Think Tank

The Spring Meetings of the World Bank Group (WBG) and International Monetary Fund (IMF) convene finance ministers and central bank governors to participate in the highest-level decision-making bodies of the two institutions, as well as in various committees and groups that drive the agenda on issues related to the international monetary system and development policy. The 2024 Spring Meetings took place in Washington, D.C., United States from 15 to 20 April. This paper sumarises the main developments ...

Europe is experiencing a significant demographic shift, which greatly influences daily life and requires comprehensive, integrated responses. As EU citizens enjoy longer, healthier lifespans, it is imperative for all Union policies to be proactive and facilitate the transition from an ageing society to one that embraces longevity. The demography toolbox, devised by the European Commission, incorporates insights from across the EU and presents a holistic strategy to address demographic transformation ...

The rise in geopolitical tensions in recent years and the weaponisation of trade links have led to an increased focus on economic security. With its Economic Security Strategy, the European Commission has put EU-level initiatives in this area into an overarching framework. In this in-depth analysis, we discuss the challenges posed by economic security and the approaches to it taken by other large economies. We then analyse the European strategy in this framework. While the EU has been slower than ...

The landscape in which European Union trade policy operates has changed drastically in recent years. In addition to, and partly in competition with, its traditional objective of economic wellbeing, EU trade policy has become increasingly shaped by two other considerations: geopolitics and concerns over the resilience of supply chains, and climate change. This briefing note examines the emergence of this new landscape, how it has already affected EU trade policy with measures to increase European ...

Exponential progress in the area of ICT improves access to data and information, which in its turn can lead to greater accessibility, reduced complexity, efficiency and respect of fundamental rights in policy, law making and implementation of law. Drafting and publication of laws need to be reformed from paper based format to modern digital media. Expertise, evidence and data should constitute mandatory elements of policy and law making. Ex-post quantified evaluation of legislation needs to be ...