Let’s reshape Europe together!

In a worldwide hackathon series, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation and its global partners discussed how to strengthen the EU’s role in other world regions. The hackathons took place in eight world regions: Western Europe, Eastern Europe, the MENA region, Sub-Saharan Africa, North America, Latin America. The idea behind a hackathon comes from the IT sector,
where groups of tech-savvy contestants tackle an IT or coding issue. This concept has gained popularity in recent years beyond the tech sphere and found great traction in the political environment. Over the course of several days (and sometimes even several stages), teams of creative and open-minded young people proposed innovative policies or project ideas on how to strengthen the EU’s role across the globe and how to foster democratic cooperation with other world regions.

Today, we are experiencing that the European Union and its model of democratic societies are losing their worldwide popularity. The growing global influence of actors with values, political systems, and worldviews that are diametrically opposing to those of the EU, as well as the renaissance of geopolitical blocs (as evidenced by the abstention of some states in the UN in condemning Russia's war of aggression), further reinforce this trend. In the new era of geopolitics, characterized by strategic rivalry between authoritarian states on the one hand and liberal democracies on the other, these are alarming signs. In order to prevail against authoritarian regimes, the liberal model of EU democratic societies must regain its attractiveness in the world.



Wir erleben heute, dass die Europäische Union und ihr Modell der demokratischen Gesellschaften weltweit an Attraktivität verlieren. Der wachsende globale Einfluss von Akteuren mit Werten, politischen Systemen und Weltanschauungen, die denen der EU diametral entgegengesetzt sind, sowie die Renaissance geopolitischer Blockbildungen (wie die Stimmenthaltung einiger Staaten in der UNO bei der Verurteilung des russischen Angriffskrieges zeigt) verstärken diese Entwicklung noch. In der neuen Ära der Geopolitik, die durch die strategische Rivalität zwischen autoritären Staaten auf der einen und liberalen Demokratien auf der anderen Seite gekennzeichnet ist, sind dies alarmierende Zeichen. Um sich gegen autoritäre Regime durchzusetzen, muss das liberale Modell der demokratischen Gesellschaften der EU in der Welt wieder an Attraktivität gewinnen.

Die geopolitischen Spannungen in der Weltwirtschaft nehmen zu. Protektionistische Tendenzen und Populismus verstärken die schwierige Lage. Doch gerade in diesen stürmischen Zeiten bewährt sich der europäische Binnenmarkt und erweist sich als wertvolle historische Errungenschaft. Er hat den Menschen in Europa spürbar mehr Freiheiten in ihrem Alltag ermöglicht. Und gerade dafür wird der europäische Binnenmarkt von einer breiten Bevölkerungsmehrheit geschätzt, wie die Ergebnisse unserer Umfrage eindeutig zeigen.

Energy supplies and energy shortage have become a global issue since the Ukraine Russia war. However, for South Asia, energy supplies have been an issue even before the war. In December 2022 we invited Mr. Mujtaba Khan, CEO Reon Energy Pakistan, and Mr. Navam Niles, Research Consultant, Centre of Poverty Analysis, Sri Lanka, for an online web talk titled “Impact of the Ukraine-Russia War on Energy Transition and Food Security in Debt Ridden South Asian Nations“. With moderator Dr. Gareth Price, panellists and participants discussed relevant issues ranging from the impact of global markets on the region to the severe national energy and political crises in 2022 in both Pakistan and Sri Lanka and their inter-linkages.

The Policy Paper “Coordinating EU External Action on Migration: A Timely Imperative” is a joint collaboration of the FNF Madrid office and two members of its Migration Policy Group: Jan- Christoph Oetjen. Member of the European Parliament from the liberal Renew Europe Group and Milosz Hodun, PhD, Member of the Board of Directors of the European Liberal Forum, International officer of the Polish liberal party, Nowoczesna. The Policy Paper sheds a light on the EU Migration Agenda and the challenges that must be addressed in order to achieve an efficient migration management, especially when it comes to EU relations with key third countries. Furthermore, the paper includes the work carried out by the FNF Madrid Migration Policy Group, which is relevant for liberal policy makers and experts.

Die vorliegende Publikation stellt die Ergebnisse einer aktuellen Umfrage vor, die vom Europäischen Dialogbüro der Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung für die Freiheit (FNF) in Brüssel in Auftrag gegeben wurde und an der 2.752 EU-Bürger aus zehn Mitgliedstaaten teilnahmen.
Die Ergebnisse der Umfrage verdeutlichen den wachsenden Wunsch der Europäer nach einer stärkeren EU- Außenpolitik.

