Maritime trade and security in times of geopolitical crises Reporting from the World Trade Dialogue 2026, Hamburg The waters of global commerce have fundamentally darkened. For decades, the European Union’s economic model relied on a simple premise: a rules-based order where maritime trade flows unhindered and cheaply across the globe. But at the World Trade … Read more
Reporting from the World Trade Dialogue 2026, Hamburg For decades, the European Union’s economic engine has hummed to the predictable rhythm of a rules-based global trade order. But at the World Trade Dialogue 2026 today in Hamburg, the message from leading economists and industry giants was stark: the era of pure economic efficiency is over, … Read more
Multilateralism does not sustain itself. It requires informed advocates, critical analysts, and engaged citizens who hold international institutions accountable to their founding principles. Karsten Weitzenegger supports Global Policy Forum Europe (GPF Europe) — one of Germany’s most respected independent think tanks for UN policy analysis and multilateral governance. What is GPF Europe? Founded in September … Read more
Working effectively in EU-funded international cooperation means staying connected to where knowledge, methodology, and institutional memory converge. Karsten Weitzenegger is an active member of Capacity4dev — the European Commission’s official online platform for international cooperation professionals and the central knowledge hub of EU development policy. What is Capacity4dev? Created in 2009 and managed by the … Read more
The Global Gateway (GG) Investment Climate Reform (ICR) Facility is one of the most strategically interesting instruments at the interface of investment, reform and sustainable development. It connects Global Gateway initiatives with the often underestimated institutional side of economic transformation: rules, procedures and incentives that determine whether investment actually translates into growth, jobs and local … Read more
SCALED is emerging as one of the most ambitious attempts yet to fix a stubborn problem in development finance: how to move from promising blended finance pilots to repeatable, large scale investment in sustainable projects across emerging markets and developing economies.Why SCALED matters now Despite a decade of rhetoric about mobilising trillions for the Sustainable … Read more
The following references reflect a track record of Karsten Weitzenegger built over more than 30 years of consulting and evaluation work across Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe. Global Gateway North Macedonia: Led the evaluation of IPA II programmes on private sector development including internal market strengthening and EBRD SME schemes as Lead Evaluator, funded … Read more
What Is the Global Gateway? The EU Global Gateway is Europe’s flagship external investment strategy, aiming to build smart, clean, and secure connections in digital, energy, and transport sectors while strengthening health, education, and research systems worldwide. Originally targeting EUR 300 billion in mobilised investment by 2027, the strategy has already surpassed that goal, reaching … Read more
(tl;dr) East Africa’s startup scene is booming – but many incubators and accelerators are stuck in a cycle of donor dependence, generic programmes and weak investor trust. A new William Davidson Institute study maps these system failures and, more importantly, presents 25 concrete solutions: from revenue-generating “acceleration as a service” and sector‑specific support, to venture … Read more
In the midst of war, Ukrainian women are not only holding the fabric of society together – they are building the future of its economy. The webinar “Female Entrepreneurship in Times of War,” hosted on December 3, 2025, by the Secretariat of the Platform for the Reconstruction of Ukraine and Germany Trade and Invest GmbH, … Read more
(tl:dr) EU aid for trade to least developed countries (LDCs) remains a critical aspect of the bloc’s development cooperation, aiming to address barriers to trade, foster economic growth, and contribute to poverty reduction. However, European Court of Auditors Special Report 17/2025 delivers a sobering assessment: needs are recognized and support is being delivered, but EU … Read more
Today, we took the opportunity of hearing from Simon O’Connor, Head of Secretariat for the Ukraine Donor Platform (UDP, https://ukrainedonorplatform.com), in a detailed discussion about the platform’s crucial role in supporting Ukraine. Simon, an official with over 25 years of experience in policy and communications, took up his role in July 2024 and provided invaluable … Read more
