Series:PISM Reports

DAV4 II Report: From Battlegroup to Permanent Structures

Author(s): / Language(s): English

Polish Institute of International Affairs presents a joint policy report: From Battlegroup to Permanent Structures, prepared in the framework of the research project Defence Austerity in the Visegrad Region II – DAV4 II, funded by the Interantional Visegrad Fund (IVF). The authors of the report argue, that the EU Battlegroup build together by the Visegrad countries and scheduled to enter standby in 2016, should be followed by permanent forms of defence and military cooperation between Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. The policy report, which also aims to contribute to the debate about the future of the EU Battlegroups, was prepared by Central European Policy Institute (Slovakia), in cooperation with PISM (Poland), International Centre for Democratic Transition (Hungary) and Jagello 2000 (Czech Republic).

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DAV4 II Report: Region’s quest for inclusive cyber protection

Author(s): / Language(s): English

Polish Institute of International Affairs presents a joint policy report: Region’s Quest for Inclusive Cyberprotection, prepared in the framework of the research project Defence Austerity in the Visegrad Region II – DAV4 II, funded by the Interantional Visegrad Fund (IVF). The authors of the report argue, that the Visegrad countries could become an avant-garde of cyberdefense policy, if only they decided to include cybersecurity in the agenda of their political consultations and practical collaboration. The policy report, which also aims to contribute to the debate about the the landscape of threats in cyberspace, was prepared by Central European Policy Institute (Slovakia), in cooperation with PISM (Poland), International Centre for Democratic Transition (Hungary) and Jagello 2000 (Czech Republic).

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Doing Business with Tigers: Trends, Features and Prospects for Poland’s Trade with Asia

Author(s): Artur Gradziuk,Patryk Toporowski / Language(s): English

Should a new opening be expected in Poland’s relations with the Asian countries? The current trade statistics suggest that this cannot be ruled out.In 2011, the value of Polish exports to Asian markets rose by €1 billion against 2011, and Polish entrepreneurs now seem less fearful when starting a business there.For Asian countries in turn cooperation with Poland is becoming the key to the European market. These issues are examined by our researchers Artur Gradziuk and Patryk Toporowski in the latest PISM report "Doing Business with Tigers: Trends, Features and Prospects for Poland's Trade with Asia." The authors of the report stress that alongside China, the number one trading partner in Asia, other Asian markets, in particular India and Kazakhstan, are also important for the Polish exporters. Poland’s presence in Japan and South Korea is growing, and trade with Asia is beneficial in particular for the Polish chemical, cosmetic, food and machinery industries.A report is a part of the project „Trade with Asia - An Opportunity For Visegrad Countries?” (no 11220101) financed by the International Visegrad Fund. The other project partners are: EUROPEUM, Hungarian Academy of Sciences and Slovak Academy of Sciences.

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IDEAS Report: Towards a Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian Security Community. From Vision to Reality

Author(s): / Language(s): English

We are pleased to announce the release of the final report of the IDEAS project “Towards a Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian Security Community. From Vision to Reality”. The report includes an assessment of the current strategic environment in and around the Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian regions, proposes a set of guiding principles for the development of the strategic community, and offers concrete proposals for increased cooperation in three areas: security, economic and environmental, and the human dimension. The report was presented at the forum of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). IDEAS (Initiative for the Development of a Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian Security Community) is a joint Track-2 project by the Centre for OSCE Research (CORE, Hamburg), the Fondation pour la Recherche Stratégique (Paris), the Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM), and the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (University) of the Russian Foreign Ministry (MGIMO), initiated by the ministers of foreign affairs of Germany, France, Poland and the Russian Federation. The PISM representative in the IDEAS Drafting Group is Łukasz Kulesa, the head of the Non-proliferation and Arms Control Project.

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Is this the Future of Europe? Opportunities and Risks for Poland in a Union of Insiders and Outsiders

Author(s): / Language(s): English

More than any other Member State, Poland feels the dangers of the separation of the EU into insiders and outsiders. The country’s economic, political and security standing is bound up with its further integration into a strong European Union, but the intrusive reforms being carried out to restore the Eurozone risk excluding not just it and other non-euro members but the arc of states to its east. Poland has thus fallen victim to 2004’s “incomplete enlargement” of the bloc. So far, Poland has enjoyed sympathy and support from euro members such as Germany, and as a “pre-in” to the currency has been entitled to co-define the development of Eurozone governance. However, its EU partners appear increasingly intolerant of its demands for inclusion. When it ratified its EU accession treaty, they argue, Poland undertook to join the common currency. If it wants to ensure that it is included in decision-making, Warsaw simply needs to re-commit with a firm roadmap.

