How the evolving international environment affects EU member states' positions toward Russia

EU states have reacted in varying ways to the nerve agent attack against Sergei and Yulia Skripal, with some states expelling Russian diplomats, and others adopting a more cautious response. Drawing on a recent report, Marco Siddi assesses some of the reasons that underpin the differing approaches of EU states in their relations with Russia

Who are the winners and losers from the cancellation of the South Stream pipeline?

Vladimir Putin has announced that the construction of the South Stream pipeline, which was intended to transport gas from Russia across the Black Sea to South East Europe, is to be abandoned. Marco Siddi assesses the winners and losers from the cancellation of the project. He writes that while the key winner is likely to be Ukraine, countries in South East Europe will lose out on potential transit revenues. He also argues that with the EU still reliant on gas imports through Ukraine, the end of South Stream should provide extra impetus to reduce the share of fossil fuels in the EU’s energy mix

Nord Stream has allowed Germany to take a stronger line with Russia, but other EU members cannot afford confrontation

The reliance of European states on Russian gas exports has been one of the key underlying factors in the Ukraine crisis. Marco Siddi writes on the role played by the Nord Stream gas pipeline in shaping Germany’s policy toward Russia. He notes that the existence of the pipeline, which runs from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea, has freed Germany’s hand to pursue a stronger line over Ukraine. However, the fact that other countries in Central and Eastern Europe are more vulnerable from a suspension of Russian gas exports through Ukraine has ensured that the main costs for a strong German policy would potentially be borne by its eastern allies

Germany: the EU’s new foreign policy engine

What characterises Germany’s involvement in shaping European foreign policy? Outlining the conclusions of a recent study, Marco Siddi writes that the nature of EU foreign policy has changed rapidly since the emergence of the Ukraine and refugee crises, with Germany taking on a key leadership role in the EU’s attempts to respond to foreign policy challenges

EU and Russian leaders should avoid turning WWII commemorations into quarrels over Ukraine

A number of commemorative events are planned for later this year to mark the seventieth anniversary of the end of the Second World War. Marco Siddi writes that while the EU and Russia have both participated in previous commemorations, the Ukraine crisis has made joint events unlikely to take place in 2015. He argues that both sides should avoid linking the occasion to Ukraine as they have little to gain from political disputes spilling over into the field of history

Despite Ukraine and legal disputes, the EU is unlikely to break from its reliance on Russian gas imports

EU-Russia gas relations face a number of challenges, most notably the fallout from the Ukraine crisis, the impact of plans for new Russian pipelines, and recent legal disputes between Gazprom and the European Commission. Marco Siddi writes that despite protracted disagreement on these three issues, the two sides’ interdependence makes it likely that gas trade will continue without major changes for the next 10-15 years, within the confines of EU market rules

Prove sperimentali e verifiche numeriche per un’ala di un sistema di difesa aria-terra realizzata in materiale composito

La presente tesi, svolta in collaborazione con l'azienda MDBA Italia S.p.A., illustra l'attività di progetto della prova statica dell'ala del missile Marte MK2/s e ne documenta l'esecuzione. Sono descritte le proprietà costruttive dell'ala, caratterizzata da una struttura a guscio ottenuta per laminazione di preimpregnati in fibra di carbonio a matrice epossidica, ed è riportata una sintesi dell’analisi dei carichi. Successivamente vengono illustrati il funzionamento della macchina di prova e la modalità di esecuzione del test. La parte centrale del lavoro è dedicata alla simulazione al calcolatore, eseguita con il software per la modellazione ad elementi finiti Ansys. Particolare attenzione è stata posta sulle tecniche di modellazione ed i tipi di elemento adottati per riprodurre il rivestimento in materiale composito e le giunzioni incollate presenti sia nella struttura dell'ala sia all'interfaccia tra la macchina e l'oggetto di prova. I risultati del modello numerico sono stati messi a confronto con le misure di spostamento e deformazione registrate dai trasduttori installati sull'ala. La tesi si conclude con un'analisi critica dei risultati sperimentali e la verifica, tramite modello ad elementi finiti, di una proposta di modifica al disegno costruttivo dell'ala, finalizzata all'incremento della resistenza statica

EU Member States and Russia: national and European debates in an evolving international environment

In March 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea, relations between Moscow and the European Union precipitated into their deepest crisis since the end of the Cold War. Throughout 2014 and early 2015, the Ukraine crisis made headlines and emerged as the most urgent security challenge for the EU and its member states. Between 2015 and 2017, however, the international scenario became even more complex, with significant repercussions for Europe-Russia relations. The refugee crisis, escalating civil wars in Syria and Libya, terrorist attacks, Brexit and the weakening of the transatlantic alliance following Donald Trump’s election posed new formidable challenges for the EU. Russia sought a role in many of these crises, for instance by proposing an anti-terrorism coalition with the West in the Middle East or by reportedly intervening in some Western election campaigns. This report zooms in on the debates on Russia in several EU member states that play a key role in the Union’s relations with Moscow. It reveals how national perspectives evolved and sometimes diverged due to different assessments of the crises and of Russia’s role in them

The Southern Gas Corridor: prospects and challenges for EU foreign policy

As the construction of the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) is nearing completion, the European Commission has recently expressed an interest in the future doubling of its capacity. In addition to Azeri gas, Turkmen gas could be made available through gas swaps involving Iran. However, the SGC poses an ethical, environmental and security conundrum for European energy and foreign policy. Major issues include the partnership with Azerbaijan’s regime, transit dependence on Turkey and large public investments in infrastructure that may become stranded as the EU transitions away from fossil fuels and due to competition from Russian gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG). Moreover, current US policy casts doubt on Iran’s future involvement and regional stability