International Policy

Did Africa’s first G20 presidency deliver on its promise of solidarity, equality and sustainability? Our Head of Programme for EU and International Politics, Dr. Katharina Emschermann, spoke with Paula Assubuji, Director of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung's office in Cape Town, about what the Johannesburg G20 and the AU-EU summit in Luanda reveal about power, inequality and the state of multilateral cooperation.

In a pivotal week for transatlantic trade relations, the new EU Böll Brief “Trading partners? Europe's options against Trump’s tariffs“ analyses the potential consequences of rising US tariffs on European trade and explores strategic responses available to the EU, highlighting the economic risks of a tariff war for each individual EU Member State and outlining alternative strategies for the EU to safeguard its economic interests.

Migration and asylum have been at the top of the agenda in the EU for some time now. Thereby, the discussion is less about solving problems or addressing the suffering of people on the move, but more about preventing people from reaching European soil. This is neither good for the people seeking refuge in our continent, nor beneficial to the political debate on these issues.

Worldwide we are witnessing the return to great power rivalry, and – as a reaction – the calls for strategic sovereignty of the European Union are gaining strength. But how can the EU navigate through a more competitive world and maintain its core values at the same time? These questions are at the core of Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung's 21st Foreign Policy Conference.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s first State of the Union speech showed an ambitious and a strategic approach to the many crises hitting Europe and the world. However, words are not enough. They must be backed up by actions and coherent policy measures.

Green recovery. Social protection. Smart containment. Decarbonisation. Putting progress in climate action at par with measuring GDP. Creative capacity. These phrases have been running through conversations these days around changing Southeast Asia's template for development in the post-COVID era.

What happened to the Israeli Peace Camp? Is the two-state solution dead? Where is the Israeli left? This special project introduces an ambitious attempt to answer these big questions by shedding light on some of the key dynamics and developments within Israeli society and especially within the Israeli left

In the future, the US and the EU will have to make even greater efforts to ensure the permanence and vitality of their relationship. Most importantly, the future dialogue will have to reflect the social, demographic and political realities on both sides of the Atlantic. This means, for example, that all sections of society must be represented in Washington and Brussels.

Even before the outbreak of the pandemic, the transatlantic community faced enormous domestic and geopolitical challenges. The pandemic reinforces these tendencies and at the same time makes it clear why cooperation will remain essential in the future.

The need for equal EU-African relations, the importance of recognising the historical background and what Europe can learn from Africa.