Der Krieg in der Ukraine hat europäische BürgerInnen dazu bewogen, die Rolle der EU und ihre Bedeutung für die Zukunft der europäischen Bürger zu hinterfragen und eine veränderte Wahrnehmung zu demonstrieren, bei der die EU nun als eigenständiger internationaler Akteur angesehen wird. Die Entscheidungen der EU zu Themen wie Handel, Kartellrecht und Umweltstandards werden zunehmend als von globaler Tragweite erkannt.

Die Umfrage zeigt, dass Europäer eine EU-Außenpolitik wünschen, die auf Werten basiert und die Sicherheit, Menschenrechte und Freiheit in den Vordergrund stellt.

The journalistic report “MIGRATION POLICY GROUP: LEBANON ON THE EU MIGRATION ROADMAP” was produced by the journalist Mónica Uriel, in the framework of the Migration visiting program to Lebanon organized by the FNF Madrid office with the support of the FNF Lebanon and Syria office. The FNF Madrid Policy Group composed by liberal policy makers and experts from across Europe, North and West Africa, and the Middle East had the opportunity to get to know the reality of migration management in Lebanon first-hand.
The journalistic report gathers refugee’s testimonies as well as experts approaches which shed light on how migration processes shape opportunities and economic challenges in Lebanon, as both a country of origin and destination.

The analysis in this report disaggregates Pakistan’s bilateral trade with the EU in two periods– 2007-2013 and 2014-2022. The findings indicate that Pakistan’s exports to the EU have increased from an aggregate USD 37 billion (2007-13) to an aggregate USD 66 billion (2014-2022); compared to its exports to the world i.e. from an aggregate USD 150 billion to USD 217 billion in the same period.

The main objective of this report is to identify the bottlenecks hindering trade growth between Pakistan and the EU and propose reforms to enhance bilateral trade relations such that Pakistan can benefit more from the GSP Plus scheme. The study undertakes a comparative analysis as it considers the trade patterns between the EU and Bangladesh, India and Vietnam. These three countries are major regional counterparts that are likely to influence the trading relationship between Pakistan and the EU.

NATO´s celebrating the 40th anniversary of Spain’s membership in the defense alliance at the Madrid summit; LVL and FNF joined forces to analyze the security threat in Europe´s south. This analysis paper gathers the insights on this key issue by experts in diplomacy, security, military operations, hybrid threats, cybersecurity and geopolitics.

How do Greeks perceive the EU today? Do they feel European? Do they see their country´s future in the EU and in the common currency? Do people trust the EU institutions, especially when it comes to crisis management? Or do we see, as in other member states, a growing Eurosceptism? How do the Greeks feel towards deeper integration of the Union or about EU enlargement? How does Russia’s aggressive war against Ukraine affect perception of the EU in Greece, and how do people feel about Russia after February 24th? The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom investigated these and many other questions in this study. The survey was conducted in September 2022.

Die europäische Industrie ist stark abhängig von Rohstoffimporten. Dies ist besonders bedenklich, da die internationalen Ressourcenmärkte teilweise durch einzelne Anbieter dominiert werden. Besonders China hat sich auf einigen Märkten als De-facto-Monopolist etablieren können. Angesichts steigender Spannungen könnte diese Abhängigkeit fatale Folgen haben. Ein neues Gutachten beschäftigt sich mit der Frage, wie die Bezugsquellen für besonders bedeutende Rohstoffe wie beispielsweise Seltene Erden diversifiziert werden könnten.

The European Union (EU) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are set to resume negotiations in 2022 aiming at an inter-regional Free Trade Agreement (FTA) suspended in 2009 (Arunmas, 2021). This revived process is taking place as a response to the emerging geopolitical and geoeconomic situation in the Indo-Pacific. This policy paper assesses these four issues against both regions’ aim of striking a deal on trade as a foundation for deeper cooperation and develops recommendations for the EU to increase its engagement towards ASEAN and SEA. It is primarily informed by the expert analysis emerging from the Conference ‘EU-ASEAN Relations in Light of the War in Ukraine’, co-convened by Asia Centre and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation Regional Office for Southeast and East Asia on 17 June 2022.

