European Institute

Amid the strident furor about media freedom in Europe, Budapest has also started actively defending itself in the U.S. against charges that new Hungarian press laws will restrict reporting and could portend anti-democratic moves on a broader scale.

The Sudan’s likely break-up and the emergence of a new nation in the southern part of the country is the latest example of partition enjoying the backing of both the EU and the U.S., a theme discussed in European Affairs last month.

Sweeping changes in the EU's financial regulatory architecture went into effect on January 1. Many details, including key personnel appointments, remain to be implemented in the coming months, but the new institutional framework is set. An authoritative and clearly presented outline of this complex new system is available on this page from the website of Clifford Chance, a global law firm based in London (that works extensively on EU matters).

--European Affairs

Could cuts in defense spending across the EU establish a collective capability to act autonomously or join the U.S. future military operations? Or will reduced troop and equipment levels across Europe leave the U.S. in a situation where it will have to act alone in expeditionary missions – a situation that many analysts say would jeopardize NATO’s collective future?