Friends of Europe

🆕 Policy Voices episode | NATO Summit and the new global order 🔊 This week, host Catarina Vila Nova is joined by Jamie Shea, Senior Fellow for Peace, Security and Defence at Friends of Europe, and former Deputy Assistant Secretary-General for Emerging Security Challenges at NATO, to unpack last week's NATO Summit in Washington. ⬇ Learn more below. #PolicyVoices #NATO #WashingtonSummit #SecurityMatters

❝The debate between Beijing and the West will inevitably become one of “who is provoking who and who is reacting to who?”❞ ❓ Was the joint counter-terrorism exercise between Belarusian and Chinese forces last week the first step in Beijing becoming an integral part of the Russian-Belarusian military framework? ⬇ For more, read the Critical Thinking article by Jamie Shea, Senior Fellow for Peace, Security and Defence at Friends of Europe. #CriticalThinking #WashingtonSummit #NATO #China

I wanted to share some of my thoughts after #NATO Washington Summit. Cause it shouldn't be only about #Ukraine Some of the key #recommendations: 📢 First, it is about #sanctions. The sophistication of a weapons system directly correlates with its dependency on these imported parts. The ‘targeted’ and selective nature of the sanctions clearly indicates that the Western world still has a misguided understanding of the Russian regime. 🛠️Therefore, the philosophy behind the sanctions needs a fundamental shift. Instead of naively hoping that the symbolic impact of sanctions will alter Russia’s policy, there must be a recognition that sanctions are a vital component in the economic war against Russian and global neo-imperialism and totalitarianism. 🔔 Secondly, if EU and NATO member states are committed to supporting Ukraine, there must be a clear strategy to ensure Ukraine’s victory and Russia’s defeat. Supporting Ukraine’s NATO membership benefits the entire Alliance by enhancing both regional and global security. 🎛 cooperation between NATO member states and Ukraine should be more in the military-technological sector. Therefore, on the sidelines of the Summit, the Ministry of Strategic Industries of Ukraine opened the first foreign representative office of Ukroboronprom. This move marks a window of opportunity for defence projects with Ukraine’s allies, particularly the United States. 📫 it is about leadership and the potential ‘Trump effect’. Why not unite the leadership efforts of the UK, Germany, Italy and France even more in order to lead European allies against Russian aggression? By coordinating their strategies, these key nations can provide a stronger, unified front to counter aggression and ensure a more robust defence posture for the entire Alliance. Thanks to the Friends of Europe for this space to reflect and share There is more here 🔽

I was glad to share my thoughts for the recent study "Ukraine: The Cost of Inaction," prepared by Friends of Europe 1. Even during full-scale russian invasion, we expanded our services in Diia, and that contributed to increasing overall resilience and supporting temporarily displaced citizens. One of our key and breakthrough solutions within Diia ecosystem is Diia.City—a space for IT companies with low tax rates and minimal bureaucracy. This project is expected to double the growth rate of the IT sector, significantly increase its contribution to Ukraine's GDP, and create hundreds of thousands of new jobs. 2. Digitalization is one of the most effective tools in our fight against corruption. It eliminates bureaucracy, queues, and paperwork, thereby removing opportunities for corruption—from small "gifts" for processing documents to multi-billion dollar corruption schemes in construction. Digital services ensure equality, fairness, and accessibility for all citizens. 3. Our vision l is to build the most convenient digital state in the world, without corruption, without bureaucracy, without paper, and open to all. This vision is not just a dream but something we actively work on every day. 4. Our digital transformation will also strengthen economic ties between Ukraine and the EU. By digitizing international transactions and aligning regulatory acts, we can simplify and reduce trade barriers. Integration into the EU's single digital market could significantly increase trade volumes, boosting EU service exports by 9% and goods sales by over 21%. This could raise Ukraine's GDP per capita by 7.8%, with positive effects for EU countries. 5. We consider the large-scale reconstruction of Ukraine a huge investment opportunity for private capital. We invite private investors to start their business projects even before the end of the war. This reconstruction is the most powerful investment opportunity for private capital in the last 30 years. Our main goal is to transform Ukraine's economic model from raw material dependence to the production of high-value-added products. 6. Ukraine's transformation through digitalization and economic reforms paves the way to a more stable future. Our efforts are not just about recovery; they are about innovation and creating a modern, successful, economically strong state that serves as an example to the world. It is my dream to see this vision become a reality. We work daily to achieve this outcome, drawing inspiration from the leadership of Mykhailo Fedorov, our team members Aleksey Vyskub, Alex Bornyakov Ivan Turchak, Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, and, of course, the resilience and creativity of the Ukrainian people—both business and citizens. (Look for the link in the 1 comment)

🇫🇷 🇬🇧 Our latest Policy Voices podcast explores the recent French and British elections. Host Catarina Vila Nova is joined by Shahin Vallée, Head of the Geo-Economics Programme at the German Council on Foreign Relations and member of the EYL40 European Young Leaders class of 2014, and Magid Magid, Founder and Director of the Union of Justice, Trustee of Friends of Europe and 2019 European Young Leader (EYL40), who offer their unique perspectives and insights on the results. ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⤵ Listen to the full Policy Voices episode on: Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eFQvxEsh Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/evKP5JFw YouTube: https://lnkd.in/e_raJhGG #PolicyVoices #Legislatives2024 #GE2024 #EYL40

