Policy Briefs
POLICY BRIEFS
The following policy briefs are published by the Centre for Law and Development at Qatar University College of Law as part of the Jean Monnet Doha Courses on European Union Law, made possible with the support of the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.
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REPLICATING THE SUCCESS OF THE EUROZONE IN THE GCC: A COMMON CURRENCY AREA
By Advaita Nair Manikandan Nair, Lama Matalqa, Maha Al Faridi, Maryam Al Muhanndi, and Sharouq Saeed
August 2022
The aims of this policy brief are (1) to highlight the importance of a common currency for the GCC, (2) to discuss the potential of a common currency area for the GCC, and (3) to provide recommendations for further economic integration through a monetary union akin to the Eurozone.
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Human trafficking in the European Union: The case of Hungary
By Salsabeel Elsayed Abdelrahman Mahmoud, Muneera Almuhannadi, and Ismael Alkeilani
January 2022
Human trafficking is not only a crime, but also a gross violation of human rights. Human traffickers consider their victims a commodity and violate their basic rights, in a way that restricts their freedom to decide where to move or where to work. Hence, there is an urgent need for an approach to be done by the government and the concerned authorities, to preserve the dignity and the well-being of people who were victims of trafficking.
The U.N.'s High Commissioner for Human Rights has encouraged all nations—and by extension, all service providers—to place human rights "at the center of all efforts to prevent and combat trafficking, and to protect, help and support trafficked people".
Despite its significant efforts, the office to monitor and combat trafficking in person report of 2021 lists Hungary as a Tier 2 country when it comes to humantrafficking cases.
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Waste Management in the EU: The Deceptively Easy Solutions
By Haya Al-Borshaid and Aisha Al-Mansouri
November 2021
The EU faces significant challenges in ensuring proper compliance across the entire scope of its legislative activity, but waste poses threats to the health and well-being of Europeans. Nevertheless, the waste generated in the EU per capita is still high and it did not decrease significantly in the last few years, despite the waste management policies. It is estimated that the average European citizen generates around 5 tons of waste per year. However, only a small portion of the total waste generated in the EU is recycled.
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Policy Brief: Tourism Between the EU and GCC
By Safaa Sadi Jaber and Noora Fahad Aldosari
May 2021
The FIFA World Cup 2022 will make the Gulf region the world’s destination in the upcoming year, as Qatar is hosting one of the biggest global events. The GCC countries have no harmonized strategies or treaties with each other to develop Gulf tourism as a whole. Tourism made Europe the world’s first destination, due to the Schengen agreement that helps increasing tourism and economics. We recommend that the GCC countries sign an agreement to abolish internal borders to make travelling easier for tourists. Also, to promote their efforts to sign a Visawaiver agreement with the EU. Moreover, create a common visa (Batota Visa) for visitors coming to GCC.
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Policy Brief: Environmental Protection Practices in the EU and GCC
By Aisha Jamal Al-Mansouri, Latifa Abdulla Al-Marri, and Noora Hassan Al-Qahtani
May 2021
The GCC has contributed to many international agreements regarding environmental protection but has not implemented a specific GCC institute relating to environmental contributions like the EU’s EEA, which governs environmental practices of the EU member states and their integrated initiatives of the EU region towards environmental protection and sustainability. The GCC faces many environmental issues that impact global concerns like global warming. Therefore, it is necessary for GCC countries to develop a unified environmental institution that governs environmental practic es of member states and ensures they abide by environmental laws for the prosperity of the region.
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By Adhrika Nair M, Amal Al-Abdulla, and Najlaa N Alkhulaifi
May 2021
Tackling marine pollution and developing a sustainable blue economy as a means of economic diversification are areas of common strategic interest for both Qatar and the EU. Qatar faces an increasing issue of ocean pollution due to littering and microplastic contamination. Economic diversification is one of the major goals of the Qatar National Vision 2030 to ensure the reduction of over-dependence of the Qatari economy on hydrocarbons. On the other hand, the EU's blue economy has created jobs and has contributed significantly to its GDP.
Various research has indicated that marine pollution in Qatar has adverse consequences on marine biodiversity and the COVID-19 pandemic has further accelerated this problem due to the increased usage of face masks. Additionally, statistics have revealed that there is great potential for Qatar in developing its blue economy as a means to diversify its economy and achieve self-sufficiency in fish stocks.
This policy brief recommends the signing of an MoU between Qatar and the EU to achieve the twin objective of protecting the marine ecosystem and achieve economic diversification. By exchanging technology and know-hows, jointly increasing investments to develop the blue economy, and engaging in bilateral trade of the output from the blue economy, Qatar and the EU can fulfill their common interests.
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Policy Brief: Air Pollution in the State of Qatar
By Muneera Ebrahim Almuhannadi, Al-Anood Ahmed Al-Kuwari, and Latifa Mubarak Al-Sulaiti
May 2021
As a party to the Paris Agreement, Qatar must also set a specific GHG emission reduction target and strategy by 2030, rather than limit its contribution to economic diversification. The UN has urgently stated the goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees celcius and reducing global GHG emissions to 45% by 2030. In order to fulfill those obligations, however, drastic measures shoudl be taken, including regulations to limit the amount of air pollution. Regulatory compliance is another vital strategy, where Qatar should encourage consumers to change their behavior and use green energy.
