Union européenne – Page 12 – Blog Politique étrangère

Thinking European toward Russia

On 24/08/2023

This article is the English version of Roman Kuźniar,
« Sur la Russie : penser européen », published in Politique étrangère, Vol. 85, Issue 1, 2020.

Photographie d'arrière-plan par Maximalfocus (Unsplash) représentant le drapeau de l'Union européenne projeté sur un bâtiment ainsi que le drapeau flottant. Au premier plan, couverture du PE 1/2020.

Physicists tend to say that their discipline is a burial ground of misconceived theories. It is quite similar with European countries’ attitude towards Russia. There have been many ideas and good intentions, but most failed. This also pertains to Polish conceptions, of which there have been many. Their failure resulted from the fact that they would usually be situated in the sphere between illusion and wishful thinking. Illusion refers to the assessment of the nature of Russia’s politics, whereas wishful thinking refers to that which could be achieved in politics towards Russia if we live up to the country’s expectations. This was the case for the first two decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the reappearance of Russia on the European geopolitical scene.

Europe: Power and Finance

de Politique Etrangère

On 10/08/2023

dans PE in english

This article is the English version of Sylvie Goulard,
« L’Europe, la puissance et la finance », published in Politique étrangère, Vol. 86, Issue 2, 2021.

Photographie d'arrière-plan par Mauro Sbicego (Unsplash) représentant la sculpture du symbole de l'euro en dehors de la Banque centrale européenne de Francfort. Au premier plan, couverture de PE 2/2021.

The world is rapidly changing, and Europe is striving to find its place. In the debates over European sovereignty, the issues frequently revolve around diplomacy, defence and occasionally industrial policy, but only rarely finance. The most noteworthy advance in European construction was undoubtedly the single currency, but the European Union (EU) could make much better use of its strengths in the financial area. It took the global financial crisis for common regulatory rules governing finance to be adopted and for their control to be entrusted to European supervisory authorities. Even today, the domestic financial services market remains fragmented and the euro’s geopolitical role unfulfilled. Yet the strategic nature of the financial stakes is evidenced by several factors.

The European Union and the Western Balkans: Lost Illusions?

de Politique Etrangère

On 22/06/2023

dans PE in english

This article is the English version of Pierre Mirrel,
« Union européenne-Balkans occidentaux : les illusions perdues ? », published in Politique étrangère, Vol. 87, Issue 4, 2022.

Photographie de fond par Tetiana Shyshkina (Unsplash) représentant le drapeau de l'Union européenne (bleu, étoiles jaunes). Au premier plan, couverture du numéro 4/2022 du numéro de Politique étrangère.

“Undermined by years of mutual ignorance, deceit, and disrespect, the Balkans’ EU accession process has finally succumbed to both European and Balkan leaders’ populist, short-sighted policies.” This remark expresses the frustrations in the Balkans after Bulgaria again vetoed opening accession negotiations with Albania and Northern Macedonia on June 22, 2022, when the European Council was due to recognize the candidacies of Ukraine and Moldova the following day.