Ukraine relations (Updated on the 29 August 2014)
• NATO Secretary General statement after the extraordinary meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission, 29.8.2014
• COUNCIL OF EUROPE-President gravely concerned about reports of growing escalation of the conflict in Ukraine, 29.8.2014
• PRESS REMARKS OF EU REPRESENTATIVES AT MINSK MEETINGS, 27.8.2014
• Opening remarks by Catherine Ashton at the meeting of the Heads of States of the Republic of Belarus, Republic of Kazakhstan, Russian Federation, Ukraine and Representatives of the EU, 26.8.2014
• NATO Press Release (2014)125. NATO Secretary General condemns entry of Russian convoy into Ukraine, 22.8.2014
• G-7 Leaders Statement on Ukraine, 30.7.2014
• Adoption of agreed EU restrictive measures over Crimea and Eastern Ukraine, 30.7.2014
• Statement by Herman Van Rompuy and the President of the European Commission in the name of the EU on the agreed additional restrictive measures against Russia, 29.7.2014
• EU sanctions over situation in Eastern Ukraine strengthened, 25.7.2014
• Further sanctions over situation in Eastern Ukraine agreed, 24.7.2014
• Head of Mission for EU advisory mission in Ukraine appointed,24.7.214
• Remarks by EU High Representative Catherine Ashton, 22.7.2014
• Council conclusions on Ukraine, 22.7.2014
• Fact sheet on EU-Ukraine relations (updated), 16.7.2014
• European Council conclusions on external relations (Ukraine and Gaza),16.7.2014
• Special meeting of the European Council 16.7.2014
• Speech by Commissioner Stefan Füle on the situation in Ukraine, 15.7.2014
• EU strengthens sanctions over situation in Eastern Ukraine, 11.7.2014
• Statement by the Spokesperson on media freedom and the safety, 3.7.2014
• Statement by the Spokesperson on the release of OSCE SMM monitor,29.6.2014
• European Council Conclusions,27.6.2014
• Factsheet on EU-Ukraine relations (updated), 25.6.2014
• Council conclusions on Ukraine, 23.6.2014
• EU prepares civilian mission to assist security sector reform in Ukraine, 23.6.2014
• EU prohibits imports of goods from Crimea and Sevastopol, 23.6.2014
• Technical preparations for signing the Association Agreement,23.6.2014
• Statement on the peace plan announced by President Poroshenko,20.6.2014
• Statement by the President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, on the downing of a Ukrainian military aircraft,14.6.2014
• Statement by President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy on the inauguration of Mr Petro Poroshenko as Ukraine’s President, 7.6.2014
• Remarks by President Herman Van Rompuy,5.6.2014
• The Brussels G7 Summit Declaration,05.6.2014
• Remarks by President Barroso following the informal European Council, 27.5.2014
• Statement of the Heads of State or Government on Ukraine,27.5.2014
• Joint statement on Presidential elections in Ukraine by President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy and President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso,26.5.2014
• Statement on the upcoming Presidential elections in Ukraine,23.5.2014
• Increased EU support for the OSCE’s work in Ukraine,23.5.2014
• Statement by President Herman van Rompuy after his meeting with Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk.12.5.2014
• Council conclusions on Ukraine,12.5.2014
• Council broadens EU sanctions regarding the situation in Ukraine,12.5.2014
• Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council, meets OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Didier Burkhalter, on the situation in Ukraine,7.5.2014
• Remarks by EU High Representative Catherine Ashton following her meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry,6.5.2014
• Statement on the victims of fire and violence,3.5.2014
• Remarks by EU High Representative Catherine Ashton following her meeting with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, 2.5.2014
• Fact Sheet on EU – Ukraine relations, 29.4.2014
• Statement by EU High Representative Catherine Ashton on the EU response to the worsening security situation in Eastern Ukraine,29.04.2014
• EU strengthens sanctions against actions undermining Ukraine’s territorial integrity,28.4.2014
• G-7 Leaders Statement on Ukraine, 25.4.2014
• Statement by EU High Representative Catherine Ashton on the latest situation in Ukraine, 24.4.2014
• Geneva Statement on Ukraine, 17.4.2014
• Fact sheet (Updated) EU–Ukraine relations, 17.4.2014
• Remarks by High Representative Catherine Ashton following the Geneva meeting on Ukraine, 17.4.2014
• Remarks by High Representative Ashton following the Foreign Affairs Council,14.04.2014
• Council conclusions on Ukraine, 14.4.2014
• Council approves financial support and trade measures for Ukraine, 14.4.2014
• EU extends freeze of misappropriated Ukrainian state funds, 14.4.2014
• Statement by High Representative Catherine Ashton on the situation in Eastern Ukraine, 13.4.2014
• Statement by the Spokesperson of EU High Representative Catherine Ashton on the situation in Eastern Ukraine, 8.4.2014
• Fact Sheet. EU-Ukraine Relations, 18.3.2014
• Joint statement on Crimea by President Van Rompuy and President Barroso on Ukraine, 18.3.2014
• Joint statement on Crimea by President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy and President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso on Ukraine, 16.3.2014
• Fact Sheet on EU – Ukraine relations, 6.3.2014
• Statement of the Heads of State or Government on Ukraine, 6.3.2014
• EU and NATO committees meet jointly to discuss Ukraine, 5.3.2014
• EU freezes misappropriated Ukrainian state funds, 5.3.2014
• Remarks by President Barroso, 3.3.2014
• Remarks by EU High Representative Catherine Ashton following the extraordinary Foreign Affairs Council on Ukraine, 3.3.2014
• G7 Leaders statement, 3.3.2014

Articles by ELIAMEP Researchers:

• Dictionary on the Ukrainian crisis written by Director General of ELIAMEP Dr Thanos Dokos (in Greek)
• Working Paper on the energy parameters of the Ukranian crisis written by Head of ‘Geopolitics of Energy’ programme at ELIAMEP Dr Theodore Tsakiris
• Briefing Note on the strategy of Russia and the role of Europe written by Head of ‘Geopolitics of Energy’ programme at ELIAMEP Dr Theodore Tsakiris
• Briefing Note on the international dimension of the Ukrainian crisis written by Research Associate of ELIAMEP Dr Panagiota Manoli (in Greek)
• Briefing Note on the impact of the Ukrainian crisis on the Greek EU presidency written by Head of ‘Geopolitics of Energy’ programme at ELIAMEP Dr Theodore Tsakiris
• Article on how the EU got is so wrong in Ukraine written by Director General of ELIAMEP Dr Thanos Dokos in Europe’s World, 24 April 2014