Category: Security policy

Maritime fact check for the 2021 Bundestag election - Party programme of the Free Democrats (FDP)

Maritime fact check for the 2021 Bundestag election - Party programme of the Free Democrats (FDP)

Posted by | 2 Aug 2021 | , , , , | 1

On Sunday, 26 September 2021, Germany will elect its 20th Bundestag - a good occasion and now a tradition for our blog #meerverstehen to take a closer look at the parties' election manifestos in terms of their maritime content! It is a truism that everything is connected to everything else: The modern global economy cannot do without maritime transport routes, energy production and supply are often dependent on free access to the seas, which is therefore one of the most important security policy issues in international politics. The current commentary "Between fine words and reasons of state" in marineforum online points out the importance and interconnection of various maritime issues for Germany as well...

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Procurement for the navy - looking ahead to the 2021 federal election

Procurement for the navy - looking ahead to the 2021 federal election

Posted by | 2 Jun 2021 | , , , , | 7

Berlin, the navy & procurement The year 2021 continues to promise excitement: in the second year of a global pandemic, there are signs of noticeable change and transformation in the political firmament of the republic in view of the upcoming Bundestag elections in September. It is understandable that Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer and the Federal Ministry of Defence (BMVg) are endeavouring to get as many of the planned military procurement projects signed and sealed: A total of 31 so-called €25 million submissions - if an armaments project exceeds this price threshold, it must be submitted separately to the parliamentary budget committee - are to be approved in the last two weeks of the parliamentary session before the summer break (23 & 25....

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Reviewing EU Strategic Foreign Policy in a Multipolar World Order

Reviewing EU Strategic Foreign Policy in a Multipolar World Order

Posted by | 5 May 2021 | , | 0

Summary: Strategic foreign policy is what the EU must master in order to meet the challenges of the 21st century. In doing so, it must strive for the ability to act in all areas and not just primarily on the civilian side of sustainable development. Beyond building peace, it must face adversity and at the same time cultivate strategic cooperation in a multipolar world with increasing rivalry between the great powers. At the same time, failed states, famine and climate change will continue to put pressure on foreign policy makers, while technological revolutions and globalisation are potentially upending societies, restructuring business models, entire economies and trade patterns. The so-called "commons"...

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Maritime fact check - Baden-Württemberg state election 2021

Maritime fact check - Baden-Württemberg state election 2021

Posted by | 3 Mar 2021 | , , , | 0

The election for the 17th state parliament of Baden-Württemberg will take place in around two weeks' time. The state currently governed by Winfried Kretschmann (Greens) is not only criss-crossed by the important rivers Rhine, Neckar, Danube, Kocher, Jagst and Tauber, but also has a large number of lakes with their influence on nature, people and the economy in addition to Lake Constance. As if that were not enough, the importance of the industry based in the state for the maritime economy and shipbuilding in particular can be expressed in concrete figures (emphasis added by the editors): Germany's maritime supply industry (shipbuilding and offshore) is largely characterised by medium-sized companies. The industry not only produces in...

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1TP5Understanding the sea: Ten maritime questions for the future

1TP5Understanding the sea: Ten maritime questions for the future

Posted by | 26 Jan 2021 | , | 0

The living generation cannot remember ever seeing certainties disappear as quickly as we have experienced in recent years. This goes hand in hand with new political, social and technical trends, the consequences of which nobody can predict. The topics of digitalisation, cyber and climate are just as much a part of the maritime world as they are of the current political debate. Our blog #meerverstehen therefore poses ten questions about safety at sea to stimulate discussion: What role can and should the oceans play as suppliers of raw materials and energy? Can robotics and 3D printing replace industrial production from emerging economies?

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