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The Rubik Cube of the Wider Middle East

Author(s): Michael Emerson,Natalie Tocci / Language(s): English

Keywords: Wider Middle East; Middle East; comprehensive regional initiative ; EU and US ; US policy ; unilateral ; Israeli-Arab conflict ; Western-Islamic relations ; Maghreb;

Given the complexity and severity of the problems involved, this book asserts that a comprehensive regional initiative for the Wider Middle East is called for and proceeds to outline exactly what that would entail. The first-best solution would be the adoption of a convergent strategy towards the Wider Middle East by the EU and US together. The authors argue that a US policy that waged a unilateral war against Iraq and left the Israeli-Arab conflict still festering would mean counterproductive effects for the fight against Al Qaeda and huge damage to Western-Islamic relations as well as to the transatlantic alliance. At the same time, however, the EU must be prepared to strengthen both the ‘carrots’ and the ‘sticks’ in its policies in the region in any case. The point of the image of Rubik’s Cube is to stress the need for a coherent vision for all three regions of the Wider Middle East (Maghreb, Mashreq and the Gulf), for all three major vectors of policy (politics, economics and security), and for all three major external participants (the US, Europe and the international organisations).

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The Wider Europe Matrix

Author(s): Michael Emerson / Language(s): English

Keywords: Wider Europe ; European Union’s relationships ; Morocco ; Greater Middle East ; Central Asia ; European Security Strategy;

This study is an attempt to think systematically about the enlarging European Union’s relationships with the rest of Europe and the arc of Arab and Muslim states that are Europe’s neighbours, from Morocco to Central Asia through Iraq – two vast regions that may be called the ‘Wider Europe’ and the ‘Greater Middle East’. While the EU of 25 member states has a population of 450 million people and a national income of about 10,000 billion euro, the Wider Europe adds another 360 million people but only 10% more income, despite containing the great natural resources of Russia. The Greater Middle East adds another 392 million people, but again only 10% more income, despite the fabulous oil wealth of the Middle East. These disproportions speak trouble. Recent developments in the EU-Russia relationship are worrying, as the enlarging EU now meets a more assertive Russia in the overlapping ‘near-abroad’ regions and where effective strategic partnership seems elusive. In the Greater Middle East, the search for the formula for democratic modernisation also remains elusive, two years after the events of 11 September 2001. These are the rationales for the European Union’s current efforts to define a Wider Europe policy and European Security Strategy. Yet these initiatives are not credibly articulated so far. The present study makes an independent contribution towards defining more substantive and structured EU strategies. It argues for seven common European policy spaces, which should relate to all the states and regions of the Wider Europe and its neighbourhood, with gradations of course, but still having overall coherence. This is also what will define the final frontiers of Europe.

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A Different Country. Russia’s Economic Resurgence

Author(s): Lucio Vinhas de Souza / Language(s): English

Keywords: Russia’s Economic Resurgence; Russia’s Economy; trading partner of the EU; Economic and Financial Affairs ; European Commission

Russia is now once again one of the ten largest economies in the world (representing around 70% of Germany’s GDP in purchasing power parity in 2007). In addition, Russia is the third largest trading partner of the EU, the fourth largest trade partner of the eurozone and an essential energy supplier to the EU. This recovery makes Russia an economic – and political – actor that cannot be ignored. In this authoritative new book, Lúcio Vinhas de Souza, desk officer for Russia in the Directorate–General for Economic and Financial Affairs of the European Commission, reviews the country’s evolving macroeconomic performance and structural policy framework, from the difficult days of the recession in the early transition period and the 1998 crisis to Russia’s sustained and robust growth since 1999. He outlines the remaining reform priorities in Russia and concludes with pragmatic policy recommendations for the reform agenda.

