Highlights
Featured
Better firefighting: Readying Europe for an age between war and peace
- Laurence Boone, Nicu Popescu
- Policy Brief
Facing wars and crises, the EU can no longer rely on slow peacetime processes. It needs a plan for faster industrial and infrastructural adaptation
Trump’s tinderbox: US politics and the next war in the Balkans
- Adnan Ćerimagić, Majda Ruge
- Policy Brief
Serbian revisionism is on the march and would be greatly strengthened by a Trump win. The EU must prepare a deterrence plan — and take greater responsibility for Western Balkan security
Imagining Trump 2.0: Six scary policy scenarios for a second term
- Célia Belin, Majda Ruge, Jeremy Shapiro
- Policy Brief
The potential return of Donald Trump to the White House is a matter of months away. Here are six scary policy scenarios to give Europeans sleepless nights and prepare them for what could be to come
Navigating a new America: Harris or Trump, Europeans need a collective US strategy
- Célia Belin
- Commentary
- 3 minute read
As the US election nears, EU member states must unite to navigate shifting American priorities, safeguarding their interests for a stable and mature transatlantic relationship
Mark Leonard's World in 30 minutes
US election special: Donald Trump wins
- Podcast
- Mark Leonard's World in 30 minutes
Mark Leonard welcomes Aslı Aydıntaşbaş and Jeremy Shapiro to discuss the results of the 2024 US election
Swamp Chronicles
Swamp Chronicles: Célia Belin and Madja Ruge on the foreign policy of the next US administration
- Podcast
- Swamp Chronicles
Aslı AydıntaÅŸbaÅŸ and Jeremy Shapiro talk to Célia Belin and Majda Ruge about the US election and the various foreign policy tribes within the Democratic and Republican party
Views from the Council
The next five years: How strong economic and trade alliances can prepare the EU for a post-America world
- Arancha González Laya
- Commentary
- View from the Council
- 4 minute read
Regardless of who wins the US presidential election, the European Union must shape its own future by fostering resilience, refining trade policies, and strengthening global partnerships to navigate shifting geopolitical winds
Transatlantic uncertainty demands European resolve and German initiative
- Norbert Röttgen
- Commentary
- View from the Council
- 5 minute read
Whether Kamala Harris or Donald Trump wins the election, Europeans must take greater responsibility for their own security
In the Media - Council
Karolina Wigura on the German government’s decision to reimpose checks at its borders
Lea Ypi on British interest in the migrant pact struck between Italy and Albania
Daniela Schwarzer discusses lessons Draghi’s report on competitiveness holds for Germany
Gerald Knaus criticises plans to turn away refugees at the German border
Featured and flagship projects
US election
What would a Trump win mean for transatlantic relations? Would a Harris presidency mark another, different sort of turning point? What can – and should – a Europe with less US mean?
Defending Europe with less America
- Camille Grand
Re:Engage
This project helps the EU in refining its foreign policy, re-engaging neighbours post-Russia's invasion of Ukraine to bolster regional resilience and advance enlargement policies.
The interest of values: The EU’s democracy promotion in the Western Balkans and the eastern neighbourhood
- Piotr Buras, Marie Dumoulin, Tefta Kelmendi, Marlene Marx
Re:Order
Re:Order project explores emerging visions of the global order, as well as the interplay between economic might and geopolitical influence.
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Pyongyang’s power play: How the EU should respond to North Korean troops in Russia
- James Crabtree, Alexander Lipke
- Commentary
- 3 minute read
North Korea’s troop deployment to the Russian front represents a fundamental shift in Europe’s security relations with east Asia. To confront the Moscow-Pyongyang axis, the EU should deepen its partnership with South Korea
The US election, Ukraine, and the meaning of peace
- Leo Litra
- Commentary
- 4 minute read
The US election has fuelled calls to negotiate a peaceful end to the war in Ukraine. But the new administration will not be able to escape the fact that Western security guarantees are a precondition for any sustainable settlement
Beyond deterrence: How Zelensky’s victory plan can live up to its name
- Maryna Domushkina
- Commentary
- 4 minute read
Ukraine’s victory plan can only move beyond being a deterrence strategy with less prevarication from Europeans. But Kyiv will also need to adapt to the realities of fluctuating Western support
The next five years: How strong economic and trade alliances can prepare the EU for a post-America world
- Arancha González Laya
- Commentary
- View from the Council
- 4 minute read
Regardless of who wins the US presidential election, the European Union must shape its own future by fostering resilience, refining trade policies, and strengthening global partnerships to navigate shifting geopolitical winds
Cast no shadow: How the EU can advance the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue process
- Engjellushe Morina
- Commentary
- 5 minute read
As the European Union pushes for peace in the Western Balkans, it should focus on moving the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue beyond its current impasse to establish long-lasting regional stability and deter Russian influence
Commissioning defence: How to build a European Defence Union
- Nick Witney
- Commentary
- 5 minute read
The European Commission has big ambitions for European defence. But getting EU member states to cooperate will be crucial and call for unaccustomed diplomacy on the commission’s part
Our experts are available for media requests. Our work involves many issues relating to Europe and foreign policy, and our programmes focus on Africa, Asia, the Middle East & North Africa, and Wider Europe.
