Polish and Czech Leaders Converge in D.C. (3/31)

By Michael D. Mosettig, former Foreign Editor of PBS News Hour
 
It seemed a far cry from the heady days after the 1989 collapse of communism in Central Europe, when the leaders of the Polish and Czechoslovakian peaceful revolutions--Lech Walesa and Vaclav Havel-- received rapturous welcomes in Congress and elsewhere in Washington.
 
Now, 27 years later, Poland's current head of state and the prime minister of the Czech Republic have come to the Washington in the wings of a global nuclear security summit.  They used their trips also to speak to respectful crowds at think tanks, while much of the U.S. capital's attention has been focused on a Mideast in flames and a rising China and Asia.
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An Appreciation: Jean-Luc Robert (1963-2016), First Counselor European Parliament Liaison Office (EPLO) to U.S. Congress (3/25)

By Brian Beary, Contributing Editor European Affairs

jean luc.robert1“Jean-Luc was not only a friend but a terrific colleague,” said Institute President Joelle Attinger, speaking of Jean-Luc Robert, who died recently. “He fully believed in the European Project, and even more so, in the pivotal role that the Parliament plays in bridging the democratic deficit between the European electorate and the EU's institutions. To that end, he paid political ideology little mind. What mattered to Jean-Luc was getting the best of the Parliament before policymakers in Washington so the latter could better appreciate the caliber of the EU's legislative branch and gain fuller understanding of how and why it was approaching policy issues in the manner it was.”

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EU Companies Race for Deals in Post-Sanction Iran (3/9)

By Ben Antenore, European Affairs

As international sanctions are lifted in the wake of the nuclear deal, European companies are rushing to have first access to the lucrative, almost 80-million-person strong Iranian economy. Because of U.S. imposed sanctions unrelated to the nuclear deal, dating back to 1979, U.S. companies are mostly on the sidelines.

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A Dispatch from the Brexit Frontline (3/18)

By Geoffrey Lewis, Resident of Duddenhoe End in Essex, UK

Duddenhoe End village hall was crowded and noisy with chatter on Friday evening. The local Conservatives were gathered to debate Europe - in or out. This is a Tory family matter and a family row. Neither Labour nor Lib Dems seem split on the question, although they have plenty of other things to worry about. Everyone in the hall was wearing the casual uniform of the Home Counties: check shirts, blazers or tweed jackets, and they were raring to go. There were tables in two rows laid for supper. This was free with wine, all the gift of the lady organizers, and so a full house was guaranteed.

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Former Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski’s View on Ukraine (3/4)

By Jacqueline Grapin, Chairman of the Board & Founder of The European Institute
 
At the conference on EU’s Eastern neighborhood policy organized by the Jean Monnet Foundation at the University of Lausanne on February 25, Aleksander Kwasniewski, who served as the President of Poland from 1995 to 2005, spoke openly about the situation in Ukraine. His testimony is particularly interesting because few people have his long experience and deep knowledge of how the Russian regime and Ukraine interact. While he believes that Crimea’s status is now frozen for decades, the outcome of the situation in Ukraine remains to be seen.
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