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Escaping the Venezuelan nightmare1
- International Relations and Global Affairs, Op-ed
- 16/10/2018
Recent news from South America shows that there might be hope for Venezuelans fleeing their country as a response to the economic meltdown and political crisis. A joint agreement signed by eleven South American countries is a step towards dealing with the massive migration flow in the region. Millions of Venezuelans have fled their home country or are planning to do so. Sadly, this is only the beginning of a situation that could lead to a humanitarian crisis in Latin America.
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The Nagoya Protocol: Please sign here, here and here before proceeding with your research0
- Environment and Energy, Op-ed
- 11/10/2018
The Nagoya Protocol is a novel legal instrument and it aims to enable fair access and benefit sharing of genetic resources, but to what cost? Its implementation creates serious impediments for progress in science.
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To improve is to change. Can the WTO be reformed?0
- International Trade, Op-ed
- 08/10/2018
In the end of September, a group of senior trade officials met in Geneva, to initiate a preparatory discussion on the future of the WTO. The debate will be further addressed on October 24-25 at ministerial level by 13 WTO members, a.k.a. the “coalition of the willing”, including the EU, Canada and Japan. Calls for reform spread as Trump’s administration stubbornly blocked the Dispute Settlement System for years, reaching a breaking point last month.
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Climate change and human rights: the role of justice0
- Environment and Energy, Op-ed
- 29/09/2018
National efforts to reduce emissions and fight climate change are still largely inadequate. Citizens and organizations are taking action and bringing governments to court to push for more ambition.
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Finland: Twenty beds, too many ill0
- Human Rights and Migration, Op-ed
- 29/09/2018
The Finnish Immigration Service operates a 20-bed facility in the city of Lahti offering mental health care services to asylum seekers. However, this unit is the only one of the type in the whole country and is insufficient and constantly full.
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The Italian olive trees syndrome: facts, opinions and responsibilities0
- Environment and Energy, Op-ed
- 21/09/2018
A ‘mysterious’ disease has been killing olive trees in Southern Italy. It is at the centre of a political fight between central institutions and local actors, freezing all interventions.
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Japan is opening its door to migrants1
- Human Rights and Migration, Op-ed
- 05/09/2018
For a long period of time Japan has been one of the world’s most homogenous countries; and even today only 2% of the population is foreign born. This is especially unusual given that large GDP countries like Japan generally tend to attract immigrants. But lately there is more and more evidence that their migration policies are finally going to be changed.
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Welcome to the jungle: Trump’s plan for international trade0
- International Trade, Op-ed
- 02/09/2018
President Donald Trump is consistently trying to wear out the multilateral trading system in order to capitalize on US position of economic power against its trading partners. Does it sound very mercantilist? It does, and it is.
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Not all that is trade glitters0
- International Trade, Op-ed
- 14/08/2018
The fifth round of negotiations between the EU and Indonesia on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement was held in Brussels in July 2018. Despite being at early stages, the negotiations prompted heated debate and strong opposition from international NGOs, as the Commission has poorly addressed major issues related to environmental and labour standards, as well as sustainable investment and development.
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