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European Council on Foreign Relations

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      • Africa

        The Africa programme analyses the geopolitics of the Africa-Europe relationship. In particular, the programme delves into relations between the African Union and the European Union to find creative foreign policy tools and strategies. It also focuses on two regions that are particularly relevant for Europe: the Horn of Africa and the Sahel.

        Highlights from Africa

        • Sudan
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        • Sahel
        • EU-Africa cooperation
    • Asia
      • Asia

        The Asia programme seeks to help Europe recalibrate its relationship with China and its Asian partners. The programme analyses China’s domestic situation, its role in the region, and its increasing global influence. It also places a renewed emphasis on fostering Europe’s relationships with the Indo-Pacific, especially India and Japan.

        Highlights from Asia

        • China
        • India
        • Japan
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      • European Power

        The European Power programme is focused on helping Europeans develop sustainable policy solutions to the issues affecting the European Union’s capacity to act with unity on the global scene. This includes analysing the path forward for enlargement, the energy transition, and European support for Ukraine.

        Highlights from European Power

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      • Middle East and North Africa

        The Middle East and North Africa programme seeks to support a coherent European agenda in pursuit of regional interests. The programme works with European and regional governments, local voices, and civil society to advance channels of dialogue as well as providing direct policy prescriptions to secure conflict de-escalation, regional stabilisation, and democratic transition.

        Highlights from Middle East and North Africa

        • Israel-Palestine
        • The Gulf
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      • United States

        The US programme helps Europeans create policy responses to developments in US domestic politics and foreign policy. The programme seeks to strengthen transatlantic relations by exploring the obstacles to a more balanced partnership and developing ideas to overcome them.

        Highlights from United States

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        • Transatlantic relations
    • Wider Europe
      • Wider Europe

        The Wider Europe programme aims to help the European Union defend its interests and values in the Western Balkans, Turkey, Russia, and eastern Europe, as well as the South Caucasus and central Asia. The programme also supports EU decision-makers work on a unified and coherent policy to address the challenges resulting from Russia’s full scale-invasion of Ukraine.

        Highlights from Wider Europe

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        • Belarus
        • Western Balkans
        • EU enlargement
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Highlights

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Latest

Russia, Ukraine, and the two Koreas: How east Asian powers are influencing Europe’s security

  • James Crabtree, Alexander Lipke

Building BRICS: What Erdogan’s geopolitical gamble could mean for the West

  • Aslı Aydıntaşbaş

Featured

Welcome to Barbieland: European sentiment in the year of wars and elections

  • Pawel Zerka
  • Policy Brief

Like the titular character in the movie “Barbie”, the EU is prone to regarding itself as more perfect than it really is. This year’s European Sentiment Compass lays bare the EU’s blind spots – and explains why ignoring them could have long-term repercussions for democracy inside the bloc

The Gaza crisis: Mapping the Middle East’s shifting battle lines

  • Julien Barnes-Dacey, Cinzia Bianco, Hugh Lovatt
  • Special

This new ECFR mapping project identifies the spillover effects of the Gaza war in countries across the Middle East

Hard, fast, and where it hurts: Lessons from Ukraine-related sanctions for a Taiwan conflict scenario

  • Agathe Demarais
  • Policy Brief

In the coming years, China’s leaders could make good on their pledges to “reunify” Taiwan and the Chinese mainland by force. European policymakers need to begin preparing economic statecraft options for such a scenario – and they need to do so now

Value for money: Why and how Europeans should support the failing economies of Egypt and Tunisia

  • Anthony Dworkin, Camille Lons, Tarek Megerisi
  • Policy Brief

Severe weaknesses in the Egyptian and Tunisian economies provoke recurrent crises. There is a better way for Europeans to support Cairo and Tunis

Upcoming events

1 Oct

Lessons from Ukraine: Mapping out EU sanctions options for a Taiwan conflict

  • 1 October 2024
  • ECFR Berlin, Unter den Linden 17, 10117 Berlin (entrance: Rosmarinstr. 1)
  • ECFR Berlin
1 Oct

Europe’s choices ahead of the US presidential election

  • 1 October 2024
  • Literature Club Peroto, 1 Bulgaria boulevard, National Palace of Culture, 1463, Sofia, Bulgaria
  • ECFR Sofia

Recent events

25 Sep

Critical minerals and EU-Africa strategic partnerships: where do we stand?

