Op-ed Categories - Page 6 of 28

The EU as a Maritime Security Provider? Prospects for Cooperation with Japan and South Korea

As the centre of global geopolitical and economic competition shifts towards Asia, the EU’s economic interests in the Indo-Pacific bring maritime security issues in the region ever closer to home. However, if the EU cares to be recognized as a global maritime security actor, and protect its interests abroad, it will need to take concrete steps to strengthen maritime security cooperation with its Asian partners.

From Yoon to EU

On 10 May 2022, former prosecutor-general Yoon Suk-yeol began his 5-year term as the new President of the Republic of

EU-Central Asia Relations and Beyond: The Orientation of Energy Policies in Kazakhstan.

Following Kazakhstan’s Referendum on Constitutional Amendments of 5 June 2022, the country is headed for a series of political reforms in a rapidly changing international environment. Kazakhstan seems to have oriented its foreign policy toward opening up to countries other than Russia and decreasing its economic and political dependence on its historical neighbor.

Reforming the EU’s GSP+ Scheme – An Analysis into Uzbekistan’s Admission

The EU’s GSP+ Scheme aims to alleviate poverty in beneficiary countries by providing them the opportunity to strengthen and diversify their exports. Despite the benefits, the nature of the scheme’s conditions have raised questions on its ability to deliver its key intentions. Using Uzbekistan as a case study, this Op-ed will assess and analyse the EU’s GSP+ scheme and question who indeed benefits from the scheme, and the manner in which the EU identifies and addresses the issues of poor corporate practices resulting.

South Korea’s Tightest Presidential Race in History: What Will Yoon’s Victory Bring to EU-ROK Relations?

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic Yoon Seok-Yeol of the conservative People Power Party (PPP) was elected as the ROK’s new president winning 48.56% of the votes. President-elect Yoon’s administration is expected to bring substantial change to South Korea’s foreign policy. Hence, what will be potential areas of future cooperation between the EU and South Korea under Yoon’s administration?

Mongolia’s ‘New Revival Policy’: What Opportunities does it Present for the EU?

The end of 2021 saw Mongolia’s State Great Khural (parliament) ratify the ‘New Revival’ policy. As the COVID-19 pandemic led to Mongolia’s largest economic contraction since 1990 (-5.3%), the policy aims to ensure political and macroeconomic stability, accelerate public-private partnerships, create a favourable business environment, further open up the state to foreign and domestic investment, and implement fiscal reforms.

China and the EU in Climate Geopolitics

From the Kyoto Protocol to the Paris Agreement, international gatherings are becoming more frequent. By cooperating on the climate agenda and the transition towards cleaner energy, there is no doubt that China and the EU are key actors in setting the path towards a global greener future. The main question is: how?

Corporate Social Responsibility in India: Linking CSR and R&D

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is the self-regulating mechanism by which businesses ensure to comply with globally agreed upon ethical norms and standards, and engage in actions for wider social benefit, such as acts to mitigate their impact on the environment, improving the labour conditions of the workforce or giving back to the community within which they operate.

South Korea’s 20th presidential election: Finding a Korean balance between the US and China in the Indo-Pacific region

South Korea’s presidential election is scheduled to be held on 9 March 2022. The two major parties, the ruling liberal Democratic Party (DP) and the conservative People Power Party (PPP), nominated their presidential candidates, both of whom have no legislative experience in the National Assembly. The former Gyeonggi Province Governor, Lee Jae-Myung, was nominated by the DP to succeed incumbent President Moon Jae-In, and the former Prosecutor-General, Yoon Suk-Yeol, was nominated by the PPP (opposition camp) to rebrand the party following the 2017 impeachment of former President Park Geun-Hye.