The EU is struggling to agree sanctions on Russian energy supplies. By applying tariffs to oil and gas imports from Russia the Union could protect its energy security during a phase-out, while preventing Russia from financing its war in Ukraine. This could be agreed by qualified majority, and would mean the EU’s trade policy was aligned with its values, interests and obligations, argues Hannes Lenk, Senior Researcher in Law at SIEPS. (May 2022)

In recent decades Europe has been rocked by successive crises often managed, to a large extent, at EU level. Many were external in origin, among them the financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is yet another example. At a seminar on 29 April 2022 , four European researchers shared their analyses of how the EU has handled the crises of the 21st century and made assessments of how the EU’s capacity for crisis management can be improved. Their analyses are collected in an anthology that was presented at the seminar.

From the sovereign debt crisis to the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the EU has taken a leading role in the management of crises. The essays in this anthology analyse the EU’s performance and suggest how it could improve as a ‘crisis manager’. Contributions by Christian Kreuder-Sonnen, Vivien A. Schmidt, Astrid Séville and Jonathan White. (2022:1op)

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has forced millions of people to flee, most of them into the EU. In response, European leaders activated the Temporary Protection Directive, granting those fleeing the right to live in safety there. Valeriia Varfolomieieva, Research Assistant in Law at SIEPS, explains how this hitherto little-known directive works. (April 2022)