Does EU care about Brexit?

Less than fifteen days before the United Kingdom's (UK) referendum on Brexit, it seems that this topic is not at all on the frontline of public discourse in the European Union (EU). We are just witnessing "black o white" approaches, emphasizing on the dangers of leaving or the merits of staying in the EU.

A number of EU leaders and the President of the United States have stated that a possible exit would damage the UK in the sense that trade transactions and political influence will be severely weakened. Such statements have been coupled with ademonization of Brexit and the repercussions upon the status of UK in global scale, with many think-tanks in Brussels and the UK trying to depict these losses in numbers.

Το κύκνειο άσμα της εξωτερικής πολιτικής του Γερμανού προέδρου

Το Βερολίνο οδηγείται σε μια χρονιά εκλογών, για πρόεδρο και για επικεφαλής κυβέρνησης. ΟΙ εκλογές στην Bundestag θα διεξαχθούν το φθινόπωρο του επομένου έτους, και νωρίτερα αυτή την εβδομάδα ο πρόεδρος Joachim Gauck ανακοίνωσε ότι δεν θα είναι ξανά υποψήφιος για την προεδρία όταν λήξει η θητεία του την επόμενη άνοιξη.

Ενώ το γερμανικό σύστημα προβλέπει έναν μη εκτελεστικό ρόλο για τον αρχηγό του κράτους (παρόμοια με την Ιταλία, την Πολωνία, την Βουλγαρία, την Φινλανδία και την Πορτογαλία), η θέση έχει μια ισχυρή παράδοση στο να παρέχει μια κατεύθυνση σε μεγάλα ερωτήματα που απασχολούν την γερμανική κοινωνία. Ως πρόεδρος, ο Gauck έχει επιλέξει να επικεντρωθεί σε έναν τομέα που έχει μεγάλο ενδιαφέρον πέρα από τα σύνορα της χώρας: τον ρόλο της Γερμανίας στις διεθνείς υποθέσεις.

How you can stop the UK giving millions to dirty power

What if I told you the UK Government plans to hand out just under $1 billion to energy companies in exchange for the promise that they will carry on producing dirty coal and diesel-fired power? Well, they and governments across Europe are doing just this, so hold on to your outrage while I take you through the very boring sounding ‘capacity mechanisms’, their instrument for doing this. 

Five reasons why the EU’s ‘Marshall Plan’ against migration is a bad idea

Three years into the most important human mobility crisis since World War II, Europe insists on kicking the ball away.

The latest proposal by the European Commission (EC) to the Parliament recommends sizeable economic investments in nine countries from Africa and the Middle East. The basic logic is that this would spur economic development and persuade potential migrants to stay home, while at the same time locking origin and transit governments into migration control schemes.

No, Paris Will Never Be the New London

As  the U.K. referendum on whether to remain in or leave the European Union draws nearer, politicians and bankers from other European cities are circling the prospective carcass of London’s financial center like vultures above a stranded, parched wayfarer.

Back in February, Emmanuel Macron, the French economy minister, said Paris would “roll out the red carpet” for U.K. bankers should the country vote for Brexit — and on Wednesday kicked off a new campaign to tout the French capital as a center of global finance. In May, Martin Shanahan of Ireland’s Industrial Development Agency said Brexit would help his quest to attract 10,000 financial services jobs to Dublin. Not to be outdone, Hubertus Väth, the managing director of Frankfurt Main Finance, has said his city, too,is ready for an influx of bankers from London. And similar noises have been emanating from Luxembourg, Amsterdam, Munich, Stockholm, and other European financial centers in the weeks leading up to the vote.

Uranium Prices Set To Double By 2018

With prices set to double by 2018, we’ve seen the bottom of the uranium market, and the negative sentiment that has followed this resource around despite strong fundamentals, is starting to change.

Billionaire investors sense it, and they’re always the first to anticipate change and take advantage of the rally before it becomes a reality. The turning point is where all the money is made, and there are plenty of indications that the uranium recovery is already underway.

Hamas Is Ready for War with Israel

Gaza City, GAZA — The first thing you notice about Gaza: the donkeys. Attached to carts invariably driven by middle-aged men, they weave in and out of traffic, hauling fruits and vegetables through the city center.

Gaza still bears the scars of the 2014 war between Hamas and Israel. The 51-day conflict resulted in the deaths of 2,300 Gazans, with 10,000 others wounded; 66 Israeli soldiers and six Israeli civilians also lost their lives. Gaza’s infrastructure was decimated: A recent U.N. report stated that only 17 percent of the 18,000 homes destroyed during the conflict have been repaired, and an estimated 75,000 Gazans remain displaced.

Ambiguity plagues the Shangri-La Dialogue

South China Sea tensions played a prominent role in discussions at the just-concluded Shangri-La Dialogue held in Singapore. However, ambiguity on several issues raised, whether deliberate or otherwise, has the potential to prolong these very same tensions.

Πώς θα είναι η ΕΕ αν μείνει η Βρετανία;

Τι γίνεται αν η Βρετανία ψηφίσει αποφασιστικά στις 23 Ιουνίου να παραμείνει στην ΕΕ. Κανένα από τα άλλα προβλήματα της ΕΕ -η οικονομία, η σύγκρουση στη Συρία, η προσφυγική κρίση ή η διαμάχη με την Ρωσία- δεν θα επιλυθεί. Οι Ευρωπαίοι ηγέτες, συμπεριλαμβανομένου και του Βρετανού πρωθυπουργού David Cameron, θα μπορούσαν να προσποιηθούν ότι το δημοψήφισμα δεν συνέβη ποτέ και να συνεχίσουν την πυρόσβεση. Οι Βρετανοί υπουργοί θα έχουν την εντολή να επαναδιαπραγματευτούν με την ΕΕ. Αλλά θα είναι αυτό μια εντολή να παραμείνει το στραβόξυλο της Ευρώπης ή για να είναι πιο φιλόδοξοι;

4 Ways Latin America Can Achieve Energy Success

The rapidly shifting and challenging environment for the energy sector in Latin America offers an unprecedented opportunity for the region to rethink how it can better coordinate its energy sector and look toward building a comprehensive, integrated energy matrix. On July 1, all eyes will be on the leaders of Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru – the founding member states of the Pacific Alliance – to see how the ambitious goal of energy integration can be advanced on the sidelines of the 11th annual Summit.

With 42 observer countries from South Korea to Sweden signed up and two—Costa Rica and Panama—pending ascension, the grouping has become a hot commodity. That is partly due to an outstanding record of achievement: the alliance has already integrated four national stock markets, erased a vast range of tariffs, introduced visa-free travel, and organized joint international trade missions.