Let’s Tune In To The EU’s Periphery: Bulgarian Supreme Court Bans Gender Changes On Documents 

While gender transitioning is still legal, the Bulgarian Supreme Court has banned trans individuals from changing their gender on legal documents.

The New Normal/La Nouvelle Normalité/新常態: The Anniversary of Russo-Ukrainian War: China’s Position Dilemma

China has released its position paper on the first anniversary of the Russo-Ukrainian War. However, the paper was received with mixed reviews. In this article, the author analyses the dilemma of China’s position and what China should do in the future to gain the support of more countries for its position.

Let’s Tune In To The EU’s Periphery: Romania’s Scandal Prone Healthcare System 

Romania’s healthcare system has been hit repeatedly by various scandals. Little time remains to save the system.

Post Conflict Era: The Future of the EU Strategic Autonomy

The Russo-Ukraine conflict has strengthened the EU’s will to seek strategic autonomy. However, the EU’s reliance on the US and NATO for security may halt further plans for strategic autonomy.

(Analysis) The Return of Hard Geopolitics: Towards a New Era of EU-Japan Strategic Cooperation?

With increasing entanglements between Japan and the EU has there been a tipping point in EU-Japan strategic convergence?

(Analysis) European Political Community: The French Approach Towards Greater Europe

Increasing security threats and a lack of coordination between European states proved the need to establish a new platform to discuss strategic issues and maintain high-level dialogue between heads of states. It gave a new impetus to the old ideas of Great Europe that were developed in France, namely by Francois Mitterand. Emmanuel Macron has brought this idea back by proposing a European Political Community, which has faced a lot of criticism already. Even so, it can have some substantial benefits for European politics and contribute to shaping the European security order.

(Analysis) Assessing the Added Value of European Engagement with Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia locates at the core of the wider Indo-Pacific region and embraces one of the globe’s most crucial bodies of water for maritime trade, the South China Sea. Being also home to vibrantly growing economies, the region holds great strategic importance for most global players. This includes the European Union (EU), whose interests in such a faraway area are of vital importance and include both economic relationships and regional security.

SOTEU 2022: Expectations on the Roadmap to 2023

On the 14th of September, Ursula Von der Leyen spoke in front of the European Parliament to deliver 2022’s State of the Union speech. The President of the Commission was accompanied by the guest of honour for the evening, Mrs. Olona Zelenska. It has been 8 months since the beginning of the Ukrainian war, which has prompted an energy crisis, stark inflation and interruptions in supply-chains across Europe as a spillover effect, among other consequences.