Amato timeline
Hurrah for the conference on the future of Europe!
01 June 2021
If done right, the conference on the future of Europe can help bring about meaningful reform in the EU – even if that means changing the treaties.
How to fight corruption and uphold the rule of law
27 April 2021
Corruption is a problem for the European Union and endangers the rule of law. To protect EU money and stop democratic backsliding, the EU needs better anti-graft plans.
The Commission's 'new migration pact': Handle with care
26 October 2020
The European Commission's new migration plans are more likely to succeed than previous attempts at reforming the system.
Will the coronavirus pandemic deliver a coup de grâce to Schengen?
30 September 2020
The EU’s Schengen area will survive the pandemic. But member-states need to co-ordinate border closures and set clear criteria for imposing quarantines, or they will imperil the single market.
Schengen reloaded
11 November 2019
The EU's Schengen borderless area is popular, but has been challenged by the migration crisis and terrorism. It needs updating, but not a complete reset.
The EU's Security Union: A bill of health
21 June 2019
The Security Union has a mixed record. The next EU leaders should learn from its successes and failures to deal with fresh security questions like migration, China and disruptive technologies.
Catch me if you can: The European Arrest Warrant and the end of mutual trust
01 April 2019
EU countries trust each other less than they used to, making them less willing to co-operate.
Why Europe needs legal migration and how to sell it
20 December 2018
Europe needs migrants, and migration is inevitable. Now, European leaders must articulate a powerful case for opening legal migration channels, rather than defaulting to vote-winning policies of containment and control.
Merkel's migration deal: Less than the sum of its parts
09 July 2018
The June European Council has not solved the EU’s migration problems.
Game over? Europe's cyber problem
09 July 2018
The EU knows that a cyber war is happening, but not how to fight it. To be up to speed, the bloc needs to update its cyber security plan
Europe's forgotten refugee crisis
24 May 2017
The EU is far from having solved the problems that led to the refugee crisis. It needs to make its asylum system work and do more to send irregular migrants back.
What free movement means to Europe and why it matters to Britain
19 January 2017
Britain and the EU-27 view migration very differently. That could complicate the Brexit and free trade negotiations.
Why Schengen matters and how to keep it: A five point plan
13 May 2016
Schengen, the agreement that abolished border controls in parts of the EU, may unravel. To keep Schengen, Europe must manage asylum seekers in an orderly way and keep European citizens safe.
Doomed: Five reasons why the EU-Turkish refugee deal will not work
24 March 2016
The EU-Turkish refugee deal is unlikely to work, because of legal and practical reasons. The EU will need to go back to its initial strategy.
Big data, Big Brother? How to secure Europeans' safety and privacy
04 December 2015
To keep Europeans safe and respect their privacy, the EU needs to improve its relationship with America and the functioning of the European Parliament.
Terrorism in Paris: Aux armes, citoyens?
17 November 2015
The West should draw the right lessons from the Paris attacks. A military response to Daesh in Syria must be combined with better European intelligence co-operation.
Europe’s refugee crisis: Chronicle of a death foretold
08 September 2015
To solve the refugee crisis, the EU should adopt a strategy that combines foreign policy and integration schemes. It should also reform its asylum law.
Dead in the water: Fixing the EU’s failed approach to Mediterranean migrants
23 April 2015
The humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean forces the EU to act. It should reform its asylum policy and take action in Libya, not resort to half measures.
After Paris: What’s next for the EU’s counter-terrorism policy?
27 January 2015
After the Paris shootings, the EU should focus on advancing its already-agreed counter-terrorism agenda, while ensuring a fair balance between privacy and security.
Cameron's migration speech and EU law: Can he change the status quo?
04 December 2014
The reforms to the benefits system proposed by Cameron will be difficult to negotiate and may require treaty change. Reforms should not lead to a Brexit.