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Political Islam and European Foreign Policy. Perspectives from Muslim Democrats of the Mediterranean

Author(s): / Language(s): English

Keywords: Political Islam; European Foreign Policy; Perspectives from Muslim Democrats; Muslim Democrats of the Mediterranean; Muslim Democrats; Muslim democrat parties; anti-democratic;

The time is ripe for the European Union, its institutions and member states to undertake an explicit review of its current policy of ‘benign neglect’ towards the broad collection of ‘Muslim democrat’ parties in the Mediterranean Arab states. The group of experts assembled to produce this new book adduces mounting evidence that this policy may lead to unintended consequences, such as the reinforcement of anti-democratic regimes and radical Islamism. Their arguments favour a broad inclusion of Muslim democrats in EU initiatives aiming at the reform of governance and the development of civil society, without extending to them any singular, exclusive or unsolicited privileges. Contributors include Michael Emerson and Richard Youngs (eds), Samir Amghar, Talal Atrissi, Senem Aydin, Amel Boubekeur, Ruşen Çakır, Salah Eddine Jorshi, Salam Kawakibi, Emad El-Din Shahin, Robert Springborg and Nathalie Tocci.

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European Islam. Challenges for Public Policy and Society

Author(s): / Language(s): English

Keywords: European Islam; Challenges for Society; Public Policy; juxtaposition of national case studies; European experts; transnational phenomenon;

Works on Islam in Europe often read like a juxtaposition of national case studies covering the history and perhaps the sociology of immigrant groups in the countries considered. Although the sociology of Islam is well-developed in certain European countries such as France, Germany and the UK, it is only in its infancy as a discipline at the European level. The chapters in this work, by leading European experts in the field, therefore aim to supply policy-makers, analysts and civil society leaders with an inventory of the main issues concerning the presence of Islam in Europe. The key message is that European Islam exists as a powerful transnational phenomenon, and European policy must keep pace with this reality.

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Engaging Central Asia. The European Union’s new strategy in the heart of Eurasia

Author(s): / Language(s): English

Keywords: Central Asia; European Union; Eurasia; Security challenges; human rights; democratic reforms; Political engagement; Heart of Eurasia;

During the Soviet era, the lands of contemporary Central Asia were largely terra incognito for the outside world. Located deep within the Soviet Union, the region was isolated for much of the 20th century. During this period, Soviet Central Asia (the Uzbek, Tajik, Turkmen and Kyrgyz republics) and Kazakhstan (which was seen as administratively separate from the other four republics) were to an extraordinary degree controlled by Moscow and the institutions of Communist power. The sudden and dramatic collapse of the USSR under Mikhail Gorbachev at the end of 1991 thus marked an historic moment for Central Asia for it exposed the region almost overnight to the international community.In July 2007, the European Union initiated a fundamentally new approach to the countries of Central Asia. The launch of the EU Strategy for Central Asia signals a qualitative shift in the Union’s relations with a region of the world that is of growing importance as a supplier of energy, is geographically situated in a politically sensitive area – between China, Russia, Iran, Afghanistan and the south Caucasus – and contains some of the most authoritarian political regimes in the world. In this volume, leading specialists from Europe, the United States and Central Asia explore the key challenges facing the European Union as it seeks to balance its policies between enhancing the Union’s energy, business and security interests in the region while strengthening social justice, democratisation efforts and the protection of human rights. With chapters devoted to the Union’s bilateral relations with Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan and to the vital issues of security and democratisation, ‘Engaging Central Asia’ provides the first comprehensive analysis of the EU’s strategic initiative in a part of the world that is fast emerging as one of the key regions of the 21st century.

