News

Since mid-November, ConnectBY has been supporting eight projects by members of the Belarusian diaspora in Germany and Ukraine. In two workshops, participants learned more about writing project proposals and about digital security.

Fake news and manipulation of public opionon are a serious threat to democracy. The reforMD Local Disinfo Labs aim to strengthen the resilience of Moldovan society against disinformation campaigns.

Against the backdrop of rule of law erosion in EU Member States, RESILIO aims to formulate strategies to make Europe’s rule of law more resilient. To this end, its model adopts an interdisciplinary approach and identifies institutional and structural conditions of resilience. 

The reconstruction of Ukraine is an investment in the future of Europe – Jean-Eric de Zagon, Gerlind Heckmann and Nataliia Shapoval discussed Ukraine’s National Recovery Plan and assessed the results of the International Expert Conference in Berlin.

The workshop phase of the project supports Belarusian activists and researchers to further develop their initiatives and ideas. At the same time, participants contribute to the final publication of the project. Deadline is on Wednesday, 02 November 2022.

In October 2022, the first events of the ConnectBY project took place. In two informative and interactive networking labs, members of the Belarusian diaspora community received information on funding opportunities and had time for informal exchange.

Policy-makers and experts from Baltic and Nordic member states and Germany discussed the challenges and implications of the EU’s new geopolitical reality across security and defence, climate and energy, migration and asylum, and EU China policy.

What are the implications of Russia’s war against Ukraine and what does the “Zeitenwende” mean for the EU’s CFSP and CSDP, economic and climate policy, and the future of the rule of law? At this year’s IEP Annual Conference in Berlin, experts engaged with these questions.

Impressions of our board meeting and the IEP Annual Conference on September 29-30, 2022.

The war against Ukraine demands the solidarity of European states. However, different perspectives on the war are emerging in Germany and its neighbouring countries. Those were the topic of the discussion concluding the rEUnify project in Dresden.

Applying rule of law instruments earlier and more consistently – Dr Anna Lührmann, Minister of State for Europe and Climate at the Federal Foreign Office, discussed the influence of illiberal parties in Central and Eastern Europe with Dr Funda Tekin at a digital Lunch Debate.

On May 9, 2022, the Conference on the Future of Europe concluded with European citizens presenting their proposals. Now, it is up to policymakers at all levels to set the course for implementing the ideas.

How has the work of Ukrainian think tankers changed since the Russian invasion on 24 February 2022? What challenges do they face and how can the international community support them? Representatives of three think tanks discussed.

What do regional and local governments think of differentiated integration? Academics and German local representatives discussed the research findings of the Horizon 2020 DiCE Network Projects "EU IDEA" and "InDivEU".

The Conference on the Future of Europe provides important impetus for the EU's role in the world and a common European foreign policy. In the light of Russia's war against Ukraine, the question of the significance of the results of the Conference arises.

How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected civil societies in Central Asia? Our fellows presented their research findings on gender-based violence in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, as well as civic activism in Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.

The German discourse on Ukraine has diversified since 2014. Nevertheless, there are still gaps in knowledge about the other country on both sides that need to be closed in the future.

An active civil society, a strong regulatory framework and international exchange are crucial factors in the fight against disinformation. Moldovan and international experts exchanged views at the inforMD Networking Lab.

A small revolution has taken place in Ukrainian agriculture in 2021: The new land reform makes it possible to trade land that had been under lock and key for two decades. A study shows first findings on the effects on the land market.

What about Ukraine's relations with the European Union? Experts discussed Germany's expectations of Ukraine's rapprochement with the EU. The focus was on the Berlin perspective.