ADLA Video Series 2020: Why Democracy Matters

Interview with Mr. Girish Kumar of India

To remain a democratic leader, Mr. Girish Kumar shares that Gandhi’s life is a message which a young leader like him should just follow to become and remain a democratic leader. He shared a quote from Gandhi, “Whenever you are in doubt or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man or woman whom you may have seen and ask yourself if the steps you contemplate is going to be of any use to him or her. Will he or she gain anything by it? Will it restore him or her to a control his or her own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to swaraj i.e. freedom for the hungry and spiritually starving millions? Then you will find your doubts and yourself melt away.” #ADLA4Democracy

Bulgarien vor der Parlamentswahl

Am 4. April finden in Bulgarien turnusgemäße Parlamentswahlen statt. Nach der Wahl 2017 gelang es dem langjährigen Ministerpräsidenten Bojko Boris-sow (GERB, „Bürger für eine Europäische Entwicklung Bulgariens“), eine Re-gierung mit drei nationalistischen Parteien (WMRO, „Innere Mazedonische Revolutionäre Organisation“, Mitglied der EKR; der NFSB, „Nationale Front für die Rettung Bulgariens“ sowie Ataka) zu bilden, die sich zu einem Wahl-bündnis „Vereinte Patrioten“ zusammengeschlossen hatten. In der Koaliti-onsvereinbarung konnte GERB die Nationalisten auf ein Bekenntnis zur Eu-ropäischen Union und zur NATO festlegen. Bis zum Ausbruch der Corona-Krise hatte Bulgarien gute makroökonomische Daten vorzuweisen, die Infra-struktur wurde modernisiert, die EU-Ratspräsidentschaft 2019 verlief erfolg-reich, und das Land wurde in den Warteraum der Eurozone aufgenommen. Die Regierung argumentiert auch, Bulgarien sei durch richtige und gezielte Maßnahmen wirtschaftlich bisher einigermaßen glimpflich durch die Coronakrise gekommen.

Analysis of the political parties platforms

Strategies for healthcare development

COVID-19 pandemic turned out to be more of a government challenge than the healthcare. With the approach of general elections on April 25th, 2021 in Albania, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation with "Together for Life" (TFL) have produced a report which analyzes the platforms of six political parties, focusing in particular on the healthcare sector. The monitored parties are the three main parties in the country: the Socialist Party, the Democratic Party, the Socialist Movement for Integration and the three parties running for the first time but coming with a political potential: the Hashtag Initiative, the Democratic Conviction and the Movement for Change.

Germany in the Indo-Pacific

Potential for collaboration on climate change and biodiversity

The second edition of the Indo-Pacific Roundtable underscored the the need for targeted and innovative cooperation between Europe and the Indo-Pacific

The Future of International Exchanges in a Post-Pandemic World

Together with the American Council on Education (ACE) we asked experts to assess the future of academic exchanges. Focusing on the relationship between the United States and the European Union, this study takes a closer look at the current state of international exchanges and makes some predictions about their future after the pandemic, including the impact of recent political developments on the bilateral U.S. – EU relationship.

Cogestión: cómo se organiza la colaboración entre empleadores y trabajadores en Alemania

El derecho de participación que se instaló en Alemania tras la Segunda Guerra Mundial ha generado una cultura de convivencia colaborativa entre empleadores y trabajadores. Eso ha permitido que la gran mayoría de los conflictos de intereses se resuelven en el marco de un clima de paz social.

A Global Influencer? Global Britain and the Integrated Review

After officially leaving the last of the EU’s structures in December 2020, the UK is now finally able to put its ‘Global Britain’ agenda into practice. Since the slogan was coined there has been much debate on what Global Britain is supposed to mean for the direction of the country. Is it a conscious pivot away from Europe in favour of renewing ties to former colonies like Australia and New Zealand, a so-called Empire 2.0? What will that mean for security, trade and British influence in the world? The UK government hopes to answer these questions with the publication of its Integrated Review: Global Britain in a Competitive Age.

Pragmatic and wary of Change: Icelanders' Views on International Cooperation

A KAS-funded public opinion poll about Icelanders' foreign policy preferences

What are Icelanders' views on Iceland's partnerships on the global stage? Which global partners would they prefer Iceland to cooperate with more? How do they weight different policy priorities vis-à-vis states like the US, China, and Russia, and how do they value Iceland's current and future relationship with the EU? In this KAS-funded report carried out in cooperation with the Institute of International Affairs at the University of Iceland (IIA), Dr. Silja Bára Ómarsdóttir, Professor of International Affairs at the Faculty of Political Science at the University of Iceland, presents the findings from a public opinion poll carried out by the Social Science Research Institute at the University of Iceland (SSRI) between 16 November to 9 December 2020.

Romania's judiciary before the ECJ

An investigation into the so-called “judicial laws”, the legality of the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM), and rulings of the Romanian Constitutional Court

Since joining the European Union, Romania has been in the process of evolving towards harmonization with the fundamental principles for which the EU stands. The European Commission has been supporting this process through the Cooperation and Control Mechanism (CVM) from the moment of the accession in 2007. As part of the monitoring, which was originally planned to be short-term but now lasted for almost a decade and a half, the European Commission reports annually on the progress of the member states Bulgaria and Romania with regard to the situation of the rule of law: At the moment, several cases dealing with central aspects of the Romanian judicial system are pending before the Court of Justice of the European Union (ECJ). In addition to an assessment of the controversial judicial reforms in Romania in 2017-2019, the question of the extent to which the CVM recommendations of the EU Commission are binding is another subject of decisions to be expected shortly. The analysis of the cases pending before the Court of Justice in Luxembourg and the applications of the Advocate General already allows for a number of conclusions to be drawn.

COVID-19 und kein Ende

Brasilien im multiplen Krisenmodus

Brasilien durchlebt aktuell die schlimmste Phase seit Beginn der Pandemie mit erschreckend hohen Todeszahlen und einer Vielzahl grassierender Virusmutanten, welche vermehrt zu Reinfektionen sowie schweren Verläufen führen. Als globales Epizentrum der Pandemie steht das Land international in der Kritik. Mit Marcelo Queiroga soll nun der mittlerweile vierte Gesundheitsminister der aktuellen brasilianischen Regierung die Probleme beheben und Schwung in die schleppende Impfkampagne bringen. Die teils gefeierte Rückkehr von Ex-Präsident Lula auf die politische Bühne lässt den Präsidentschaftswahlkampf Fahrt aufnehmen und setzt die Regierung Bolsonaro zusätzlich unter Druck, wird aber von vielen Brasilianern auch vehement abgelehnt.