  • 25 September 2024
  • Online
24 Sep

EU sanctions for a conflict around Taiwan: What’s Europe’s leverage against China? 

  • 24 September 2024
  • Online

Mark Leonard's World in 30 minutes

Giorgia Meloni: Redefining Italy’s place in Europe and the world

  • Podcast
  • Mark Leonard's World in 30 minutes

Mark Leonard welcomes Lykke Friis, Sylvie Kauffmann, and Arturo Varvelli to discuss Italy’s role on the global stage, and how it fits into Europe’s future

Listen

Swamp Chronicles

Swamp Chronicles: Dan Caldwell on restraint and a second Trump administration

  • Podcast
  • Swamp Chronicles

Aslı Aydıntaşbaş and Jeremy Shapiro welcome Dan Caldwell to discuss why a second Donald Trump administration will likely involve personnel more aligned with the ‘restrainer’ movement

Listen

Views from the Council

Zelensky has a game-changing plan to win peace. For it to work, Biden must back it – fast

  • Timothy Garton Ash
  • Commentary
  • View from the Council
  • 4 minute read

In besieged Kharkiv, I saw how Ukraine is approaching a perilous moment. To turn the tide, it first needs to decisively knock back Russia

The future of the world may depend on what a few thousand Pennsylvania voters think about their grocery bills

  • Timothy Garton Ash
  • Commentary
  • View from the Council
  • 4 minute read

The Harris-Walz ticket has transformed the presidential race. But on the ground it’s clear: Trump could still win

In the Media - Council

T-Online 9 September 2024

Gerald Knaus criticises plans to turn away refugees at the German border

Euronews 7 September 2024

Miroslav Lajčák comments on the Ohrid Agreement that aims to normalise bilateral relations between Serbia and Kosovo

Politico 2 September 2024

Mujtaba Rahman explains why Giorgia Meloni will continue playing to the European centre

Der Tagesspiegel 2 September 2024

Reinhard Bütikofer on German state elections in Saxony and Thuringia

Featured projects

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

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.

Featured

Re:Order: The world after the West | podcast series

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

A crisis of one’s own: The politics of trauma in Europe’s election year

  • Ivan Krastev, Mark Leonard

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Latest

Russia, Ukraine, and the two Koreas: How east Asian powers are influencing Europe’s security

  • James Crabtree, Alexander Lipke
  • Commentary
  • 4 minute read

Europeans should work to understand the threats from the North Korea-Russia relationship – and deepen their security partnership with South Korea

Building BRICS: What Erdogan’s geopolitical gamble could mean for the West

  • Aslı Aydıntaşbaş
  • Commentary
  • 4 minute read

Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced Turkey’s intention to apply for BRICS membership. If successful, it would be the bloc’s only NATO member – but the mere prospect of joining could open the door to Turkey’s re-engagement with the West

Israel’s unwinnable wars: The path to de-escalation in the Middle East

  • Julien Barnes-Dacey, Hugh Lovatt
  • Commentary
  • 5 minute read

The Middle East is on the brink of a full-blown regional conflict. Western efforts to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hizbullah will fail without pressure on Israel to accept a ceasefire in Gaza

Letter from Washington: The unbearable lightness of policy

  • Jeremy Shapiro
  • Commentary
  • 4 minute read

The Democratic party is running a vibes campaign while Republicans are desperately trying to distance themselves from the disastrous policies of Project 2025. In this fifth instalment of Letters from Washington, Jeremy Shapiro laments the loss of policy in American presidential campaigns

In the web: How the EU can untangle global technology governance

  • Giorgos Verdi
  • Policy Alert
  • 2 minute read

To prevent further fragmentation of technology regulation and start closing digital divides, the EU should uphold the UN’s Global Digital Compact and address the needs of the global south

Green team: Von der Leyen holds the future of Europe’s climate policy in her hands

  • Mats Engström
  • Commentary
  • 5 minute read

With a new European Commission comes a new climate team. Together, they must overcome internal concerns over ideology and external pressures on regulation to enact large-scale change

In the media

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.

