Publications

This study evaluates the success of the EU’s strategy of regional cooperation in the Western Balkans over the last two decades from an economic perspective. First, we define the prerequisites for successful regional cooperation in an institutional, political and economic...

The spread of the latest Coronavirus strain is not simply a health crisis. It has long taken on a geopolitical dimension. China and Russia are engaged in a ‘global battle of narratives’ over who is the most generous international power. In the geopolitical competition for...

External interventions to mitigate crises or end conflicts have rarely succeeded. The EU and its member states, in particular, have repeatedly run up against their limits in the civil wars in Afghanistan, the Congo, Libya, Syria, the Sahel region and Yemen. However, the EU –...

In times of Trump and Brexit, protectionist tendencies seem to be a global trend. The advantages that economic interconnectedness implies are increasingly receding into the background. The calculations of Copenhagen Economics on behalf of Bertelsmann Stiftung show, however,...

The European Union (EU) aspires to play a part in conflict prevention, crisis management and post-conflict peacebuilding through civil and/or military operations, through stabilisation efforts, and by building resilience at home and abroad. To bring this ambition to...

The European Union (EU) and China have entered a new stage in their relationship. China now appears as a “systemic competitor” in assessments by major European business federations and EU institutions, and the EU Commission has launched a work program to assess ways to deal...

Since 2015, more than one million Syrians have fled their country for Europe. In order to facilitate their voluntary return, a safe and secure environment grounded in a functioning rule of law must first be established in Syria. In targeting this goal, the EU and its member...

In preparing for the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), that is the EU budget for the years 2021-2027, the European Commission has proposed to integrate 11 existing financial instruments in the realm of external affairs into a unified Neighbourhood, Development, and...

Foreign direct investment (FDI) can have positive economic effects on the target country. For example, they create jobs and bring fresh capital into the country. Many countries therefore welcome FDI. But the increase in Chinese company M&A transactions in Germany has...

Good relations with neighbouring countries are a central concern of German and European foreign policy. The EU's Neighbourhood Policy aims to achieve security, prosperity and stability for its neighbours to the east and south. But Russia, Turkey, Iran and Saudi Arabia also...