@techreport{Nguyen, type = {Working Paper}, author = {Nguyen, Thu}, title = {How Much Money is a Lot of Money? The Recovery Fund and the Battle over Rule of Law in Poland}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b1570-opus4-42402}, pages = {3}, abstract = {On 7 September 2021, the European Commission announced that it will ask the European Court of Justice to impose financial penalties against Poland for not complying with the Court's order for interim measures. More specifically, Commissioner Reynders said that the request was for a fine €1 million for each day that the Disciplinary Chamber of the Polish Supreme Court would continue to operate. And while at first glance, a penalty of 1€ million a day sounds like a lot, Thu Nguyen argues in this policy position that this sum only shows how little harm the EU penalties usually do to national budgets - especially if compared to the leverage the Commission can yield with a completely new instrument: the withholding of funds under the Recovery and Resilience Facility.}, language = {en} } @techreport{Mack, type = {Working Paper}, author = {Mack, Sebastian}, title = {Big tech: Closing the blind spot in Europe's financial market rules}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b1570-opus4-42377}, pages = {3}, abstract = {The technology giants Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft are on the rise, recently also in the financial services business. This poses new challenges not only for competition regulators and consumer protection agencies, but also for financial market supervisors. The European financial market rules have a blind spot with regard to big tech and this endangers financial market stability. To prevent technology giants from flying under the radar of financial supervision, Sebastian Mack argues in this policy position for making group supervision of financial conglomerates fit for the digital age.}, language = {en} } @techreport{Stahl, type = {Working Paper}, author = {Stahl, Anna}, title = {What will the EU's Indo-Pacific Strategy deliver?}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b1570-opus4-42399}, pages = {4}, abstract = {In April, the EU's member states approved the formulate a European strategy for the Indo-Pacific region. To implement this new strategy, the EU has worked on a communication on cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. What can be reasonably expected from this long-awaited policy document? In this policy position, Anna Stahl argues why the EU needs an Indo-Pacific strategy and explains what it can deliver.}, language = {en} } @techreport{RascheKohlenberger2021, type = {Working Paper}, author = {Rasche, Lucas and Kohlenberger, Judith}, title = {Fortress Europe. Lower the drawbridges}, doi = {10.48462/opus4-4024}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b1570-opus4-40249}, pages = {3}, year = {2021}, abstract = {70 years after it was signed, the Geneva Refugee Convention is degenerating into an empty phrase. Its central promise that no one with a „well-founded fear of persecution" may be turned back stands in stark contrast to the current situation at Europe's borders. Yet, the EU, with its value-based self-image, has an essential role to play in guaranteeing the Convention's promise for the next 70 years and beyond. So even if member states will not completely abandon the construction of a „Fortress Europe", they should at least consider building rawbridges. Policy Fellow Lucas Rasche and Migration Scholar Judith Kohlenberger explain how.}, language = {en} } @techreport{Nguyen2021, type = {Working Paper}, author = {Nguyen, Thu}, title = {A matter of principle: An infringement procedure against Germany}, doi = {10.48462/opus4-4026}, pages = {3}, year = {2021}, abstract = {On 9 June 2020, the European Commission announced that it is bringing an infringement procedure against Germany because of the PSPP judgment of its Federal Constitutional Court. On 5 May 2020 the German Court had declared a ruling by the European Court of Justice ultra vires and therefore not legally binding on Germany. In this policy position, Thu Nguyen argues that the Commission is right to initiate an infringement procedure against Germany: It is a matter of principle and a signal that the Commission, as the guardian of the Treaties, will not accept breaches of EU Treaty obligations, no matter the member state or authority in breach of EU law.}, language = {en} } @techreport{Stahl, type = {Working Paper}, author = {Stahl, Anna Katharina}, title = {Geopolitics in the time of the Coronavirus - The EU's leadership in global health}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b1570-opus4-35815}, pages = {3}, abstract = {The EU "must relearn the language of power and geopolitics". Both the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, share this conviction. They announced their ambition as soon as they took office in 2019, arguing that only by fostering its geopolitical identity would the EU be able to compete with major powers.}, language = {en} } @techreport{Kask, type = {Working Paper}, author = {Kask, Maarja}, title = {Contact tracing apps in Europe - When one is better than many}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b1570-opus4-35607}, pages = {4}, abstract = {One of the issues brought forth by the COVID-19 crisis is the need to track the infection chains in order to stop the disease from spreading. One of the simplest ways this can be done is via a smartphone app. However, this can bring about several privacy issues. Furthermore, unless a common protocol is taken up all over Europe allowing apps from different member states to be able to seamlessly communicate with each other, the discrepancies would render the national apps ineffective. The member states need to decide on a single app protocol throughout Europe and the European Commission should strongly back its uptake.}, language = {en} } @techreport{KoenigRedeker, type = {Working Paper}, author = {Koenig, Nicole and Redeker, Nils}, title = {One year of geopolitical Commission - Time to get real}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b1570-opus4-36850}, pages = {3}, abstract = {Twelve months ago, Ursula von der Leyen announced that her Commission would be a geopolitical one. This promise was a response to the crisis of multilateralism, the growing competition between the US and China, the fallout of Brexit, and the broad range of brewing and frozen conflicts in the EU's neighbourhood. One year later, a geopolitically assertive EU is needed more than ever. The pandemic has underlined the vulnerability of Europe's supply chains and intensified the political rift between the US and China. The further the two superpowers move towards economic decoupling, the clearer it becomes how exposed Europe is to this rivalry. Meanwhile, the crises in the eastern Mediterranean, Mali, and Belarus have reminded Europeans of their geopolitical responsibilities.}, language = {en} } @techreport{Rasche, type = {Working Paper}, author = {Rasche, Lucas}, title = {The EU's migration and asylum policy - Still under construction}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b1570-opus4-36862}, pages = {3}, abstract = {After a long delay, the European Commission on Wednesday last week presented its proposals for the reform of the Common European Asylum System. Originally announced for April, the reform plans have become all the more urgent in the light of the fire at the Moria refugee camp. Commission Vice- President Schinas has described the proposals as a house with three floors: agreements with countries of origin, a more rigorous border and return policy, and a solidarity mechanism among member states. But the cement between the national building blocks remains brittle. The Commission's plans also do little to prevent miserable camps like the one on Lesbos from springing up on its front lawn in the long term.}, language = {en} } @techreport{RedekerNguyen, type = {Working Paper}, author = {Redeker, Nils and Nguyen, Thu}, title = {If not now, when? The German government should seize the opportunity that the Conference on the Future of Europe provides}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b1570-opus4-45271}, pages = {3}, abstract = {Last week, the Conference on the Future of Europe was concluded. Now far-reaching reform proposals are on the table. However, there is a great risk of these proposals petering out. The Russian war of aggression shows how urgently the EU needs reforms. The German government should therefore seize the opportunity presented by the Conference. First, it should take its own European policy ambitions seriously and join forces with France to push for treaty changes. Second, it must find pragmatic steps in the short term to develop a constructive agenda from the Conference proposals, even below the threshold of treaty change.}, language = {en} }