All our experts Newsroom
Agathe Demarais
Foreign Policy 26 September 2024

Agathe Demarais on Europe’s position in the tech race

Gustav Gressel
Süddeutsche Zeitung 26 September 2024

Gustav Gressel on Russian missiles and nuclear weapons

Gustav Gressel
Tagesanzeiger 26 September 2024

Gustav Gressel on Russian missiles and nuclear weapons

Gustav Gressel
Basler Zeitung 26 September 2024

Gustav Gressel on Russian missiles and nuclear weapons

Rafael Loss
Watson 26 September 2024

Rafael Loss on the Russian Army

Julien Barnes-Dacey
Dziennik Gazeta Prawna 25 September 2024

Julien Barnes-Dacey on IDF offensive against Hezbollah

More on Africa

Beyond competition: How Europe can harness the UAE’s energy ambitions in Africa

  • Maddalena Procopio, Corrado Čok
  • Policy Brief

The UAE has invested heavily in Africa’s energy sectors in recent years, expanding its stakes in oil and gas, and renewables. Rather than viewing the UAE as solely a rival, Europeans should pursue a strategy of “co-opetition”, balancing competition with cooperation in areas of mutual interest, to fast-track green initiatives


Deserted: Europe’s dilemma in the Sahel

  • Will Brown
  • Policy Alert
  • 2 minute read

Out of focus: Making progress on climate financing for Africa

  • Ameer Chughtai
  • Commentary
  • 5 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


Forget the bear hug: India’s gradual turn from Russia, towards the West

  • James Crabtree
  • Commentary
  • 3 minute read

In the same boat: Why Taiwan is strengthening ties with central and eastern Europe

  • Alicja Bachulska
  • Commentary
  • 5 minute read

More on European Power

Eco-nomics: A green industrial policy for the next European Commission

  • Susi Dennison, Mats Engström
  • Policy Brief

The EU cannot afford to stay divided on its green industrial policy. Instead, the next European Commission should spearhead a common and credible approach to ensure the bloc catches the next green technology wave


Quick off the bloc: Security challenges for the next European Commission

  • Vessela Tcherneva
  • Commentary
  • 4 minute read

Going ballistic: How Europeans can respond to Iranian military support for Russia

  • Julien Barnes-Dacey
  • Policy Alert
  • 2 minute read

More on Middle East and North Africa

Maghreb migrations: How North Africa and Europe can work together on sub-Saharan migration

  • Tasnim Abderrahim
  • Policy Brief

North African countries are increasingly adopting ‘security first’ approaches towards sub-Saharan African migrants – a shift that could force EU states to rethink their own approach to the issue


Beyond Netanyahu: Why Europeans need an all-of-Israel approach

  • Hugh Lovatt
  • Commentary
  • 5 minute read

Going ballistic: How Europeans can respond to Iranian military support for Russia

  • Julien Barnes-Dacey
  • Policy Alert
  • 2 minute read

More on United States

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


The US election will overturn Europe’s strategic status quo

  • Mark Leonard
  • Commentary
  • 3 minute read

The future of the world may depend on what a few thousand Pennsylvania voters think about their grocery bills

  • Timothy Garton Ash
  • Commentary
  • View from the Council
  • 4 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


The perils of predictability: Why Putin’s tightening grip on election results will backfire

  • Mikhail Komin
  • Commentary
  • 5 minute read

Red lines (blow away): Ukraine’s incursion into Russia

  • Leo Litra, Lesia Ogryzko
  • Policy Alert
  • 2 minute read
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