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Building Confidence in Peace. Public opinion and the Cyprus Peace process

Author(s): Erol Kaymak,Aleksandros Lordos,Natalie Tocci / Language(s): English

Keywords: Cyprus; European Policy Studies; Greek Cypriot; Turkish Cypriot; peace process;

Building Confidence in Peace reports and analyses the results of the firstin a series of public opinion surveys in Cyprus carried out by the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) in collaboration with Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot partners. The project, which began in late 2007, gained momentum and significance with the 21 March 2008 peace process launched by the Greek Cypriot President Demetris Christofias and his Turkish Cypriot counterpart Mehmet Ali Talat.Building Confidence in Peace reports and analyses the results of the first public opinion survey in Cyprus carried out by the Centre for European Policy Studies in collaboration with Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot partners. In the new atmosphere of relaunched negotiations in 2008, this book investigates what Cypriots think of each other, of the peace process and of possible solutions to the conflict. On the basis of our findings, a double need starkly emerges. First, it is essential to act, in parallel with the negotiating process, to raise public confidence in the peace process, in order to ensure that as and when an agreement is reached, the people will go along with it and make its ratification and implementation a success. Second, precisely because of persistent areas of divergence, a set of confidence-building measures (CBMs) should be envisaged to help narrow the gaps separating the two communities. This does not entail shifting attention from negotiations to CBMs. On the contrary, unilateral CBMs or non-controversial measures oriented towards inter-societal reconciliation may have a very positive impact and add momentum to the peace process within a strategic context of renewed negotiations. It is precisely in this spirit that we note the ongoing efforts to build confidence in parallel with the negotiations, first and foremost with the opening of the Ledra Street/Lokmacı gate crossing on 3 April 2008.

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The Future of Retail Financial Services. What policy mix for a balanced digital transformation?

Author(s): Kim Vindberg-Larsen,Sylvain Bouyon / Language(s): English

Keywords: Retail Financial Services; Digital transformation; peer-to-peer lending; eIDAS; Big data analytics;

While policy-makers are gradually creating the necessary conditions tostrengthen the digital transformation of retail financial services, numerous policy issues and unanswered questions remain. The purpose of this report is to analyse the issues that were considered by the Task Force to be relevant for retail banking and non-life insurance at the present time and for the next few years to come. In order to develop a market in which retail financial services contribute to the economy in a balanced way, 12 main issues need to be further addressed.

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Cybersecurity in Finance. Getting the policy mix right!

Author(s): Richard Parlour,Sylvain Bouyon,Simon Krause / Language(s): English

Keywords: Cybersecurity; France; Data protection; Cyberattacks; Criminology; cyberterrorists;

With the inexorable rise of e-commerce comes the inexorable rise of the e-criminal. Cybercrime is now the world’s fastest growing crime. It has leapt to number two of the top ten business risks worldwide, from not even appearing in that list five years ago. For certain countries, cyberattack is now the risk of greatest concern. Gone are the days of concern about a low level hack of a website by a script kiddie. Today’s attackers are multi-faceted and increasing in sophistication, ranging from advanced persistent threats, corporate espionage, organised crime and ‘hactivists’ to cyberterrorists, ever more competent, and ever better funded. Cybersecurity has moved from being a technical issue to a political and boardroom issue. Financial markets are particularly important as they oil the wheels of all member state economies.

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Policies for an Ageing Workforce

Author(s): / Language(s): English

Keywords: Ageing workforce; work-life balance; working conditions; equal opportunities;

We are all growing older. On average, life expectancy increases by three months every year. Seen over the span of the last century, this is a testament to enormous social progress. But since we are living longer, we also need to work longer so that the proportion of life spent in employment remains more or less constant. This is the basic premise for maintaining not only our pension systems but also the welfare state, solidarity between generations, and the social fabric.

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Series:CEPS Paperback Series

The Rubik Cube of the Wider Middle East

The Wider Europe Matrix

A Different Country. Russia’s Economic Resurgence

Political Islam and European Foreign Policy. Perspectives from Muslim Democrats of the Mediterranean

European Islam. Challenges for Public Policy and Society

Engaging Central Asia. The European Union’s new strategy in the heart of Eurasia

Building Confidence in Peace. Public opinion and the Cyprus Peace process

The Future of Retail Financial Services. What policy mix for a balanced digital transformation?

Cybersecurity in Finance. Getting the policy mix right!

Policies for an Ageing Workforce