Recommendations and expectations for German and European policy. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has direct and significant implications for the Western Balkans. The lack of a consistent and convincing EU perspective and U.S. engagement in the region opened up space for other actors and scenarios aimed at recomposing the Western Balkans as well as promoted regressive tendencies throughout the region.

Climate and Energy Partnerships are a key instrument in international climate and energy cooperation and diplomacy. The recommendations in this paper are meant to make Climate and Energy Partnerships into relationships on equal footing and into win-win solutions in the transition to a net zero global economy.

Urbanisation is a defining characteristic of life across the globe in the 21st century. Cities offer many opportunities for different types of people to forge a livelihood and lead a fulfilling social life. The diverse options are taken up in particular by women and people who renounce traditional, binary gender roles and norms and are thus often subject to various kinds of discrimination.

Abortion is one of the most common gynecological procedures. Legal regulations have a major impact on whether access to this essential healthcare service is safe, legal and free of charge.  

Almost 8 billion people will live on earth in 2021. While in the Global North people are encouraged to have children, in the Global South programmes of so-called development aid tend to aim at reducing the birth rate.

The study by Asia expert Dieter Reinhardt shows why the construction of this coal-fired power plant is an exemplary anachronism: it prevents the expansion of renewable energies, which is necessary because of climate change and for which Bangladesh has the potential; and it weakens coastal protection, which should have priority in view of rising sea levels.

Contraception is a powerful tool of self-determination and population control. But access to contraception varies around the world and is influenced by economic, social, and cultural factors.

Nuclear weapons remain at the core of modern security strategies, and all great powers of the 21st century rely on nuclear deterrence to some extent. A workshop organized by the European Leadership Network (ELN) focused on the impact of new and disruptive technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Quantum Computing on nuclear decision-making. The major findings of the workshop are summarized in this report.

Both in Germany and internationally, the debate on the pricing of greenhouse gas emissions is experiencing a renaissance. However, an enlightened and realistic discussion of ways and means is needed so that CO2 pricing instruments can play a stronger role in climate policy. In this study, climate and energy expert Felix Chr. Matthes of the Öko-Institut examines the relevant elements of a CO2 pricing strategy. He gives an overview of design criteria and mechanisms of action.