Abstract As two key trading and political partners, the European Union and the Association for Southeast Asian Nations cooperate on a complex range of issues today, including a mutual concern for the environment and attention to climate change. One key environmental issue is the future of forests: both the EU and ASEAN have rich forest histories and continue to trade extensively in timber and non-timber products, and both share a concern for how to manage the future of this vital planetary resource. Today’s forest agreements and declarations, including those between the EU and ASEAN, make frequent reference to the concept of ‘sustainable forest management’ (SFM). This article examines the origins of this concept, the Western, colonially derived, neoliberal and anthropocentric norms it embodies, and its ability both to foster and hamper greater forest cooperation between these two regions. Adopting a Decolonial Ecofeminist approach in order to investigate the multidimensionality of SFM, this article charts the various ways in which a particular discourse of forestry has emerged between the EU and ASEAN to enhance ‘green diplomacy’ or to perpetuate ‘green colonialism’.

Abstract Lithuania has experienced significant growth since gaining independence, reaching the upper echelons of the European Union (EU). However, continuing this rapid income growth in the future will be increasingly challenging due to rising fiscal pressures and a shrinking and aging population. This paper analyzes key fiscal challenges and explores policy options to address them. While immediate risks include military spending and higher borrowing costs, these concerns are overshadowed by long-term pressures associated with climate change and demographic shifts. Lithuania's population is rapidly declining, and the old-age dependency ratio is projected to more than double over the next two decades and half. As a result, long-term spending pressures could amount to 11.2 percent of GDP by 2050, which is about one-third of the current level of government spending. Concerns about debt sustainability prevent the option of financing additional expenditures through increased debt. Therefore, a comprehensive strategy is necessary to tackle these long-term fiscal challenges. This strategy should include changes to tax policy aimed at raising additional revenue while primarily focusing on reducing expenditure through reforms in the pension and healthcare systems.

Abstract This paper explores how rising European populism affects EU-China relations after the 2024 elections. It maps the ideological diversity of populist actors, identifies plausible 2025–2029 pathways, and sets out targeted actions for EU policymakers to engage populist actors with the goal to improve EU’s strategic coherence and firmness, and paradoxically, bring it closer to what many Europeans prioritize.