The German Embassy and The Representative of German Industry and Trade hosted a conference on electro-mobility in Washington, D.C. on March 30. Our president Ralf Fücks held the keynote speech, hilighting the development of the electric car industry on both sides of the Atlantic. Ralf Fücks

Nearly 40 years after the famous study by the Club of Rome entitled Limits to Growth, our unease about economic growth is returning. The nuclear disaster in Japan has also raised the question of whether the danger at which industrial society puts itself requires radical change. On the road to ecological modernity, is prosperity possible without having to destroy the basis of our livelihood? Ralf Fücks

Feminicide, the most extreme form of violence against women, is generally linked to discrimination, poverty and patriarchal cultures. It takes place within a context of total impunity and particularly affects many Latin American states. The main task of the Strategy Meeting that followed the fourth conference on feminicide in the European Parliament on 3 March 2011 was to define concrete activities to be undertaken in the period before the next EU and Latin American and Caribbean Summit that will take place in Santiago de Chile in June 2012.  

In co-operation with the BlueGreen Alliance, the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung’s Climate Network brought eight representatives of labour unions and environmental organisations on a green-jobs focused tour to Europe from September 26 to October 5, 2011.

There are crises and crises. Some come and go without leaving any lasting trace but others signal a break with the past. You do not need to be much of a prophet to predict that the current global economic shock will go down in the history books as the end of an era.

A round table for Belarus? A wonderful idea. Who wouldn’t like to see the estate of an Eastern dictator be set in order at history’s most famous piece of furniture? But the rounds for hope are nonexistent when the suggestion comes from Alexander Lukashenko, the despot in power for the last 17 years. 

The experience of the post-Soviet countries shows that civil society (CS) plays an important role in democratisation and institutional (governance) reforms, which are central to the EU agenda in its relat ions with the Eastern Partnership countries. Howe ver, the effectiveness of EU sup port has been limited so far by factors such as the incoherence of EU policy which can be seen in the insufficient coordination of assistance activities carried out by EU institutions and the Member States as well as bureaucratic obstacles, making it difficult for social partners from the recipient countries to use the support.

After months of negotiations, the European Parliament and the EU Council finally gave the go-ahead in October for the creation of the European External Action Service. As a result, the new service can start work on 1 December 2010, drawing on around 3 700 staff and 135 embassies worldwide. The EEAS is one of the most important institutional reforms provided for by the Treaty of Lisbon. Existing but fragmented EU structures will be reformed, enhanced and brought together under the EEAS's umbrella. By Franziska Brantner

When Barack Obama was elected president in 2008, expectations were raised for a new political era.  At home, many Americans hoped for an end to political polarization and the so-called culture wars.  Abroad, millions more looked forward to America’s recommitment to engagement and consultation with the rest of the world.  As the 2010 congressional elections approach and the midpoint of Obama’s four-year term looms, it is a good time to reassess such expectations.  Are they on the way to being realized?  And if not, why not? By Peter Skerry

The second trial against the former Yukos owners, Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev, is coming to an end.  The trial and its outcome are extremely political. I will try to explain why this is so, and why it could be worthwhile making some efforts to influence the outcome. 

With the Lisbon Treaty coming into force, the European Parliament's role is key. But is the EP well prepared for the new task? Barbara Lochbihler, MEP for the Greens/EFA group, takes a closer look at the stronger and weaker spots of the EP's policy.