Blog
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Realpolitik in ISDS Reform: Will the Commission’s Proposal get us Anywhere?
Things for the Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanism are not looking good lately. The system has been strongly criticised by civil society and representatives of governments all over the...
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Who Did not See the Migration Crisis Coming?
This infographic documents the European migration crisis during 2015. In 2014 the migrant flow had been mainly from Africa through Libya across the Mediterranean into Italy; but in contrast in 2015...
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Welcome to North Korea! Prospects on the Economic Impact of Kim Jong-un’s International Tourist Zones
The tourism industry may not seem like the most promising area for development in North Korea given its negative reputation abroad and limited international access. Yet Kim Jong-un has recently...
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Innovation for Greater Economic Prosperity of Belarus?
Which developmental path is best suited for Belarus if it wants to achieve greater and more sustainable economic prosperity? This was the question at the heart of an international conference held at...
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What We Talk about When we Talk about Trade
Commissioner Cecilia Malmström’s Communication on European trade strategy seems to have won praises from Brussels and the capitals, with at least one head of government (PM Cameron) hailing her...
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ECJ Safe Harbour Ruling Already Paves Way for Data Localisation in Germany
On 6 October 2015, EU-US Safe Harbour framework – the self-certification program for US firms according to the EU’s Data Protection Directive – was declared void by the ECJ. Is this a true...
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After the ECJ Ruling: What Now?
In a nutshell On Tuesday, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) issued the long-awaited ruling on the case of Max Schrems, which investigated whether his right of privacy on his personal Facebook data...
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Europe, Software and Data Flows: What are the Economics?
This figure shows the accumulated capital stock in software and other computerized information per worker for various European countries for which data is available. In contrast to many other...
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Time to Resist Dovish Temptations?
On Thursday, the Federal Reserve might raise interest rates for the first time in nine years (figure 1). However, this decision is still surrounded by uncertainty. On one hand, the US economy has...
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What Types of Protectionist Non-tariff Measures do States Use Most?
Different countries have different strategies to protect their markets. This bar chart shows the top 10 export- and import-restricting non-tariff measures currently applied by India, the USA, Brazil,...