In this edition of our talk show from Brussels, the participants discuss the new beginning in Syria, the continuation of diplomacy in Ukraine and the allegations of bribery in connection with the Chinese telecoms giant Huawei.
For the first time, a Syrian government representative participated in an international conference on the war-torn country. It happened in Brussels, where support for the new Syria was discussed. But the latest slide into violence prompted difficult questions about the EU’s recent decisions to lift sanctions, making some EU member states uncomfortable. Are these political gestures premature? Is Syria ready for a new beginning or not?
A lot of questions for our panel in this edition: Richard Lewis, senior associate at the Brussels School of Governance, Sarah Wheaton, chief policy correspondent at Politico and Petras Auštrevičius, member of the European Parliament representing Renew Europe from Lithuania.
A new era is dawning in Syria. A few days ago, the new leader of the war-torn country signed a provisional constitution governing the five-year transition period.
This declaration came three months after the rebels unexpectedly toppled the regime of Bashar al-Assad. This led to calls for a new inclusive Syria that respects individual rights, including those of women.
The new leadership faces a daunting task: 80% of the electricity grids, 60% of the water networks and almost half of the health infrastructure have been destroyed. 16.7 million people are in urgent need of aid – the highest number recorded since the conflict began 14 years ago.
But Syria continues to be rocked by violence. In early March, security forces killed almost 1,500 civilians, most of them members of the Alawite minority to which the Assad family belongs.
Is this the “justice for the victims and survivors” promised by the new rulers? Is the process of healing and overcoming division realistic or just a pipe dream?
Second topic: This week marked the 11th anniversary of the day Vladimir Putin illegally annexed Crimea. A military operation that would directly lead to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine eight years later. That same Vladimir Putin spoke to Donald Trump on Tuesday in an apparent effort to end the fighting in Ukraine on his terms.
Carving up Ukraine among Trump and Putin smacks of the famous Yalta Conference where the presumptive victors of World War II divided Europe into spheres of influence. The difference? Back in 1945, there was a European at the table: Winston Churchill.
Finally, the panel discussed the bribery allegations against Huawei. Just two years after Qatargate rocked Europe, new allegations of bribery, this time linked to the Chinese telecoms giant, have once again sent shockwaves through the Brussels institutions. Belgian investigators are probing “active corruption within the European Parliament”.
Police raided more than 20 addresses in Belgium and Portugal and several people were arrested. The whole case breathes new life into longstanding concerns over shady lobbying practices in Brussels. Is pay-to-play made too easy in the EU institutions? And what about those ethics lessons learned from the Qatargate scandal?
