Towards a fragmented neighbourhood: policies of the EU and Russia and their consequences for the area that lies in between

In the current volatile climate, the EU needs a strategy towards Russia that goes beyond sanctions. In reviewing the European Neighbourhood Policy and the Eastern Partnership, the EU’s incoming leadership should be more sensitive towards the existing political, diplomatic, economic, energy and military ties between Russia and the countries in the common neighbourhood. After all, it is by exploiting these ties that Russia was able to turn this neighbourhood into an area of destructive competition − the primary victim of which is Ukraine. Understanding Russia’s perceptions and being sensitive to these longstanding ties does not mean justifying their use by the Kremlin. Nevertheless, factoring these ties into the EU’s policies vis-à-vis its Eastern neighbourhood is a prerequisite for more reflective, responsive and effective EU policies

Mighty nation states and fragile international body: the German-Polish minority policy of the League of Nations as an early experiment in global governance

Globalization scholars generally acknowledge the United Nations as a key transnational actor that helps to regulate the globalized world by means of an institutionalized network of norms and agreements. However, it is often forgotten that the United Nations’ successful development is fundamentally rooted in its historical predecessor: the League of Nations. Through a historical-sociological analysis of an extreme case study, namely the German-Polish minority policy of the League of Nations, we emphasize this early root of global governance and explore the early manifestations of a key issue in the contemporary globalization debate: the tension between global institutions and nation states. Our analysis reveals four key features that help to conceptualize this tension field: the broad actorhood of the nation state(1), with nationalism as a consequence thereof(2), and the League of Nation’s lack of repressive capacity(3) as an important incentive for decoupling(4). This historical-sociological case study shows that the world culture grants significant power to the nation states, which makes them crucial actors in the globalized world. Hence our framework contributes to the widely discussed debate about the global-national tension field and could also provide a steppingstone for examining current relations between nation states and the United Nations

ÒDoes the European Neighbourhood Policy Make a Difference? Policy Patterns and Reception in Ukraine and RussiaÓ

The European Neighbourhood Policy has, from its very beginning, seized the attention of scholars and has remained high ever since on the academic agenda. Among the large number of publications already produced, many have analyzed ENP objectives, methods and influence through a comparison with EU enlargement policy toward Central and Eastern Europe in the 1990Õs. This paper argues that an alternative picture of the ENP can be obtained through a comparison of policy rationale and implementation in two countries Ð one benefiting from the policy, Ukraine and the second having rejected it, Russia. Such comparison highlights discrepancies between (i) a discourse focusing on differentiation among countries (within and without the policy), (ii) the similarity of policy patterns and instruments proposed by the EU to Ukraine and Russia, and (iii) differences between Ukraine and Russia in policy reception, which contribute to shape two distinct modes of policy implementation (selective adaptation in the case of Russia and accommodated conditionality in the case of Ukraine).European Neighbourhood Policy, Transfer, Reception, Conditionality, Adaptation, Socialization

The EU and Russia’s modernisation: one partnership, two views

Over the past year, ‘modernisation’ has emerged as a buzzword in the EU-Russia partnership, apparently giving flesh to a relationship that was largely said to be stalling before a new initiative, the Partnership for Modernisation, was launched in June 2010. The rationale for this project is similar to that underpinning the EU-Russia strategic partnership: a combination of strong interdependence and high complementarity between partners

The 2015 ENP Review: Beyond Stocktaking, the Need for a Political Strategy. College of Europe Policy Brief #1.15, December 2015

Executive Summary. The 2015 ENP Review offers the most extensive revision of the European Neighbourhood Policy ever since it was launched. > The Review signals a welcome shift in the EU’s policy approach. It overcomes the initial EUcentric approach focussing on the EU’s own experience and previous policies (first and foremost enlargement) and places partner countries’ aspirations and needs at the core of the revised neighbourhood policy. > However, the Review falls short of sketching out a real and much-needed strategic vision and of providing political impetus to the neighbourhood policy. > It remains also unclear how the EU intends to strike a balance between values and interests in the revised policy. > All this needs to be addressed in the next steps, either in the forthcoming discussions with the partner countries or in the upcoming positions of the EU’s institutions and policy-makers