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PISM and SAC Report: “TOWARDS A SMARTER V4”

Author(s): / Language(s): English

Polish Institute of International Affairs is pleased to present the Report „Towards a smarter V4”, prepared within the research project “Defence Austerity: a New Paradigm for Defence and Security Cooperation in the Visegrad Region (DAV4)”. The report is a long-awaited product of the work of Visegrad countries Expert Group, in which PISM was represented by director Marcin Zaborowski and research fellowsMarcin Terlikowski and Gareth Chappell (by March 2012 r.). The editor of the document is Tomàš Valàšek (Center for European Reform/Slovak Atlantic Commission). The aim of the report is to analyze prospects of improved defence collaboration among the Visegrad Group. The document sets forth principles, which should govern the cooperation of the V4, and proposes some specific areas for collaboration.

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Polish Experience in Reconciliation: A Model for Rapprochement in East Asia?

Author(s): Adam Daniel Rotfeld / Language(s): English

On 13 March 2014 in Warsaw, the Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM) in cooperation with the Korea Foundation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland, Northeast Asian History Foundation and Korean Embassy in Warsaw organised the international seminar “Polish Experience in Reconciliation: A Model for Rapprochement in East Asia?” The meeting aimed at fostering discussion among Korean, Polish and German experts about the applicability of the Polish and European experiences and mechanisms in reconciliation in East Asia. Special attention was paid to Korean–Japanese relations. About 60 government officials, experts, and scholars attended the seminar.

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Polska w wielobiegunowym świecie. Szanse i perspektywy rozwoju stosunków Polski z głównymi mocarstwami wschodzącymi

Author(s): / Language(s): Polish

The growing importance of the new emerging powers, particularly the BRIC countries, is one of the crucial process observed in the world system. Taking into account changes in global politics and economy, many countries are striving to reformulate their policies towards those new powers, and it is also necessary do adjust Polish foreign policy to stimulate the development of cooperation with the major emerging powers. The report of the Polish Institute of International Affairs presents the main constraints, challenges, opportunities and perspectives for the development of bilateral relations with Brazil, Russia, India and China. The mounting impact of BRIC on international political and economic relations confirms that more attention should be paid to relations with countries in that group. A strong position within the European Union makes Poland an attractive partner for BRIC countries, but, on the other hand, closer and good relations with the major emerging powers could enhance Poland’s stance in the EU and offer it more leverage on shaping the Union’s external relations.

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Regional Approaches to the Role of Missile Defence in Reducing Nuclear Threats

Author(s): / Language(s): English

The importance of the issue of missile defence was underlined at the end of 2012 and in the first few months of 2013 by several events, including Israel’s Operation Pillar of Defence, NATO’s Patriot deployments to the Turkish–Syrian border and the nuclear and missile crisis in North Korea.The report adds to the ongoing discussion about the relationship between missile defence and nuclear deterrence while keeping in mind the vision of a world free of nuclear weapons promoted by the current U.S. administration. The interconnections between missile defence and nuclear deterrence are complicated. While in some cases MD development can lead to a decrease in nuclear arsenals, in some regions it might have a more negative effect of fuelling nuclear arms races. The added value of the report is its wide range: readers will find perspectives on missile defence presented by authors dealing with these issues in not only the transatlantic and European contexts but also in Russia, the Middle East, South Asia and the Far East. Regardless of the various perspectives, contexts and conclusions of the report’s individual chapters, there is no disagreement that missile defence is already influencing the thinking about nuclear weapons and deterrence. It also reveals that the interconnections between missile defence and nuclear deterrence might be more complicated than any idealistic expectations about the former as a substitute for the latter. The role of missile defence in shaping the security environment will only be growing. We encourage every reader to engage in further exchanges of opinions with our staff and all the authors of this report.

