Reports 2012

Ukraine is progressing towards signing an Association Agreement which includes an integral Deep and Comprehensive Free-Trade Agreement with the European Union.

The Fethullah Gülen Movement has spread to all four corners of the globe and is influential well beyond Turkey.

The 13-14 December European Council was disappointing as it failed to live up to the expectations raised and the objectives set earlier in the year.

Resolving the protracted conflicts over Nagorno-Karabakh, Transdniestria, Abkhazia and South Ossetia will require local leaders to show much greater political will, and necessitates much greater engagement by external actors like the EU.

Regional cooperation can boost economic development and spread prosperity across the Balkans.

Speakers at this breakfast on the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) were optimistic that the CEAS would be in place within a few months, as most of the directives and political conditions had been agreed.

The EU’s multilingual nature can be an asset for European companies, giving them the tools they need to harness multilingualism as a means of accessing multicultural global markets and gaining a competitive advantage over their US counterparts.

The EU must face up to the twin challenges of ageing populations and mounting youth unemployment. Lifelong learning, health and safety at work and active ageing can help in this regard.

The resilience of the welfare state over time, its ability to protect citizens, and the future of welfare provision are all under the spotlight.

The Irish EU Presidency in the first half of 2013 comes at a decisive moment for a European Union facing crucial decisions on its next long-term budget and the implementation of the roadmap towards a “genuine Economic and Monetary Union”.