Arab Spring
EU reports ‘positive signs’ in Libya despite poll delay
The EU will continue to train the Libyan coastguard to control migration and border security, and sees ‘some positive signs’ despite the postponement of elections in the war torn North African state last month.
We need more EU support for our democracy, Tunisia’s opposition says
Tunisia’s democrats need more support from the EU and European nations as the north African country faces up to months of government by presidential decree, said Ahmed Gaaloul, an Ennahdha party official and a former youth and sports minister.
Now more than ever – Tunisia’s democracy needs its friends
After the President's decision in July to suspend parliament, Tunisia's democracy needs support from the EU and other international allies, writes Rached Ghannouchi.
Tunisia president sacks defence minister amid political turmoil
Tunisian President Kais Saied sacked the defence minister Monday (26 July), a day after ousting the prime minister and suspending parliament, plunging the young democracy into constitutional crisis in the midst of a pandemic.
EU calls on Lebanon to form government quickly
The European Union on Monday (26 July) urged Lebanon's political elite to form a government without delay, following the nomination of Lebanese businessman Najib Mikati to be designated as prime minister.
Tunisian democracy in crisis after president ousts government
Tunisia faced its biggest crisis in a decade of democracy after President Kais Saied ousted the government and froze the activities of parliament, a move his foes labelled a coup that should be opposed on the street.
Wanted: European re–engagement with southern neighbourhood
Ten years after the Arab Spring, a disjointed European policy approach to the region has resulted in the bloc losing influence in the countries in its southern neighbourhood.
EU relations in north Africa hampered by migration tensions
The EU’s role and political influence in North Africa has been hampered by economic and security policy priorities being trumped by the bloc’s desire to control migration flows.
Keeping the light bright in Tunisia ten years after the Arab Spring
Ten years ago, anti-government protests began in Tunisia, leading up to the toppling of the Zine El Abidine Ben Ali regime in January 2011, the country's transition to democracy, and the start of the Arab Spring that saw the ousting of autocratic rulers across the Maghreb.
The EU must speed up its Southern Neighbourhood strategy
A Union that protects must be pragmatic in its Southern Neighbourhood - starting from the Sahara and placing security and counterterrorism at the centre of its thinking for the region, writes Mario Mauro.
Europe should be prepared for an Arab Spring rerun
The pandemic is making a reboot of the Arab uprisings more likely. Europe should be prepared, argues Nikki Ikani.
As mass protests return in Middle East and North Africa, Europe must rethink its approach
A decade on from the Arab Spring, it is clear that the EU’s strategy of working with existing regimes in its Southern Neighbourhood has delivered neither stability and security nor any progress towards democratization and government accountability. It is time to start listening to the word on the street, writes Dylan O’Driscoll.
The EU in a changing Middle East: A lone bystander or positive player?
While the European Union is struggling to stay relevant with its self-proclaimed ‘geopolitical Commission’, the United States in the Middle East is at the forefront of geopolitical shifts with its visionary leadership, writes Charlie Weimers. Charlie Weimers is a Swedish member...
Europe and the New Middle East
Alliances in the Middle East are changing but the EU is been little engaged with the new diplomatic shifts and risks becoming irrelevant in the region, writes Jonathan Spyer.
After Berlin, the EU needs to translate commitments on Libya into actions
Following a positive Libya peace summit in Berlin, the EU needs to back up commitments with actions, although the path ahead remains fraught with difficulty, writes Tom Garofalo.
Moscow fumes at Ankara over meddling in Libyan crisis
Russia has condemned Turkey’s intention to send troops to Libya to support Fayez al-Sarraj, prime minister of the UN-backed Government of National Accord of Libya against the head of the Libyan National Army, General Khalifa Haftar.
Diplomacy heats up in the Mediterranean amid escalating Greece-Turkey row
The memorandum of understanding (MoU) recently signed between Turkey and Libya to demarcate maritime zones has shaken up politics in the Mediterranean, with Greece preparing a diplomatic counter-offensive.
EU foreign affairs chief ready to go to Libya
EU Foreign Affairs chief Josep Borrell stands ready to go to Libya and help solve the ongoing crisis between the different parties, EU spokesperson Peter Stano said on Wednesday (18 December).
Europe calls for ‘urgent restraint’ as US hits Iran with extra sanctions
The European Union called for an "immediate de-escalation" of tensions in the Middle East on Monday (24 June), as the US government announced new "hard-hitting" sanctions on Iran after launching a series of cyber attacks on the country last week.
Watad: The oil company that came from nowhere and became a key player in Syria
Life in rebel-held northwest Syria has, without a doubt, been made easier by Watad Petroleum’s presence. But with no information available publicly about who owns or runs it, there is a persistent suspicion about it, writes Haid Haid.
EXCLUSIVE: Germany blocking EU plans to stop spyware trade with dictators
EU proposals to establish export restrictions on spyware are being held back by Germany, which has adopted an ambiguous stance on the plans, EURACTIV has learnt.
A divided EU and a divided Arab League put on a fragile show of unity
Neither the EU nor the Arab League really knows where it is going. Yet, divided as they are, both sides also face harsher and more cohesive adversaries: China, Russia and the US, writes Fiasal Al Yafai.
How a gas pipeline to Europe is transforming the Turkish-Israeli relationship
The discovery of massive natural gas fields off Israel’s northern coast more than a decade ago and subsequent attempts to export this gas to Europe have highlighted the true fault lines in the Turkish-Israeli alliance, writes Joseph Dana.