Towards numerical simulation of yarn insertion on air-jet weaving looms

In this research a structural solver and flow solver are coupled to simulate the motion of a nylon yarn as it is launched into the atmosphere by a main nozzle of an air-jet weaving loom. The high-speed air flow, large displacements of the yarn, 3D-nature of the problem and the contact between yarn and nozzle wall pose substantial challenges to both solvers. Furthermore, the large displacements necessitate a two-way coupling which drastically increases the computational time required. In fluid-structure interaction simulations, the flexible structure is often modelled using continuum elements. However, in this work, the use of beam theory to model the yarn is investigated. Switching to beam theory allows reducing the computational time required for the structural solver, but requires adaptations to the fluid-structure interaction code so that forces are projected onto the centreline and centreline displacements are converted into 3D displacements of the surface nodes. To validate the use of beam elements, a structural simulation is performed in which a section of the yarn is mechanically pulled through the main nozzle. Afterwards the correct functioning of the beam elements is tested by performing a fluid-structure interaction simulation on a 3D, cantilevered beam in cross-flow. Finally, a simulation is performed in which a nylon yarn (diameter 0.72 mm) is unwound by the main nozzle air flow (5 bar gauge) and launched into the atmosphere. The gain in computational time by switching to beam elements is evaluated

Bringing South Caucasus Closer to Europe: Achievements and Challenges in ENP Implantation. Natolin Research Paper 03/March 2011

While the initial Commission Communication on Wider Europe (March 2003) did not include Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan in the forthcoming policy for the EU’s new neighbourhood, the Southern Caucasus region has now gained considerable attention in the framework of the ENP and beyond, not least because of security considerations. The ENP undoubtedly represents a step forward in the EU’s policy towards Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, yet its implementation highlights major differences between the three countries and important weaknesses in all three of them. The Eastern Partnership addresses some of these weaknesses and it also significantly strengthens the EU’s offer to South Caucasus countries, which is now fully in line with the perspectives proposed to the Western NIS. The paper highlights five main conclusions and recommendations: • Political, economic, social and diplomatic developments in the South Caucasus in the 2000's highlight both diverging trends and the persistence of tensions between the three countries. They also have different aspirations vis-à-vis the EU and different records in ENP implementation. The EU should therefore mainly rely upon an individual approach towards each country. • While bilateral relations should form the basis of the EU's approach, most of the challenges faced by Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan are not confined to national borders and require regional solutions. This applies primarily, but not exclusively, to the unresolved conflicts. The EU should promote targeted regional cooperation including, inter alia, confidence-building measures to address indirectly the protracted conflicts and measures supporting drivers of change, which play a critical role in the confidence-building process; • Under the ENP, especially since the opening of negotiations for association agreements and with the perspective of DCFTA, trade-related issues, market and regulatory reform have become prominent in the EU's relations with all three Caucasus countries. At the same time, the priorities identified when the ENP was launched, i.e. good governance and the rule of law, still correspond to major challenges in the South Caucasus. The EU should more clearly prioritise good governance and the rule of law as the basis of both the ENP and successful reforms; • In all partner countries (but even more so in the South Caucasus), ENP implementation has been adversely affected by poor administrative capacities and weak institutional coordination. The EU should increasingly focus on institutional reform/capacity building in its support to partner countries and ensure that the link between the ENP and domestic reform processes is strengthened; • In the South Caucasus the EU has recently concentrated on a few assistance tools such as budget support, Twinning and TAIEX. While these instruments undoubtedly bring an added value, they should be better combined with tools allowing for greater flexibility and targeting non-governmental actors, e.g. EIDHR/NSA

Towards a Fragmented Neighbourhood: Policies of the EU and Russia and their consequences for the area that lies in between. CEPS Essay No. 17, 17 October 2014

In the current volatile climate, the EU needs a strategy towards Russia that goes beyond sanctions. In reviewing the European Neighbourhood Policy and the Eastern Partnership, the EU’s incoming leadership should be more sensitive towards the existing political, diplomatic, economic, energy and military ties between Russia and the countries in the common neighbourhood. After all, it is by exploiting these ties that Russia was able to turn this neighbourhood into an area of destructive competition − the primary victim of which is Ukraine. Understanding Russia’s perceptions and being sensitive to these longstanding ties does not mean justifying their use by the Kremlin. Nevertheless, factoring these ties into the EU’s policies vis-à-vis its Eastern neighbourhood is a prerequisite for more reflective, responsive and effective EU policies

Time-dependent calculation of the velocity of a yarn launched by the main nozzle of an air-jet loom

In air-jet weaving looms the yarn is initially accelerated by the main nozzle. To obtain a high yarn velocity a high air velocity is required which results in complex flow patterns. Consequently, predicting the influence of a change in geometry or inlet pressure on the yarn velocity is not straightforward. In this research a fast time-dependent fluid-structure interaction framework is used to model the acceleration of a yarn during launch. Initially, the performance of the framework is assessed by considering a smooth monofilament yarn. A suggestion is also madeand tested to deal with the surface texture of hairy/multifilament yarns