Commentaries
Rather no government of technocrats
The “De Morgen” Newspaper chose Sven Biscop as defence minister in a hypothetical government of technocrats for Belgium. But Belgian and EU policy needs to become more political, not more […]
European Affairs
Located in Brussels at the heart of EU political decision-making, the European Affairs Programme provides in-depth as well as policy-oriented analyses on a wide range of themes of relevance to EU and Belgian policy makers. Topics that are – or ought to be – central to the EU policy debate are given special attention. Aside from a constant focus on institutional matters, various substantive EU policies dominate the Programme’s research agenda, such as the Green Deal, the digital agenda, the consolidation of an inclusive social model, the protection of people and the defence of rights, and the promotion of Europe’s interests in the world.
The Programme also deals extensively and in a forward-looking way with the impact of the multiple crises the EU has had to address over the last decade. They all had an impact on its policies, its decision-making processes, and more generally its architecture, which is proof of the resilience of the European project.
With the aim of reaching the broadest audience possible, the European Affairs Programme seeks to share its expertise and stimulate the debate through a variety of publications as well as by organizing round tables, expert-seminars, and conferences.
Publications
The EU’s fourth railway package: a new stop in a long regulatory journey
Railway policy has been one of the slowest areas of European integration. The first substantial railway directive was only issued in 1991, and the First Railway Package in 2001. There […]
Commentaries
Letter from Brussels
“What should the EU do?” This is how most, if not all, policymakers in the Belgian foreign ministry react when a crisis occurs in, say, Ukraine or Syria. But as […]
Turkish Stream and its implications for the EU
A first assessment is that this would not work, EC Vice-President in charge of Energy Union Mr. Maros Sefcovic said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal at the […]
Commentaries
A Belgian army for European defence
Sven Biscop outlines a realistic but real ambition for the Belgian armed forces. The key though is long-term budgetary stability. This article is available in Dutch only. This commentary appeared […]
European elections: from ‘second-order’ elections to ‘first-order supranational’ elections
Starting from the idea that European elections cannot be considered as purely second order elections, the author gathers some proposals in order to transform gradually the European elections into genuine […]