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Still Awake-The Beginnings of Arab Democratic Change

Author(s): / Language(s): English

We are pleased to announce the release of the joint PISM - FIIA report: Still Awake: The Beginnings of Arab Democratic Change, edited by Timo Behr (FIIA) and Patrycja Sasnal (PISM). With the deluge of focused policy analyses and daily news from the Middle East, the report attempts to look at the changes in the Arab world in a long-term and clearly structured perspective along with unorthodox conclusions. It examines five cases of political transition in the Arab world—Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Syria and Yemen—and summarizes the events so far and provides country-by-country timelines. Another distinct aspect of the report is that it has been produced by two major think tanks from European countries that do not have vital interests in the Middle East: Poland and Finland. Apart from the chapters authored by the editors it also features contributions from Hanna Ebeid (ACPSS, Egypt), Sylvia Colombo (IAI, Italy) and two Polish diplomats, Stanisław Guliński and Jakub Sławek.

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The Eastern Partnership Conference: Towards a European Community of Democracy, Prosperity and a Stronger Civil Society

Author(s): Monika Arcipowska,Ulad Vialichka,Piotr Woyke,Anna Zielińska-Rakowicz / Language(s): English

The paper is post-conference report of the conference "The Eastern Partnership Conference Towards a European Community of Democracy, Prosperity and a Stronger Civil Society” held by the Polish Institute of International Affairs, Centre for Eastern Studies, the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland and the European External Action Service on 29 September 2011.The aim of the conference was to develop recommendations for the inclusion of civil society activities in the Eastern Partnership. Civil society has been involved in the Eastern Partnership initiative since November 2009, when the EaP Civil Society Forum was launched to support EaP goals. After two years of EaP development, the Civil Society Forum is recognized by most of the stakeholders as an important and valuable actor that regularly provides expert opinion, independent monitoring and policy proposals to government officials and EU institutions. The situation and democratic processes in the EaP region still prove to be volatile and unstable, and therefore there is the need to further strengthen Europe’s ties with the countries of the region and to develop concrete mechanisms of cooperation between official structures and civil society on securing regional stability.

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The prospects of the EU enlargement to Western Balkans, AD 2011

Author(s): / Language(s): English

The Report assesses the perspectives of the EU enlargement to Western Balkans as seen in 2011. The future EU enlargement will most likely be different from its past experiences to accommodate new member states and will most probably will proceed in a case-by-case fashion, accepting one country at a time, rather than continue with its traditional group based enlargement. Croatia may set a precedent for future in this case. The speed of future enlargements will mostly depend on the candidates’ internal capacity to build effective administrations, solve or at least diminish intensity of bilateral conflicts, and indeed convince their populations about the prospects of EU accession. An assessment of the candidates’ ability to take over the acquis communautaire in the most difficult areas of agriculture and justice indicate that their membership may not be likely before 2020, hence it would come about under the post-2020 multiannual financial framework. Croatia successfully concluding its accession talks with the EU should be used as a case for a public awareness campaign, mainly for the EU public opinions, about the benefits and prospects of EU enlargement.

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The Renegotiation Delusion? Nine Questions about Britain's EU future

Author(s): Agata Gostyńska,Roderick Parkes,Marta Stormowska,Paweł Tokarski,Patryk Toporowski / Language(s): English

Is the UK leaving the EU, or just on the way to a new membership status? Would a special, looser membership status for the UK affect Poland and its position as a non-eurozone member? These issues and others are discussed in the latest PISM report, which is being released after the results of the recent local elections in the UK saw a surge in support for UKIP and put the renegotiation of the UK's EU membership back in the forefront of the British debate. In a context characterised by miscommunication and misperception of the EU-UK dialogue, PISM explores the potential for the UK and the other Member States to resolve the situation, clarifying nine key questions about Britain's EU future.

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The staff of the EEAS. An issue for 2013 review?

Author(s): Ryszarda Formuszewicz,Dorota Liszczyk / Language(s): English

In the context of the forthcoming review of the European External Action Service, scheduled for 2013, staff issues may well find themselves in the spotlight given their importance for the efficiency of this structure. The current personnel policy and recruitment process – carefully watched by the Member States – have reduced the imbalances in the representation of individual EU members within the EEAS staff, but not eliminated them. The review should, therefore, provide an opportunity to search for further acceptable solutions to compensate existing deficits, so that European diplomacy is equipped with the competencies and skills to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century.

