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The EU-US trade negotiation is the ultimate test for EU climate goals0
- International Trade, Op-ed
- 11/05/2019
On Monday, 15 April the Council decided to adopt the negotiating directives for trade talks with the United States on a Free Trade Agreement. Now concerns are raised regarding the US administrations departure from its commitments to combat climate change envisaged in the Paris Agreement. On the other hand, supporters of the FTA argue that due to the current state of international trade it would be important to reach such an agreement to avoid further escalation. However, when it comes to trade the EU has failed to observe its climate commitments as part of negotiating schedules, questioning its willingness to be in the forefront of the fight against climate change.
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Why the rule of law link to EU funds is unlikely to make a real difference0
The emphasis on rule of law in the next EU budget framework (2021-2027) is a first step in addressing the risk of corruption in the Visegrad Four (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia). It is likely that a soft coercive mechanism will be chosen in on-going negotiations due to its political soundness and will not be effective in targeting the corruption cycle as a whole.
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Is the sky the limit for drone technology in agriculture?2
- Environment and Energy, Op-ed
- 04/05/2019
How drones are helping to revolutionise agriculture
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Drums of prejudice: Avenging terror through hate crimes?2
- Human Rights and Migration, Op-ed
- 29/04/2019
Unprecedented hostility is taking place towards Indians coming from the state of Kashmir.
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These violent attacks are happening in several states following a deadly suicide attack on the Indian forces in Pulwama – India-administered Kashmir.
Cities in transition: Why is urban farming good for us1
- Environment and Energy, Op-ed
- 16/04/2019
Societies try to become more and more resilient these days. Greening the cities is the new trend that tends to be inserted into urban lifestyles.
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Autonomous Weapons Systems: A new kind of diplomacy?0
- International Relations and Global Affairs, Op-ed
- 08/04/2019
Kubrick’s 1964 film Doctor Strangelove portrays the devastating impact of a Soviet doomsday device. Programmed to automatically wipe out all human life if any nuclear attack would have struck the nation, the curious construction showed great diplomatic potential. Annoyed as to why the Soviets had kept the device a secret, Doctor Strangelove ranted to the Soviet Ambassador: “The whole point of the doomsday machine (deterrence) is lost if you keep it a secret. Why didn’t you tell the world?”As described by William McNeill in his book The Pursuit of Power, technological and military advances have a fundamental effect on global international relations.Yet these type of developments can only reach a certain level, before edging towards irreparable damage.
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Pension reform in Croatia: better be safe and sorry0
- Op-ed, Social and Economic Policy
- 02/04/2019
The newest pension reform in Croatia brought parametric changes into the three-pillar pension system. A specific incentive within the reform – the transfer measure – exposes persistent problems in the Croatian pension system. At some point they need to be tackled with institutional measures which are absent from the current reform package.
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Qatar working conditions 2.0?0
- Human Rights and Migration, Op-ed
- 28/03/2019
Qatar is hosting the next world cup in 2022. Major sports events are prone to labour and other human rights violations, reason for which it is essential to revisit the situation of the richest country in the world, which combines both an image of luxury and of extreme poverty.
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The paradise paradox: Maldives, a sinking country?38
- Environment and Energy, Human Rights and Migration, Op-ed
- 24/03/2019
Maldives is now the poster-child for the consequences of climate change. Global warming will almost certainly lead to the demise of these islands which are predicted to submerge in thirty years’ time. Disappearing into the rising sea, it will become the first country having to relocate all its population as refugees due to global climate change.
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