Publications

What measures can support the socio-economic development in the Western Balkans in a sustainable way? Proposals can be found in our newly published WB2EU Policy Brief.

The old debate on widening and deepening the EU is back. The EU needs to compose the right package between internal reforms and enlargement while at the same time adjusting its enlargement policy as such. Variable geometries of Europe can provide a helpful stepping stone.

Difficulties, challenges and opportunities - the publication "Voices of the Belarusian Diaspora" takes an analytical and practical look at Belarusian activists in exile.

Russia’s war against Ukraine has provoked significant changes in German foreign policy. It highlights the need to act as a guarantor of European security. Dr Jana Puglierin outlines the challenges this poses in this Berlin Perspectives.

The new budget conditionality mechanism opens pathways to effectively curbing democratic backsliding in the EU. Making use of its proclaimed "Zeitenwende", Germany should use its leverage and take a more pro-active approach – as in the case of Poland – to defend the rule of law.

The WB2EU Summer School for you professionals, scientists and activists took place on the Croatian island of Cres. At the center were topic such as youth participation, enlargement of the European Union (EU) and democratisations.

Throughout the past two years, young citizens from Germany, Portugal and Slovenia have developed ideas for the future of Europe under the guidance of IEP. This study offers project evaluation and lessons learned for the future.

The Conference on the Future of Europe concluded that the EU needs a fundamental reform to face current challenges. The German government and a group of like-minded states should propose a comprehensive cross-sectoral reform package with the European Monetary Union at its centre.

Some governments in Central and Eastern Europe are more illiberal than their populations. They support most of the EU’s liberal values. We analyse and explain the origins and conditions of illiberalism in the region.

The European Parliament proposes a reform of the European electoral law in order to strengthen EU-democracy. A core demand: EU-wide electoral lists. Germany should get off the side lines and support it proactively.

Violence against women is a prevalent issue in Central Asia. How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted gender-based violence patterns in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan?

How did social media influence the protests in and outside Turkmenistan in 2020? The study sheds light on the role of online activism during this wave of protests.

The reform of EU asylum and migration policy has been controversial for a long time. A values-based approach by some EU countries to circumvent vetoes by individual member states could counteract the dysfunctional structures in this area.

Europe should become more sustainable, sovereign and resilient. The brochure presents young people's demands for the future of Europe, which they developed over two years as part of the #EngagEUrCouncil project.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created significant challenges for civil society in Kazakhstan. At the same time, it also is an important reference for civic engagement. Our fellows conducted interviews with activists to analyse their adaption to the pandemic circumstances.

Several essays examine different perspectives from countries in Central Europe on the process of European unification after 1989 and 2004. In addition they discuss how we can commemorate the successes of democratic reforms and EU enlargement today.

Young Europeans are actively involved in the institutionalised debate on reform and the future of the European Union. They have formulated their demands for the Conference on the Future of Europe. Strategic sovereignty of the EU and climate policy are the most important points.

The results of the Berlin Futures 2020/2021 strategy group were summarised in a policy brief, which was published in early 2022 as part of the Berlin Perspectives publication series.

Strategic foresight enables policymakers to be better prepared and more proactive in emergency policy responses. The new German government should use its term of office to better integrate foresight analysis into decision-making processes.

Illiberal values in Central and Eastern Europe receive less support than some governments might suggest. Their policies often serve mere power interests. Our study provides concrete suggestions for dealing with authoritarian-populist governments in CEE.