Muhammad fled Mecca, Friedrich Schiller escaped from Württemberg and Heinrich Heine sought refuge in Paris. These examples show that migration and displacement are as old as humanity itself. And yet this means much more than simply escaping danger. These words are wrapped up with notions of motivation and drive, and the idea of starting a new life. Because the arrival of refugees almost inevitably leads to change. There are many examples from our past: consider the progress of the United States of America since the 18th century or Germany after the Second World War. In the long term, the arrival of different people stimulated development. This is worth remembering, though of course we shouldn’t play down the immense challenges presented by the current refugee drama.

Our author Jochen Stahnke from the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung examines what lies behind the most recent refugee crisis and shows that the line between good and bad, between victims and people smugglers, is not always clear cut. In this issue’s interview, Federal Minister Gerd Müller explains what strategies the German Government is pursuing and how it is tackling the root causes of displacement. And prize-winning author Saša Stanišić briefly reflects on his own poignant experiences of fleeing Bosnia.

Our reports take you around the world: to Tajikistan, where starting a business calls for innovative ideas and a fair amount of courage. To Egypt, where job centres are being used to counter unemployment. And to Brazil, where controlled fires in the Cerrado savannah are helping to prevent even worse bushfires.

Our app for tablets provides lots of additional interesting information, such as a picture gallery of famous refugees, a video to accompany the report from Tajikistan and a podcast about young Egyptians looking for the right job.

PDF (browsable)

Over half a century has passed since Robert Schuman and the other founding fathers laid the cornerstone for a common Europe. It has been a work in progress ever since. Time and again, the European project has been redeveloped, extended and renovated. So what stage has construction work reached today? Are we still excavating and pouring the foundations? Or are we already choosing the furnishings? Have building plans had to be modified? Is the structural design still holding up? How solid is the basic framework? Eurosceptics, today more numerous than ever, even question whether there is a common foundation at all.

The stability and sustainability of the European Union also depends on its neighbours. In times of globalisation that does not simply mean those countries right next door. Conflict or natural disaster in any location in the world also can affect Europe. Security, climate change, energy supply – the seed for Europe’s credibility is being sown in places as far flung as Mali, Bangladesh and Brazil.

Our cover story looks at the current status of the European ‘structure’ and identifies some of the challenges now facing the union – both internally and externally. As Gilbert Khadiagala’s opinion article shows, the EU model informs the architecture of other regional alliances. In this issue’s interview, Angela Filote, Head of the EU Commission Representation in Romania, also explains that the bonds of marriage are closer than ever despite the seven-year itch.

This issue’s reports from abroad take us to Chile and Afghanistan. A report from Georgia illustrates how women’s rights are being promoted. We also show how people in South-East Asia reclaimed their personal documents and birth certificates following the flooding caused by the tsunami.

As critical consumers, we face this dilemma on a daily basis. Aware of the problems of globalised and diversified value chains – such as poor health and safety and fire protection in garment factories in Bangladesh and child labour on African cocoa plantations – we try as best we can to weigh up our purchasing decisions with ethical considerations. Now – in response to some extent to the dilemma facing customers – manufacturers and retailers are increasingly bringing production and product sales into line with sustainability issues and integrating social and environmental factors into their corporate strategies. Certification, labels and corporate social responsibility – a company’s willingness to be accountable for all aspects of its activities, not just at the operational level – are not simply a short-term matter, but a guarantee for future success in a growing number of sectors.

Climate change features regularly on the political agenda – most recently at the Doha Climate Change Conference. The message about the need to ‘reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the unavoidable consequences of climate change’ may be a familiar refrain, but it remains very real. The roles and self-image of the key protagonists working to combat climate change have fundamentally changed in the space of a few years. Emerging markets, in particular, have now entered the equation. Where CO2 emissions are concerned, the economic performance of these countries presents them with problems similar to those already faced by industrialised nations. But it also offers an opportunity for them to finance their own climate activities as donors. New national and international funding mechanisms have been established, and the private sector is becoming increasingly involved in climate issues. Last but not least, the renewable energy revolution in Germany – in particular the Government’s decision to phase out the use of nuclear power – throws up many climate-related issues. Time then, to shed new light on the subject.

What do you think of when you look at your mobile phone? Its good range of functions? The ability to check emails whenever you like? Optimum network coverage? Or are you more concerned with coltan, cobalt and palladium? Words like these are cropping up more and more in the media. And foreign as they may seem they are already a part of our everyday lives, because as materials for key components used in many high-tech products they are mineral resources we carry about with us all the time. When it comes to commodities, most people automatically think of the rising price of gold and silver, the dwindling reserves of fossil fuels and the worldwide search for those rare earth metals we need for economic and technological progress. And perhaps also of a desire to see some of the enormous profits generated by the extraction of raw materials finally benefiting people in the countries where they are mined.