Highlights
Featured
From willing to able: A European reassurance force for Ukraine
European boots on the ground in Ukraine seem more likely than ever before—but discussions on the practicalities of such a “reassurance force” are only just starting
Multi-Pole-arity: How Poland can help Europe think big on China
Beijing’s economic policies are threatening European competitiveness and economic security at a time when Europe cannot afford to be vulnerable. Poland can use its growing leadership role in the EU to help guide the bloc’s response
Pendulum policy: Why Meloni keeps swinging between Brussels and Washington
Giorgia Meloni is walking a diplomatic tightrope between Brussels and a resurgent, Trump-led Washington. Her White House visit reveals a prime minister striving to keep doors open on both sides of the Atlantic—while navigating domestic pressure, transatlantic trade friction and ideological fault lines within the EU
The other counter-offensive: Ukraine’s diplomatic push in Africa
Far away from the battlefronts in Ukraine, Russia has been busy charming African capitals to support its invasion. Ukraine is facing a harsh geopolitical awakening
Mark Leonard's World in 30 minutes
Tariffs, tensions, and trade: Trump’s gamble on China
Mark Leonard welcomes Agathe Demarais and Janka Oertel to examine the diverse perspectives on US-China relations and how Europe can navigate this changing geopolitical landscape
Mark Leonard's World in 30 minutes
Erdogan’s crackdown: Turkey and the fight for democracy
Mark Leonard welcomes Aslı Aydıntaşbaş to unpack the recent political upheaval in Turkey and its broader geopolitical implications
Views from the Council
Untying the Hungarian knot: Why the EU might stop spoiling the spoiler state
Orban’s latest defiance of EU values—the banning of Pride—comes as Hungary’s economy flails, the opposition gains, and Washington will no longer oppose. It could be the push the EU needs to figure out how to work around Budapest
As Trump and Putin menace Europe, I say this: Vive le Churchillo-Gaullisme!
Our continent must be prepared to defend itself, by combining the best of its two most influential traditions
In the Media - Council
Carl Bildt on Ukraine imposed sanctions on former president and opposition politician Petro Poroshenko
Mark Leonard, Ivan Krastev, and Timothy Garton Ash on ECFR’s latest global survey
Mark Leonard, Ivan Krastev, and Timothy Garton Ash on ECFR’s latest global survey
Mark Leonard, Timothy Garton Ash and Ivan Krastev on ECFR’s latest global survey on Trump’s return to the White House
Featured and flagship projects
Public opinion polling
Through polling in EU member states, ECFR’s analysis seeks to unlock shifting coalitions in Europe that favour a more internationally engaged union.
Featured
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.
Featured
Re:Order
Re:Order project explores emerging visions of the global order, as well as the interplay between economic might and geopolitical influence.
Featured
Latest
Why a Ukraine peacekeeping force could become a trap for Europe
The EU may need to deploy a peacekeeping force to Ukraine. However, without urgent regulatory changes, its member states are unprepared for the risks of direct confrontation with Russia
Back from the brink: How European support could prevent another Ethiopia-Eritrea war
Relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea have soured since the war in Tigray ended in 2022. The region is now a tinderbox for conflict: Europeans need to intervene and pull the various opposing factions back from the brink
Pragmatic partners: The EU’s new model for engagement with South Africa
The EU and South Africa are fresh off the back of their first mutual summit in seven years. Pretoria remains committed to its policy of strategic ambiguity, while the EU took the chance to further its green and industrial ambitions via a new partnership model
When culture war and trade war clash: Trump’s troubled alliance with Europe’s far right
The Trump administration and far-right European politicians see an opportunity to transform the EU from within. In turn, liberal Europeans have an opportunity to undermine this transatlantic alliance—before it gathers real momentum
Europe after the end of the liberal international order
As Europeans rearm to confront Russian aggression, they also need to figure out how to survive in the age of “unpeace” that Donald Trump and other strongmen are ushering in. The old interdependencies that liberals took for granted no longer ensure peace, prosperity or stability
Wartime mindset: Russia’s terror in Sumy requires a targeted European response
Despite recent ceasefire talks, Putin’s programme of terror in Ukraine continued with a Palm Sunday attack on Sumy. Europeans need to maintain a “wartime mindset” and persuade the US that Russia’s hostility is not at an end
Arturo Varvelli on Giorgia Meloni’s visit to the White House and J.D. Vance’s visit to Rome
Arturo Varvelli on Giorgia Meloni’s meetings with Trump at the White House and J.D. Vance in Rome
Alberto Rizzi on how ideological proximity might have helped Meloni in her engagement with Trump:
More on Africa
Diversification nations: The Gulf way to engage with Africa
The UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are making geoeconomic inroads into sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in energy and climate. This could affect Europe’s African interests
More on Asia
The idea of China
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
More on European Power
Strength in members: How to rally EU enlargement for defence
The EU’s accession process ignores defence while NATO cannot cover all the candidates. Tailored defence cooperation roadmaps offer a promising path to protect Europe’s periphery without NATO membership
More on Middle East and North Africa
The bear who came to tea: Russia, Libya and the Kremlin’s playbook for fragile states
Russia’s re-entrenchment in Libya, Europe’s soft underbelly, offers profound lessons on how it exploits geopolitical instability—and how Europeans can push back
More on United States
The Orbanisation of America: Hungary’s lessons for Donald Trump
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
More on Wider Europe
Bridging the Bosphorus: How Europe and Turkey can turn tiffs into tactics in the Black Sea
After years of bickering, Europe and Turkey need each other more than ever. A security partnership in the Black Sea could be the first step toward a pragmatic, if uneasy, alliance to contain Russia