Newsletters

We suggest how to reform a dysfunctional accession process; and when to bring it to an end. We seek to dispel illusions, restore clarity and propose ways how the European Union and the Council of Europe might better protect fundamental human rights.

The choice – and thus the future legitimacy of the Council of Europe – is now in the hands of 33 men and women and, if they fail to act, in the hands of those of the whole of PACE or even other institutions of the Council of Europe.

If PACE wants to restore its credibility, and get to the bottom of this affair which threatens its legitimacy, this must not be allowed to happen.

The European Union urgently needs a credible policy on asylum and border management. It must combine effective control of external land and sea borders with respect for existing international and EU refugee law.

A political earthquake took place in Strasbourg this week. What happens next will determine the future of Europe's leading human rights body.

At this moment, PACE is shaken by news of a serious scandal, following evidence that votes on key human rights issues have been manipulated for years. 

In this follow-up to Caviar Diplomacy, we take a closer look, four years later, at the progress that has been made on miring the Council of Europe in a swamp of corruption.

ESI published an update on the state of implementation of the EU-Turkey agreement on refugees in the Aegean: what has worked, what has failed, and what is to be done. 

Viktor Orban has exploited the confusion and insecurities around the European refugee crisis, and the weakness of mainstream political leaders, to further expand his influence in EU capitals and in Brussel

Today, the road to a credible EU policy on asylum passes through Lesbos.

The current dramatic shortage of resources means that for all practical purposes the right to an individual review of asylum applications has already vanished for the vast majority of those who arrive in Greece today. 

The history of relations between Bosnia and the EU since 2000 shows that whenever Bosnian institutions were seriously challenged by the EU to co-ordinate, they were able to do so – often to the surprise of their European counterparts.

We must challenge one popular myth: the notion that it is the fault of Greece that relocation of refugees is not working. In fact, this scheme it is not working any better in Italy. The problem lies deeper.

There is a race today in Europe between two very different concepts of how to restore control over the European Union's external borders.

If the EU is serious about making readmission work, it must help Greece increase it capacity to file readmission requests and return accepted migrants to Turkey.

Mülteci krizine çözüm konusunda Almanya ve Türkiye'den daha iyi konuma sahip ve daha fazla inanılırlığı haiz başka iki ülke yok. İkisi de bu sorunun çözümünde vazgeçilmez aktörler olarak belirmekte.

A new generation of EU accession reports will be published. If developed further in coming years, this may be the beginning of a revolution in accession methodology.

If Germany and Turkey cannot reach a deal, there are no other solutions in sight, and the mass migration of Syrians and others into the EU will continue.

In the current political climate, there is little that European Union institutions can bring to the table. For this reason, it is Germany that must take the lead. We also explain why an agreement between Berlin and Ankara is in the security interest of Turkey.

Viktor Orban offers no credible or practical proposals how to deal with the causes of displacement; he also has no credible proposals on how to stop the loss of control on the EU's external borders.