Unione Europea

Political and economic prospects in the Western Balkans seemed promising in early 2000s, with countries leaning to the European Union for a prosperous future. Unfortunately, new and old Balkan problems are (re)emerging today, with political and ethnic divisions more entrenched than before due to poor economic performance, instability, corruption and lack of clear–cut prospects for the future. In the meantime, rising euroscepticism and "enlargement fatigue" in the EU have resulted into a stand–by of future enlargements.

La Constitution de la cinquième République, adoptée il y a près de 60 ans, confère un rôle prééminent au Président de la République en matière de politique étrangère. Non seulement le chef de l’Etat est-il chargé de négocier et ratifier les traités, mais de surcroît, il se trouve à la tête des armées. La pratique a renforcé cette prééminence, si bien que l’action extérieure est souvent présentée comme le « domaine réservé » du Président.

In a crucial year for the future of the EU, ISPI - together with SoG and SEP (LUISS) - have jointly produced the Policy Brief "Europe 2017: Make It or Break It?". The paper is authored by Franco Bruni (ISPI), Sergio Fabbrini (SoG) and Marcello Messori (SEP). 

Donald Trump’s Republican presidential nomination and the Brexit have shocked and somehow caught by surprise the entire world. A growing sense of concern or even alarm is now spreading across Western countries and is putting traditional democratic processes to the test.

In particular, when looking at the political landscape in Europe, populism may turn out to be an unprecedented game-changer. Populists parties came to power in Poland and Hungary, they are in coalition governments in Switzerland and Finland, top the polls in France and the Netherlands, and their support is at record highs in Sweden. Not to mention the recent rise of Alternative für Deutschland in Germany and the successful story of Syriza, Podemos and of the Five Stars Movement in southern Europe.

This Report explores the rise of populism in Europe and the US by analyzing its root causes, the rationale behind its success, its impact on traditional political parties and, more broadly, on Western democracies. It also draws some policy recommendations to tackle this widespread challenge. 

The Mediterranean region has always been marked by intense migration flows. Over the last few years, political instability in Middle East and North Africa countries, coupled with longstanding demographic and economic trends, have caused a sudden upsurge of migrants reaching Europe’s shores. Despite scattered shows of solidarity, however, the European response has proven slow and fragmented.

This volume offers a complete and encompassing analysis of the current state of play in terms of migration flows across the Mediterranean and policy responses by European transit and receiving countries. Attention is specifically devoted to ongoing debates about the management of mixed migration, the peculiar profile and needs of asylum seekers, migrants’ labour market access, and integration policies in Europe.

Il naufragio avvenuto lo scorso 4 ottobre al largo di Lampedusa, costato la vita a 366 persone, è solo l’ultima di una serie di tragedie del mare che hanno assunto la natura di vera e propria emergenza. Uomini in fuga da situazioni di guerra e disordine cercano un approdo nella “fortezza Europa”, trovando spesso sofferenza e morte. Diventa sempre più evidente, dunque, come l’approccio europeo basato sulla mera gestione dell’emergenza non sia più sufficiente a fare fronte a una situazione sempre più problematica. Ma da dove vengono i migranti? Quali risposte hanno messo in campo, rispettivamente, Italia e Europa? Questo ISPI Dossier analizza le incognite legate alla difficoltà nel trovare una soluzione a livello europeo, cercando di mettere in evidenza le maggiori problematiche.