Spain, Italy, Portugal and Mediterranean Dialogue
The Madrid office seeks to strengthen cooperation and political dialogue between representatives from political parties, scientific institutions and civil society organisations from Spain, Italy, Portugal, Germany and the European sphere. We are committed to help contribute to solutions to specific regional challenges in Southern Europe and highlight best practices from this ever more important region for the European integration process. It also seeks to develop a new approach to interregional cooperation in the Mediterranean. With partner organisations, we are developing a liberal approach to geostrategic demands and opportunities in the Mare Nostrum.
News
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Index of Economic Freedom of Spanish Cities ILECE 2023
The Foundation for the Advancement of Liberty (FUNDALIB), together with FNF Madrid and ATLAS Network have awarded the capital city of the Canary Islands as the economically freest city of Spain in 2023! Alicante and Almería come in on number two and three. Through their annual index of economic liberty on a municipal level, FUNDALIB sheds a light on important indicators such as the tax burden, the size of local governments and red tape. Santa Cruz benefits from low municipal taxes, i.e. a very competitive construction tax, and serious efforts to lighten the bureaucratic burden for citizens and companies alike.
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Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the Barcelona Tech Hub
Technology, innovation and entrepreneurship gathered in Barcelona from February 27 to March 2 at the global tech event of the year, the Mobile World Congress (MWC), to showcase and share the latest projects, products and ideas developed over the past year. In the MWC exhibition halls, more than 100,000 visitors were able to explore everything from go-karts to virtual reality heli- drone experiences. It is in this context that FNF Madrid teamed up with FNF Jerusalem to host a delegation from Hasoub in Barcelona.
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Barcelona's Mobile gets bigger: from mobiles to telecommunications networks
The Mobile World Congress is consolidating its position as one of the main international trade fairs. The big technology companies come together on this stage, which shows that we are immersed in a technological world, although not all countries are advancing in the same way. While in Europe, for example, there is talk of the G5, metaverse or artificial intelligence, in some African countries there is no internet connection.
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Russia, a threat to the liberal order?
At the close of the 59th Munich Security Conference (17-19 February), Russia was still a party to the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), although two days later the Duma ratified President Vladimir Putin's announcement that his country would withdraw from this vital and strategic agreement to halt a new nuclear arms race that now seems inevitable.
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Portugal, a strategic triangle for cooperation and political dialogue
At the beginning of this week, David Henneberger, Head of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation Madrid office and Odilia Abreu, Senior Project Manager Mediterranean Dialogue travelled to Portugal, one of our project countries, in order to meet liberal policy makers, partners and German institutions, as well as to participate in the Conference “Strategic Triangle: Africa, Europe and Latin America”, organized by its Portuguese partner Institute for the Promotion of Latin America and the Caribbean (IPDAL).
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EU special summit: challenges for European migration policy
Member States still lack an effective policy response to migration to Europe. How to effectively address the suffering of flight and crisis? And why there is a need for more than just an open channel for labor migration, explains migration expert and member of the European think tank EuroMeSCo, Xavier Aragall. He says the EU is still far from regulating entry efficiently and coherently. But one thing has recently become clear: Europe's external borders are to be better protected in the future. What that will look like remains to be seen.
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EU summit on migration: far from consensus
On February 9 and 10, a special summit was held in Brussels to focus on the EU's migration policy. One of the topics at the summit was the European Union's cooperation with relevant countries of origin in joint migration management. What was not addressed was the fact that many people set out precisely because they have no legal means of entry. However, the polarizing issue that continues to divide member states became a sideshow in light of Ukrainian Prime Minister Selenskyi's visit.