Vessela Tcherneva comments on the MEPs’ questioning of the Bulgarian candidate for Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva
Camille Grand on the NATO Secretary General Rutte as a possible European point of contact in the event of Trump’s re-election
On the eve of the US elections, Celia Belin analyses Donald Trump’s authoritarian agenda
More on Africa
Aligned in the sand: How Europeans can help stabilise the Sahel
- Will Brown
- Policy Brief
Rather than disengaging from the coup belt, European governments should stay present and work to curb the worst of the chaos engulfing the region — and prevent rival powers from gaining the upper hand
Changing focus: How Europeans should respond to shifting Russia-Africa relations
- Maddalena Procopio
- Commentary
- 5 minute read
Island hopping: Why Azerbaijan’s meddling in the Comoros should worry the EU
- Daria Jankiel
- Commentary
- 4 minute read
More on Asia
The idea of China
- Alicja Bachulska, Mark Leonard, Janka Oertel
- Book
China’s ideas could become the country’s next big export. The Idea of China examines Chinese thinking about global order, AI, demographic change, and more – and considers how these ideas could influence the world
From Brussels with leverage: How the EU is recalibrating its China strategy
- Janka Oertel
- Commentary
- 5 minute read
Triangle of opportunity: How improved relations between South Korea and Japan open doors for the EU
- Alexander Lipke, Elli-Katharina Pohlkamp
- Commentary
- 4 minute read
More on European Power
Control-Alt-Deliver: A digital grand strategy for the European Union
- José Ignacio Torreblanca, Giorgos Verdi
- Policy Brief
The EU is falling behind the US and China in the digital realm. It urgently needs a new agenda combining innovation, security, and influence for an age of geopoliticised technology
Warming up: How the EU can prepare for COP29 in the wake of the US election
- Susi Dennison
- Commentary
- 3 minute read
A united front: Why Meloni should form a ‘Harris plan’ to secure US-Italy relations
- Teresa Coratella
- Commentary
- 5 minute read
More on Middle East and North Africa
Mending fences: Europe’s stake in the Saudi-Iran detente
- Julien Barnes-Dacey, Cinzia Bianco
- Policy Brief
Saudi-Iran diplomacy offers a rare path to prevent deepening conflict in the Middle East and support regional stability. Europeans should see this diplomacy as a chance to address their core interests, and not just as Iran’s attempt to bypass Western pressure
The point of no return: Why the EU must not send Syrians refugees back
- Julien Barnes-Dacey
- Policy Alert
- 2 minute read
Still free to choose: What Polisario’s legal win means for EU ties with Morocco and Western Sahara
- Hugh Lovatt
- Commentary
- 5 minute read
More on United States
The Orbanisation of America: Hungary’s lessons for Donald Trump
- Jeremy Shapiro, Zsuzsanna Végh
- Policy Brief
If Trump wins the US presidency, Republicans will likely adapt techniques refined in Viktor Orban’s Hungary as they return to power – with profound implications for both America and Europe
Warming up: How the EU can prepare for COP29 in the wake of the US election
- Susi Dennison
- Commentary
- 3 minute read
A united front: Why Meloni should form a ‘Harris plan’ to secure US-Italy relations
- Teresa Coratella
- Commentary
- 5 minute read
More on Wider Europe
The interest of values: The EU’s democracy promotion in the Western Balkans and the eastern neighbourhood
- Piotr Buras, Marie Dumoulin, Tefta Kelmendi, Marlene Marx
- Policy Brief
With EU enlargement back on the agenda, democracy promotion in candidate countries is a key geopolitical interest for the bloc. The EU’s previous efforts to promote democracy in the Western Balkans and eastern neighbourhood may hold valuable lessons for the years ahead
Votes for sale: How Moldova can combat Russia’s election meddling
- Constance Victor
- Commentary
- 5 minute read
Staying afloat: How the EU can navigate the Black Sea to counter Russian aggression
- Maria Simeonova
- Commentary
- 4 minute read