EIAS LATEST

Kishida’s Resignation and the October 2024 General Elections – A Turning Point in Japanese Politics?

With the announcement of Fumio Kishida’s leadership coming to an end after his resignation in August 2024, a sense of shifting political powers emerged in Japan. Kishida served as Japan’s Prime Minister (PM) between 2021 and 2024, leading the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). The end of the Kishida administration aimed to bring a fresh start for Japan, leaving room for his successor Shigeru Ishiba to be appointed LDP leader, becoming the new PM on 1 October 2024. Soon after coming into office he called for a snap general election, which was held on 27 October 2024. With the result of the election leading to a political impasse and looming uncertainty, what can be expected of Japan’s political developments and the future of EU-Japan relations?

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Energy Opportunities in the Greater Caspian Region: Unlocking Strategic Gains for Europe

Amid the ongoing war in Ukraine and the urgent need to reduce dependency on the Russian energy sector, the EU has intensified the diversification of its fossil fuel imports and expanded renewable energy sources in line with the REPowerEU plan to enhance overall energy security. A key aspect of this strategy has been increasing liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies from the United States, Norway, and North Africa. However, the need for diversified energy sources persists. The Greater Caspian Region, in particular, offers substantial potential for rapidly boosting exports within a short timeframe. To fully capitalise on the opportunities in the Greater Caspian Region, European companies and governments should navigate a complex landscape of geopolitical dynamics and infrastructural commitments. Balancing the urgent need for energy security with the long-term goals of sustainable development will be crucial for the success of these endeavours.

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The Middle Corridor – Where The EU’s Global Gateway Meets the Belt and Road Initiative: What Potential for Complementarity?

The role of infrastructure in contemporary global politics is shifting and gaining growing attention. Aiming to increase global connectivity, the European Union’s Global Gateway (GG) strategy and the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) are at the centre of attention as infrastructure investment programs. Between the two, the Middle Corridor emerges as an area of potential increased future consortium, both geographically and strategically. What are the GG’s goals, principles, and financial mechanisms and how does it compare with China’s BRI? How do both strategies relate to the Middle Corridor and its potential for complementarity between the two initiatives? The path forward requires refinement, but the momentum is there and the potential for collaboration lies ahead.

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Combating Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing in Vietnam – The EU’s Yellow Card

Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing practices have been a critical challenge in Southeast Asia due to their environmental impact and related economic losses, resulting in the weakening of coastal communities. Notwithstanding the efforts being taken at the national level, mitigation and addressing the issue has proved to be challenging in Vietnam. The European Union (EU), a crucial trading partner for the country, has been pressuring Vietnam to combat IUU fishing. With the 5th EU inspection approaching in October 2024, Vietnam has been positively ramping up its efforts. What further action needs to be taken to lift the EU’s yellow card? How can the root causes of IUU fishing be addressed and how can the EU effectively provide adequate support in tackling this?

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The EU’s Semiconductor Dilemma: What Does it Take to Regain Strategic Autonomy?

To counter a looming change in balance of global power, the US and the EU have adopted respective de-risking measures, whereby supply chains are diversified and onshored to decrease strategic dependencies against China’s geoeconomic leverage. As China’s semiconductor ecosystem grows more strategic, and US measures more pressing, the EU must wager its position between a democratic ally to Washington and a willing trade partner to Beijing. More importantly, to preserve its technological advantage in the semiconductor industry, the EU needs to regain its strategic autonomy.

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EIAS Newsletter August 2024

As the summer comes to an end and September approaches, we are excited to share our latest publications and upcoming activities with you in the August edition of our EIAS newsletter.

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