Deepening Democracy

Today is World Refugee Day. A day chosen back in 2001 to honour the Geneva Convention for refugees and to remind the world of the plight of refugees worldwide. This year marks two anniversaries: the 20th World Refugee Day and the 70th anniversary of the Geneva Convention. This is a good moment to reflect on the state of global and European protection of those fleeing war and persecution.

By taking over the presidency of the Council in the second half of 2020, the German government would have had the opportunity to show leadership in the crisis. But many promises were not kept and the time for real action in such important policy areas as migration and climate policy was missed. Why couldn't Germany deliver?

The disputes over the Aegean Sea clearly constitute the “core” of Greek-Turkish relations. Each side claims to be exclusively in the right, and that the other side is always being provocative and in the wrong.