European Union

NATO, Police Fire Teargas at Protesters in Kosovo

By Reuters

The Specter of Finlandization

By Ronald Asmus, the German Marshall Fund

From Ronald Asmus, the German Marshall Fund:  A specter is starting to haunt wider Europe — those countries located between the EU and NATO on one hand and Russia on the other. That specter is “Finlandization.” The return of this Cold War phrase reveals much about the changing spirit of the times and geopolitics of […]

Those Damned Sceptical Germans

By Charlemagne, the Economist

From Charlemagne, the Economist: Once again, Europe has a German problem. In its handling of the euro crisis, Germany’s government stands accused of weakness, indecision and populism. Pro-European Germans say that Chancellor Angela Merkel believes that theirs has become just another normal European country. They add ominously that this risks flirting with Euroscepticism, even nationalism. […]

EU Bail-Out Scheme Alters Bloc Treaties, says France

By the Financial Times

From the Financial Times: The eurozone’s €440bn debt guarantee scheme is tantamount to the adoption of a Nato-style mutual defence clause and marks an ‘unprecedented’ change to the bloc’s treaties, according to France’s Europe minister. In a Financial Times interview, Pierre Lellouche laid bare the French government’s conviction that the emergency stabilisation scheme agreed this […]

Clinton: “We Do Have to Expect More From NATO”

By Secretary Hillary Clinton, the State Department

From Secretary Hillary Clinton, the State Department:  We have to do a better job of reforming NATO institutions and requiring them to be more cost-conscious and effective in order to maximize the impact of every dollar

Outgoing EU Military Chief Dismisses Drive for Single HQ

By Expatica France

From Expatica France: The outgoing British head of the European Union’s military staff on Thursday said a French-led drive for a single EU military command centre was unworkable. "There is not a one-sized feasible solution, neither from the point of view of politics nor from the pratical, military one," Lieutenant-General David Leakey told reporters as […]

NATO-EU Cooperation Talks Show Little Sign of Progress

By Europolitics

From Europolitics: The dispute between Turkey and Cyprus has hamstrung relations between the two organisations since Cyprus joined the EU in 2004. Ankara restricts cooperation at a number of levels, claiming that it wants to prevent sensitive military operations being passed on to the Greek Cypriot authorities. Cyprus has responded by blocking Turkish participation in […]

Rasmussen and Ashton Discuss Bosnia and EU-NATO Cooperation

By NATO

From NATO:  On 25 May, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Baroness Catherine Ashton, met with Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen at NATO Headquarters in Brussels. They met both bilaterally and at a meeting of the North Atlantic Council and the EU Political and Security Committee. The main topic of discussion was […]

Assessing “NATO 2020”

By Emiliano Alessandri, Brookings Institution

From Emiliano Alessandri, Brookings Institution: The report is comprehensive and detailed. Its recommendations, however, do not always match the measure of vision and boldness that many think is needed to invigorate NATO and renew its sense of purpose. Visionary or provocative proposals floated in recent months in expert and political circles, such as opening NATO’s door […]