Italy’s New Defence Plan: Nuclear Readiness Exercises, New German Tanks and Billions in Expenditures

The commitment of Prime Minister Meloni to military spending became tangible after the Defence Ministry released, with an unusual delay of six months, its budget projections for 2023-2025. Integrated expenditures for defence are set to reach an all-time high of €31.4 billion in 2025, a €2 billion increase from 2022. Italian expenses for procurement are expected to rise by 43% in the next two years, with €4.6 billion allocated to thirteen new military programmes.

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Is the Western Support for Ukraine Beginning to Falter? – Cracks from the US and Eastern Europe

Some of the most consequential NATO member states (MSs) which have played a major role in providing financial, military, and humanitarian aid to Kyiv since the beginning of the Ukrainian war, are now reassessing their position in this conflict. Having been the leading forces in sustaining the Ukrainian military effort against the Russian military, they are now displaying a decreasing tendency to continue on the path followed until now.

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The Sahel Crisis – What is Happening in Niger? A First Look

On 26 July 2023, the military seized power in Niger. General Abdourahamane Tchiani, leader of the Presidential Guard, declared himself head of state, completing the second coup d’état that the country has seen in the last decade, and the fifth since its independence. Four days later, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) issued a one-week ultimatum to the junta: they demanded that President Mohamed Bazoum be restored to power, threatening to impose sanctions and to “use military force in Niger if necessary”.

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Is the United Nations Security Council’s Practice of Authorising CSDP’s Military Operations Incompatible with the EU’s Ambition to Become a Major Player in the International Arena? The Demand for a new Legitimacy for CSDP deployments.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is authorised to take action in accordance with international law, including resorting to the use of armed force, in order to address threats to international peace and security (Article 42 of the United Nations Charter). The collaboration between the European Union (EU) and the relevant parties has played a pivotal role in upholding world peace and security and this partnership is merely one facet of the various modes of cooperation established between these two entities.

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Digital Resilience. A New Contribution Agreement Between the EU Commission and ESA for the EU Connectivity Programme.

The EU Commission and the European Space Agency (ESA) have just signed a Contribution Agreement as part of the EU Secure Connectivity Programme. Established in the first trimester of 2023, the EU Secure Connectivity Programme provides for the creation of Iris2 (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite), promoting digital autonomy and strategic relevance for the EU. 

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