Commentaries
Belgian Foreign Policy: in search of a new course
The last major review of Belgian foreign policy dates back to the 1990s. Enough has changed at the global, European and Belgian level to warrant a new critical reflection. On […]
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
A Eurozone Subcommittee in the European Parliament: high hopes, low results?
The task of ensuring the democratic legitimacy of the euro has been placed high on the agenda. A eurozone subcommittee in the European Parliament is one of the rare concrete […]
Commentaries
Must Juncker be appointed as the next President of the European commission?
Following the electoral campaign for the European Parliament, there is no easy way to resolve the nomination of the next Commission’s president. The European Council’s proposition needs a very careful […]
Commentaries
Can the European Union survive without importing Russian energy sources?
Russia is the biggest exporter of fossil energy sources on this Earth. It exports gas, petrol, coal, uranium to the European Union. The EU could feasibly abandon Russian energy sources, but […]
Commentaries
All monetary policy has become ‘unconventional’
The European Central Bank finally seems ready to counter the low inflation in the eurozone. The ECB appears to have determined an order of play, in which it first exhausts […]
Energy efficiency: the ever neglected priority of the European energy strategy
Since 2000, energy efficiency has been a major objective of the European Union. However, in spite of many speeches, reports and action programmes, the result remains disappointing (including in the famous 20/20/20 […]