Plans for 2023

LINKS Europe will continue to provide space for debate and dialogue on issues of future peace and security. Russian aggression in Ukraine has underlined the fragility of global peace, highlighted the risk of widespread war, including with the use of nuclear weapons, and underscored the importance of strong multilateral frameworks.

In 2023, through dedicated activities and publications, we will focus on the roles of NATO, the OSCE and the Non-Aligned Movement, and on how they can contribute to the future of peace and security in the world.

Our work in 2021-22 on the future of Europe in the world, as part of the process of consultation known as the Conference on the Future of Europe, will be taken forward in 2023 as we continue to focus on how the European Union can play a full and positive role as a global actor and a force for good in an increasingly challenging international context. Our focus will remain on the EU’s role in Europe’s neighbouring regions.

- In 2023 we will focus on Central Asia and on GCC countries, including through dedicated workshops and our fortnightly electronic newsletters, Arabia Concise and Central Asia Concise, the latter of which we launched in November 2022.

- Connectivity is an important EU priority which compliments its global vision. In 2023 LINKS Europe will continue to shine a spotlight on this important sector through our media outlets and dedicated activities.

Building on the success of the Joint Liaison Group (JOLIG), LINKS Europe will continue to focus on the theme of confidence-building measures, including through the promotion of the ideas contained in the report “30 measures between now and 2030”. Working with the Armenian and Azerbaijani members of the working group, and in close consultation with the governments of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia and other stakeholders, LINKS Europe will during the course of 2023 take forward some of the ideas contained in the report and start the process of implementing them. We will also provide a platform to support others engaged in the implementation of confidence-building measures across the region.

Europe’s neighbouring regions of Central Asia and the Arabian Peninsula are increasingly important for the European Union.

Our fortnightly newsletters Arabia Concise and Central Asia Concise will continue to focus on these regions, highlighting particularly the ongoing processes of change and reform, and the role of the two regions in Europe’s ambitious connectivity agenda.

We will continue to give a voice to young Yemenis and help them articulate a future vision for their country through a number of small workshops and publications.

Radicalisation, especially of young people and vulnerable communities, continues to fuel violence and violent conflicts all over the world. Solidarity between and within communities, regions, and countries is an important tool in combatting radicalisation and preventing it at the grassroots. In 2023 we will elaborate on this theme through two studies and one workshop.

In an increasingly interdependent world, isolation is not the solution. Developing proper connectivity that works well for all concerned is one of the biggest challenges of our time. Focusing primarily on the Caucasus, Central Asia and the Arabian Peninsula we will in 2023 continue to contribute to this topic through our research and analysis.

In 2023 LINKS Europe will work with other partners to take forward the work of the Landmine Free South Caucasus campaign. This campaign, which focuses on the victims of landmines and began on 30 November 2022, will be continue until June 2023. A new campaign will be launched in the autumn of 2023.