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The Warsaw Workshop Prospects for Information Sharing and Confidence Building on Non-Strategic Nuclear Weapons in Europe

Author(s): Paul Schulte / Language(s): English

The Polish Institute of International Affairs is pleased to present the final report from “The Warsaw Workshop: Prospects for Information Sharing and Confidence Building on Non-Strategic Nuclear Weapons in Europe”, which was held on 7 and 8 February 2013. Non-strategic nuclear weapons based in Europe are not presently covered by existing arms control regimes or confidence building measures. The report, which summarises the proceedings of the Workshop, includes a set of practical options that can become a basis for future work on such measures in a variety of bilateral and multilateral forums, including the NATO–Russia Council. The report has been prepared by the representatives of three think tanks which co-organized the Warsaw Workshop: Paul Schulte (Nuclear Policy Program of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace), Paal Sigurd Hilde, Katarzyna Zysk (Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies), Łukasz Kulesa and Jacek Durkalec from PISM.

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Towards a Deeper Visegrad Defence Partnership

Author(s): / Language(s): English

The report analyzes conditions for defence and security cooperation within the Visegrad Group and proposes a number of concrete projects, which could be undertaken by the V4 states in the framework of NATO’s “smart defence initiative”. Among authors of the report there are PISM director Marcin Zaborowski and research fellows Marcin Terlikowski and Gareth Chappell (active in the project till March 2012 r.). The editor of the document is Tomàš Valàšek from the Central European Policy Institute (Slovak Atlantic Commission).

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Towards a V4 Position on the Future of Europe

Author(s): / Language(s): English

On 19 October 2012, representatives from the four Visegrad countries met in Warsaw, at PISM, to discuss national approaches to the current sovereign debt crisis and the EU’s increasing use of differentiated integration. The goal was to explore the potential of a joint response to hazards that might sideline the Four in EU affairs. The present report picks up on the issues discussed there, with contributions from Janusz Gąciarz, Radovan Kavický, David Král, László Sinka, Rafał Trzaskowski. By identifying much potential for future cooperation, the report, edited by Agata Gostyńska and Roderick Parkes, draws recommendations for the Visegrad Group that can ultimately result in their upgraded cooperation on the EU arena.

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Towards European Global Strategy

Author(s): Stefano Silvestri,Marcin Zaborowski,Charles Powell,Anna Jardfelt / Language(s): English

The rise of the BRICS, trouble with North Korea and Syria, the decline of the US and of western rules: how should an already overstretched European Union respond? This joint report on a European Global Strategy, produced together with think tanks Elcano, IAI, UI, suggests that the EU needs to do three things to fill the global power vacuum and define the new order: salvage its internal market and leverage its economic weight; intensify cooperation with Turkey, China and Russia in a new vision of its neighbourhood; and forge an Atlantic Community to reassert the western liberal order. This report is a central product of the period of reflection initiated by the foreign ministers of Italy, Poland, Spain and Sweden in July 2012 and is designed to encourage long-term thinking in the EU's ongoing foreign policy review.

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V4 Trade and FDI Observer

Author(s): Radomír Špok,Erich Kříž,Katalin Antaloczy,Magdolna Sass,Patryk Toporowski,Karol Frank / Language(s): English

The Polish Institute of International Affairs recommends you the report: V4 Trade and FDI Observer prepared under the project: V4 Trade and FDI Observer, financed by the International Visegrad Fund. PISM was represented in this project by Patryk Toporowski, PISM analyst, who was responsible in substance for a section on Poland. The report is the result of work of the small team of experts from the Visegrad Group countries: the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary. Editors of the whole document are Tamás Szemler (ICEG European Centre) and Andrea Éltető (Hungarian Academy of Sciences). The aim of the quarterly is the analysis of current trade and investments of the Visegrad Group countries, including the wider economic context and a longer time horizon.

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VisegrAid 4 Moldova report: Effectiveness by Collaboration

Author(s): / Language(s): English

By 2014 Moldova has become the priority Eastern Partnership country in terms of bilateral aid for each of the V4 states. Yet without a European mechanism to coordinate bilateral aid for Moldova, such efforts often overlap with respect to priorities. Offering an overview of bilateral aid of each V4 state and assessing the needs of Moldova itself, the report also formulates concrete recommendations on how to counter the increasing in-country aid fragmentation in Moldova and enhance the efficiency of the distributed aid.

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