Die „Konferenz zur Zukunft Europas“, kurz “Zukunftskonferenz”, ist weitaus mehr als eine klassische einmalige Konferenz. Im Gegenteil: sie ist ein groß angelegter Beteiligungsprozess von drei EU-Institutionen (Europäische Kommission, Europäisches Parlament und Rat der Europäischen
Union), bei dem die 450 Millionen Unionsbürgerinnen und -bürger im Mittelpunkt stehen. Über 1400 interessierte Bürgerinnen und Bürger von Lübeck bis zum Bodensee diskutierten bei mehr als 20 Bürgerdialogen des Länderprogramms der Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung für die Freiheit mit EU-Experten, Aktivisten und liberalen Mandatsträgern auf regionaler, nationaler oder europäischer Ebene.

Ziel war es, zusammen mit den Bürgerinnen und Bürgern Möglichkeiten auszuloten, um Europa gemeinsam zu gestalten und die EU angesichts der zahlreichen internationalen Herausforderungen - Geopolitik, Wirtschaft, Gesundheit und Migration, nur um einige zu nennen - besser, effizienter,
schlagkräftiger und weiterhin attraktiv und lebenswert für Europas Bürgerinnen und Bürger zu machen.

Dieses Policy Paper bündelt die von den Beteiligten der Bürgerdialoge aufgeworfenen Fragen sowie die skizzierten liberalen Lösungsvorschläge im Rahmen der Veranstaltungen der Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung für die Freiheit.

NATO´s celebrating the 40th anniversary of Spain’s membership in the defense alliance at the Madrid summit; LVL and FNF joined forces to analyze the security threat in Europe´s south. This analysis paper gathers the insights on this key issue by experts in diplomacy, security, military operations, hybrid threats, cybersecurity and geopolitics.

A group of seven African students from the African Leadership Academy each participated in a comprehensive interview regarding the perspectives of African youth on Europe. The interviews aimed to explore the students' insights and gather their opinions on the challenges that exist in the relations between the two continents. The students were specifically requested to address potential solutions from their own perspectives. During the interviews, the students focused on examining the relations between the European Union and several African countries, namely Tunisia, Malawi, Uganda, Lesotho, Ethiopia, and Zimbabwe. Throughout their discussions, the students emphasised the significance of various key issues, including trade, equality, inclusivity, and human rights. The inclusion of the young voices from Africa representing the African Leadership Academy falls under the FNF Reshape Europe annual topic, they become part of a global dialogue on future corporations between Africa and the EU, as the EU seeks solutions to geo-political challenges of our time.

Following the analysis of the protest movements in Serbia in recent years, another analysis of political developments in Serbia is now available from Serbia's former ambassador to Indonesia, Jovan Jovanović. The focus is on the development of democracy and the rule of law. What the author presents in detail about the "Vučić System" and backs up with numerous sources is as illuminating as it is sobering. He vividly traces the political career and rise of the current president and leader of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), Aleksandar Vucic: from the long-time secretary-general of the nationalist Serbian Radical Party to the founding of the SNS in 2008 to its imposing rise to become the strongest party, which ultimately dominates the entire political playing field. A pointed analysis that raises many questions about the future of the country that one day wants to become a member of the European Union.

This policy paper takes a look at the means that China uses to weaken the ability of individual states and thus the EU as a whole to act. At the same time, it evaluates various strategies used in dealing with economic or political coercion exerted by China. It is aimed at readers who follow China's multifaceted engagement from the perspective of academia. The selection of countries looks beyond Europe: the USA, Australia and Taiwan all have their own stories to tell with regard to influence from China. Policy recommendations provide suggestions on how the EU can behave in its greatest crisis.

In recent years, climate change has increasingly come to
the forefront of public discourse and has climbed policy
agendas across the globe. Yet, its direct impact and implications
for the security sector remain a relatively novel area
of policy-oriented research, expanding the scope of defence
and security policy beyond traditional military operations.
Climate-related risks not only pose new challenges but also
aggravate existing threats to security. They can change the
dynamics and response strategies in existing conflicts or
lead to breakouts of instability, especially in regions marked
by significant diversity, latent insurgency and competing
geopolitical forces. Southeastern Europe (SEE) is one such
region often described as the contact point between East
and West, North and South. It also serves as a gateway to
Europe from regions such as North Africa and the Middle
East. Furthermore, its geopolitical significance has turned it
into the playground of global competition where the transatlantic
activity of the European Union (EU) and NATO meets
the economic interests as well as security aspirations of
Russia, and increasingly China.