The Stability and Growth Pact: prospects for Italy in the new EU
Since its inception, the European project has developed along the lines of two different but complementary visions: one, the idea of a geopolitical Europe with (…)The Stability and Growth Pact: prospects for Italy in the new EU
Transatlantic relations between European and American votes
Europe is following the outcome of the 2024 elections in the United States – and all presidential elections of the twenty-first century – with intense interest. The reasons for that naturally include the fact that, despite its contradictory domestic socio-economic trends, the US is still the world’s only true superpower; Europe, on the other hand, finds itself struggling to cope with an accumulation of problems and weaknesses.
A new Europe and the challenges of enlargement
Once again, it’s enlargement time in Europe. The debate today is about how that enlargement should be done: some support a geopolitical “all in” approach (…)A new Europe and the challenges of enlargement
An agenda for Europe
Ahead of the June 8-9 elections, it is essential to analyze the main challenges the Union and its members – Italy included – have had (…)An agenda for Europe
Europe’s destiny: security and defense priorities
For a country such as Italy, the rapid, far-reaching changes in the global system call for broader and more effective defense sector undertakings, in terms both of national capability and integration with allies.
Growth in Europe: the role of banks
Given the uncertainty of the scenario, banks are being reaffirmed as drivers of growth, although they cannot replace national and international institutions. Finance must serve as a support for businesses and families, notwithstanding the limitations of the European banking system, especially compared with the Chinese and American giants.
Testing the West in 2024. Politics, security and economics in EU-US relations
2024 is going to be a crucial electoral year for Europe and the United States as they each face not only internal political issues but also the pressure of growing international tensions. The outcome of the elections will be the first major indication of whether the two shores of the Atlantic will continue to act in tandem, with no center or guide, in a manner marked by what has been defined “the age of the polycrisis”, or if existing divergences will widen further.
The Italian G7 Presidency
Italy will be taking over the G7 presidency in January 2024 at a moment of profound geopolitical change and uncertainty. The very structure of globalization (…)The Italian G7 Presidency
Rethinking EU competitiveness in the changing geopolitical world
The discussion underway on European economic governance reform is part of a substantially uncertain and volatile macro-financial picture. The principal risks include stagflation, financial fragmentation, competitiveness problems (in light of the American Inflation Reduction Act) and the twin (digital and sustainable) transitions.
Italy and France one year after the Quirinal Treaty. The challenges of sovereignty and of geopolitics
Opportunities for increased collaboration between Italy and France, reinforced by the Quirinal Treaty and the protocols signed in Parliament, will have to be developed in the settings of the EU and the two nations’ common neighborhood policies vis à vis the southeast.
The EU and China facing global change: Energy transition, growth models, and global trends
There is broad consensus in both Europe and China that global economic slowdown is a serious threat, which is complicated by current monetary policy responses to inflation as a result of both the Russia/Ukraine war and the end of the pandemic recession. Given the enormous challenges this poses for economic policies, a multilateral framework for managing problems of such proportions would be to the advantage all countries – advanced, emerging and developing. In reality, however, many of the most recent national choices have gone in the opposite direction, with scarce coordination and unilateral action – starting with the US Fed, whose interest rate adjustments have been especially impactful given the international role of the dollar.
The Battle of Pavia and the future of European defense (1525-2025)
The battle of Pavia on February 24, 1525 was a revolutionary event, and the first major European battle in terms of army composition and geopolitical scale of operations and objectives. Moreover, it was a battle in which a new technology – the firearm – was employed for the first time in campaign and in which the populace was pitted against the nobility. Today’s war in Ukraine, like the battle of Pavia at the time, has opened up some new perspectives: political ones, i.e., the debate it has triggered on European defense, as well as technological ones on the future of security.
Italy’s recovery and resilience plan: how to strengthen and accelerate the implementation phase
After two years of planning, the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) has reached the point of implementation, with distributions going to local agencies that are now tasked with administering the funds. This undertaking is not devoid of problems associated with technical and administrative capacities. While on the one hand Italy is among the countries leading the definition of objectives and requesting installments from Europe, at the same time it is saddled with the age-old difficulty getting projects off the ground; indeed, according to a government update, only 15 billion of the 39 billion allotted has been spent.
The great power of scramble – Global trends and the role of Europe
The war in Ukraine represents a major point of discontinuity in prospects for a future international power balance teetering between the order ensured by a system of shared rules and a scenario of disorder marked by a tense democracy/autocracy standoff.
Crisis in Europe: meeting the challenges
The war in Ukraine is an existential one for Vladimir Putin. If he loses it, he loses his power, which is why he is willing (…)Crisis in Europe: meeting the challenges
Aspenia 97: Presentation – Addio alla Russia.
Rome, 30 June 2022 – To tie in with the publication of Aspenia 97 (in Italian), Aspen Institute Italia will be holding an Aspenia Talk on “The future of Russia in the post-global world” in digital mode at 18:00 on Wednesday 6 July.
Transatlantic Forum on Russia
The current situation in Russia raises a highly important question with regard to peace and security in Europe and, in a broader sense, the very (…)Transatlantic Forum on Russia
Aspen Italy/France Forum
Italy and France have solid relations built on a common history of strong economic and cultural ties. An important addition to those relations is the Quirinale Treaty signed in Rome on November 26. This strengthening of bilateral cooperation is crucial, in the first place, to the future of European economic governance. In the coming months, fiscal policy rules will be written into a revised Stability and Growth Pact within the framework of the French EU presidency. New rules on State Aid will also be outlined along with a framework of reforms needed to make the continent more competitive.
Western Balkan countries’ integration in the EU: the case for Kosovo
The process of EU enlargement has been a major political and strategic success, but it is facing growing problems such as capacity for integration and political consensus among current members.
The post Merkel Germany: implications for Europe and the US
The September 26 German elections could not but be influenced by the figure of Angela Merkel. Her principal legacy is probably to have been a master crisis manager and a pillar of political stability, but she has not staked her career on promoting a truly comprehensive and ambitious vision for Europe. Even regarding the pursuit of German national interests, an overall assessment of her profile as a leader must take into account several missed opportunities for renewal and perhaps even excessive prudence.
The economics of climate change: a joint agenda between US and Europe
Policies for waging the battle against climate change and for and managing the phenomenon are central to both the post-pandemic economic recovery and to transatlantic relations at this new stage of opportunity for Euro-American cooperation. The slogan adopted by Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral campaign – “Build Back Better” – can be considered overall a highly appropriate approach to the international circumstances that distinguish 2021.