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Economy

Middle-Class Concerns and European Challenges

Date of Editorial Board meeting: 
Publication date: 
Friday, September 15, 2023
Abstract in English: 
This report studies the position, aspirations, expectations and fears of Europe’s middle classes concerning some of the key challenges that the EU is facing. It is based on an extensive online survey carried out in all 27 EU member states. It reveals an acute economic insecurity and fear of falling behind among EU citizens, especially in the lower social strata. It also shows that this crisis of citizens’ expectations and prospects is a threat to political stability, as it feeds into a dangerous crisis of legitimacy and trust in public institutions and political parties. Concerns may be most strongly expressed in the economic field, but also extend to the possible consequences of the war in Ukraine and the broader geopolitical realignments it entails. In particular, the combination of middle-class insecurity and relatively high levels of trust in Russia in parts of Southern and Eastern Europe should be highlighted. However, citizens also think that most challenges can be tackled and reversed through adequate political and policy action. In particular, the centre–right’s approaches to security, immigration and the economy retain great appeal among the European middle classes; there is a need to better connect with the lower middle classes though. Citizens also have a high estimation of the problem-solving capacity of civil-society actors and a relatively high level of trust in the EU. An inclusive narrative addressing European challenges on the basis of safety, stability, justice, freedom and cooperation could help to reassure Europe’s middle classes. Centre–right forces have a fundamental role to 1 play in this process.
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72
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State of the Union 2022

Date of Editorial Board meeting: 
Publication date: 
Wednesday, September 14, 2022
Abstract in English: 
Every year in September, the President of the European Commission delivers a State of the Union Address before the European Parliament, taking stock of achievements of the past year and presenting priorities for the year ahead. The President also sets out how the European Commission will address the most pressing challenges the European Union is facing. The speech is followed by a plenary debate. This kick-starts the dialogue with the European Parliament and the Council to prepare the Commission Work Programme for the following year.
Anchored in the Treaty of Lisbon, the State of the Union Address is set out in the 2010 Framework Agreement on relations between the European Parliament and the European Commission, which also requires the President to send a Letter of Intent to the President of the European Parliament
and the Presidency of the Council detailing the actions the European Commission intends to take by means of legislation and other initiatives until the end of the following year.
Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, delivered her third State of the Union Address on 14 September 2022.
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21
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State of the Union Address 2023

Date of Editorial Board meeting: 
Publication date: 
Wednesday, September 13, 2023
Abstract in English: 
In her State of the Union address on 13 September 2023, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen outlined the main priorities and flagship initiatives for the year to come, building on the European Union's successes and achievements of the past years.
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31
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The global future of nuclear energy

Date of Editorial Board meeting: 
Publication date: 
Thursday, August 24, 2023
Abstract in English: 
Energy supply is an integral and essential part of modern society. Since nuclear energy provides low-carbon, baseload power, it could play a larger global role in addressing growing energy demands while reducing the risks of climate change and air pollution. Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine has also highlighted energy security as a national imperative that nuclear power could help countries to achieve.
Both preserving the existing fleet of reactors and building new advanced nuclear power plants could play a role in achieving deep decarbonization of electricity supply systems by mid-century. Public support, designs with greater inherent safety, licensing advanced reactors, and reasonable costs and schedules will be integral parts of this strategy. Nuclear power’s future would also benefit from national governments putting renewed emphasis on spent nuclear fuel disposition.
This report by Matt Bowen discusses a number of actions that the United States, Japan, and other civil nuclear allies could pursue so that nuclear energy can play a larger role in overcoming the challenges related to energy demand, energy security, and associated environmental and public health risks.
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32
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The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2023

Date of Editorial Board meeting: 
Publication date: 
Wednesday, July 12, 2023
Abstract in English: 
Urbanization is changing agrifood systems globally in ways that can only be understood through a rural–urban continuum lens. The changing pattern of population agglomerations across a rural–urban continuum and its interface as a place of exchange and socioeconomic interactions, is reshaping and being reshaped by agrifood systems, with implications for the availability and affordability of healthy diets, and in turn, for food security and nutrition.
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316
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The asylum in-tray in 2025

Date of Editorial Board meeting: 
Publication date: 
Monday, August 21, 2023
Abstract in English: 
With a general election expected in the next 12-18 months, the UK’s asylum system is in crisis.
The backlog is at over 130,000 cases, the system is costing around £3.6 billion a year in asylum support costs, and the Home Office is gripped by institutional challenges. At the same time, the number of people arriving in small boats has escalated rapidly from the hundreds to the tens of thousands in the past five years.
The prime minister has pledged to ‘stop the boats’ as one of his five priorities for government. Central to the government’s plan is its flagship Illegal Migration Act – which will place a duty on the home secretary to remove irregular arrivals and not consider their asylum claims – as well as the agreement to relocate asylum seekers to Rwanda.
This briefing sets out the in-tray for the UK government in 2025 – after the next general election – across the main parts of the asylum system.
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36
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World Trade Report 2020

Date of Editorial Board meeting: 
Publication date: 
Sunday, November 15, 2020
Abstract in English: 
In recent years, a growing number of governments have adopted policies aimed at supporting the transition towards a digital economy. The World Trade Report 2020 looks at these policy trends and at how trade and the WTO fit with them.
Trade and trade policies have historically been important engines for innovation. In particular, the multilateral trading system has contributed significantly to the global diffusion of innovation and technology by fostering predictable global market conditions and by underpinning the development of global value chains. As data become an essential input in the digital economy, firms rely more on intangible assets than on physical ones, and digital firms are able to reach global markets faster without the amount of physical investment previously necessary in other sectors. Success in the digital economy will depend on openness, access to information and communication technology (ICT) goods and services, collaboration on research projects, and the diffusion of knowledge and new technology.
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208
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World Trade Statistical Review 2023

Date of Editorial Board meeting: 
Publication date: 
Monday, July 31, 2023
Abstract in English: 
The World Trade Statistical Review 2023 presents recent trends in international trade at a time of geopolitical and macroeconomic strains and technological challenges affecting the global economy and supply chains. The data cover merchandise and services trade broken down by geographical origin, main product groups and sectors, along with related data on key economic developments such as GDP growth, commodity prices, and exchange rate fluctuations.
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138
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World Trade Report 2021

Date of Editorial Board meeting: 
Publication date: 
Wednesday, November 17, 2021
Abstract in English: 
The COVID-19 pandemic and the prospect of increasingly frequent and more intense natural and man-made disasters raise important questions about the resilience of the global economy to such shocks. The 2021 edition of the WTO's World Trade Report examines why the interconnected global trading system is both vulnerable and resilient to crises, how it can help countries to be more economically resilient to shocks, and what can be done to make the system better prepared and more resilient in the future.
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212
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World Trade Report 2022

Date of Editorial Board meeting: 
Publication date: 
Wednesday, November 9, 2022
Abstract in English: 
Climate change is having a profound impact on people’s lives across the world. Mitigating and adapting to climate change will require major economic investment and coordinated action to transition to a sustainable, low-carbon economy. The 2022 World Trade Report explores the complex interlinkages between climate change and international trade and how international trade and trade rules can contribute to addressing climate change.
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152
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