The “golden age” of economic globalization – started at the end of Cold-war –might have come to an end. Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine are among the causes why globalization is apparently slowing down, thus affecting trade flows and growth potentials. Moreover, current geopolitical tensions and US-China rivalry are further putting the resilience of Global Value Chains to the test.
In the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, there has been much discussion about the impact this conflict keeps having on the global economic and political order. While it is sometimes left under the radar or taken into consideration mainly because of legitimate concerns about the impact of the food crisis triggered by grain shortages, Africa should not be excluded from these political considerations. Indeed, Africa’s international dynamics eloquently portray a scenario in which global tensions interact with ambitions within the continent.
The European Union had started preparing the ground for its “green” transition well before that the war in Ukraine forced it to change plans, re-orientating policy choices towards the fulfilment of short-term energy needs.
After four turbulent years in the transatlantic partnership under President Trump, the Biden administration aspired to rebuild trust among its allies. Under the slogan “America is back” President Biden and senior officials not only emphasized their commitment to the transatlantic partnership but also proposed a future-oriented agenda to increase institutional innovation and resilience.
At the so-called “African COP” in Sharm el-Sheyk, the debate on energy transition and climate change adaptation in Africa is expected to be a key part of the discussion. Constraints in access, climate pressures, and management of fossil fuel resources are more pressing issues than ever for the continent.
Il 18 aprile 1951 Monnet, Schuman, Adenauer e De Gasperi creano con il Trattato di Parigi la Comunità Europea del Carbone e dell’Acciaio con l’obiettivo di mettere in comune la produzione di queste materie prime. Di fatto sono i primi passi per un percorso che porterà alla nascita dell’Unione Europea. Oggi è il gas a mettere in crisi il sistema comunitario ed è complesso comprendere se la sfida di approvvigionamento troverà una visione unica.
The 27th Conference of the Parties (COP27) will kick off in Egypt on the 6th of November. This will be the fifth time the COP has been held in Africa since its creation in 1995, and the second time since the Paris Agreement. This reflects the place and interest of Africa in the issue of climate change.
Europe and Africa are struggling to find common ground in the run-up to COP27 in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt, at a time when climate change continues to wreak havoc on people’s lives throughout Africa.
Should the EU ban Russian tourists? This question divided the bloc as EU leaders met in Prague at the end of August to discuss several countries and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky’s call for an EU-wide ban on Russian tourist visas. Western European countries like Germany and France opposed any ban that might punish ordinary Russians and play into Russian President Vladimir Putin’s anti-Western propaganda.
A revived transatlantic relationship stands as the background for NATO’s new Strategic Concept. After four troublesome years during Donald Trump’s presidency, the Biden administration has actively tried to relaunch the US-Europe dialogue, with partial success. The 2021 NATO summit in Brussels on June 14th was generally regarded as a constructive one, confirming the positive impression of the previous G7 summit in Carbis Bay and paving the way for the US-EU summit on June 15th.
Sanctions to Russia forbidding the import of dual-use technology have highlighted the importance of reliable supply chains and strategic autonomy in high-tech sectors. The quest for this digital sovereignty has led the EU to recently announce a Strategic Compass to better coordinate its capacity building in the physical and digital spheres. Brussels has also launched the European Chips Act to become a leading player in the semiconductor industry. Are these initiatives enough to better position the European Union in the global technological competition?