❝The scale of Europe’s ageing, and its uneven impact on the young and old, on richer western Europe and the EU’s poorer members, is truly dramatic.❞ Despite the frantic debate and frenzied rhetoric on both sides of the channel, neither the French nor the British election cycles addressed their respective ageing populations and the economic impact this will have in the coming decades. As the ratio between taxpayers and pensioners narrows, pre-emptive policy adjustments and, ultimately, sacrifices will need to be made. Leaders must see beyond short-term issues and incorporate longer-term policy into their agendas. Failure to do so will result in an ever-widening wealth gap and major political upheaval. ⬇ Read the full Frankly Speaking article by Giles Merritt, Founder of Friends of Europe, below. #FranklySpeaking #AgeingPopulation #PensionReform #TaxReform

❝Russia and China are well positioned to leverage their resource advantages, hindering Europe’s energy goals.❞ The energy sector has become a new, and critical, battleground in international conflict. As the Kremlin and its allies leverage their resource advantages to destabilise and sow division among Ukraine's allies, NATO and the EU still lack a unified energy framework. This must be addressed urgently. ⬇ Read the Critical Thinking article from Maurizio Geri (PhD) Geri, Former NATO analyst, Italian Navy Lieutenant POLAD reservist, postdoctoral researcher at the George Mason University and EU Marie Curie Fellow, below. #CriticalThinking #NATOEU #WashingtonSummit 

🔴 STARTING SOON | Following last week’s NATO Summit in Washington, join us for an insightful discussion on the key takeaways of the Summit. Joining us, we are delighted to welcome esteemed speakers: 🔸 Leila Alieva, Senior Fellow for Peace, Security and Defence at Friends of Europe, and Affiliate of Russian and East European Studies at the Oxford School of Global & Area Studies (OSGA) 🔸 Hanna Hopko, Chairwoman of the National Interests Advocacy Network (ANTS) and Co-Founder of the International Centre for Ukrainian Victory 🔸 Dr. Jamie Shea, Senior Fellow for Peace, Security and Defence at Friends of Europe, and former deputy assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges at NATO 🔸 Valbona Zeneli, PhD, Senior Fellow for Peace, Security and Defence at Friends of Europe, senior fellow at Europe Center and Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, Atlantic Council of the United States ➡️ Find out more here: https://bit.ly/4eXULeK #FoEDebate #NATOSummit #Ukraine #DoNotNormaliseTheWar

🎙️ Do not miss the latest episode of the Policy Voices podcast!⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ Shahin Vallée, Head of the Geo-Economics Programme at the German Council on Foreign Relations and member of the EYL40 European Young Leaders class of 2014, joins host Catarina Vila Nova to discuss the French legislative elections, which saw the far-right National Rally pushed back to third place in an unexpected turn of events. Meanwhile, Magid Magid, Founder and Director of the Union of Justice, Trustee of Friends of Europe and 2019 European Young Leader (EYL40), shares his insightful perspective on the United Kingdom's general election that saw the Conservative Party unseated after 14 years in government. ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⤵ Listen to the full Policy Voices episode on: Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eFQvxEsh Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/evKP5JFw YouTube: https://lnkd.in/e_raJhGG #PolicyVoices #Legislatives2024 #GE2024 #EuropeanDemocracy

🇺🇦 Friends of Europe’s latest study "Ukraine: cost of inaction" examines the geopolitical and geoeconomic consequences of the war in Ukraine and explores why insufficient support to the country could exacerbate the current situation, cause more insecurity and more conflict. The section entitled 'An energy partner for the green transition' revolves around the notion that Ukraine is a major energy player that could strengthen the continent’s energy security and accelerate the green transition. However, if Russia is allowed to advance, it will seize the energy resources, critical raw materials and hook Europeans up to its gas once again. Key points made: ➡️ Ukraine has the second biggest gas reserves and significant oil reserves. It has proved to be a major energy security provider to Eastern European states. ➡️ If allowed to conquer southern and eastern Ukraine, Russia would control around 72% of its natural gas, half of its oil and its large reserves of critical raw materials (CRM). ➡️ In terms of CRM, Ukraine holds reserves in 21 of the 34 minerals identified as critical by the EU, and is one of the top 10 producers of titanium, kaolin, manganese, iron ore, etc., and the largest producer of uranium in Europe. ➡️ Ukraine has embarked on an ambitious green transition, with the use of renewables increasing by 600% to account for 9% of energy consumption. The country plans to increase the share of renewable energies to 25% by 2030, phase out coal by 2035 and achieve climate neutrality by 2050. ➡️ Its gas storage facilities already provide price and security benefits to European consumers with 30bn cubic metres of underground storage - equivalent to a third EU total. ➡️ Environmental catastrophe. The war caused greenhouse gas emissions of 150mn tonnes in the first 18 months - close to the annual output of the Netherlands. ➡️ Environmental damage is estimated at USD 62bn, the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka Dam being being one of example. 🔗 Read the full report here: https://bit.ly/4dVWcKq #DoNotNormaliseTheWar #UkraineInitiative #StandWithUkraine