
Highlights
Featured

From aid to inclusion: A better way to help Syrian refugees in Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan
- Kelly Petillo
- Policy Brief
Europeans should adopt a new approach to supporting Syrian refugees – one that would also benefit host communities in Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan

Send in the Leopards: Why Western allies should deliver tanks to Ukraine
- Margaryta Khvostova, Dmytro Kryvosheiev
- Commentary
- 3 minute read
After several countries committed to delivering heavy weapons to Ukraine, all eyes are on Germany and the US, and whether they will agree to send Leopard 2 and M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine

Strategy, capabilities, technology: A manifesto for new European defence
- Camille Grand
- Commentary
- 5 minute read
To develop a new approach to defence, European states need to bury their longstanding disputes and learn from Ukrainians’ experiences on the battlefield

Survive and thrive: A European plan to support Ukraine in the long war against Russia
- Piotr Buras, Marie Dumoulin, Gustav Gressel, Jeremy Shapiro
- Policy Brief
To signal their commitment to Ukraine, Europeans should agree a ‘long-war plan’ of assistance against Russian aggression. This would include a ‘security compact,’ security assurances, and economic and energy support.
Podcasts
Agathe Demarais on sanctions as a foreign policy tool
Mark Leonard talks with Agathe Demarais about how sanctions work and how they can be truly effective
Featured projects
European Sovereignty
To prosper and maintain their independence in a world of geopolitical competition, the EU needs to learn to think like a geopolitical power

European Sovereignty Index
- Jana Puglierin, Pawel Zerka (eds.)
Re:shape Global Europe
The project strives to engage citizens across Europe and generate a wide debate about the purpose of European power in the twenty-first century

The Power Atlas
- Mark Leonard (ed.)
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

Peace versus Justice: The coming European split over the war in Ukraine
- Ivan Krastev, Mark Leonard
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Latest

Iran’s revolution of freedom
- Norbert Röttgen
- View from the Council
- 4 minute read
Germany should increase its support for Iranian protesters by pushing the EU to list the IRGC as a terrorist organisation

Setting the course: Japan’s new security strategy
- Elli-Katharina Pohlkamp
- Commentary
- 4 minute read
Japan’s new security strategy sends a powerful signal to current and future allies – and to possible adversaries

Russia under pressure: How Europe and the US are upping the ante in Africa
- Theodore Murphy
- Commentary
- 4 minute read
European and US support for African representation on the UNSC exposes the emptiness of Russia’s rhetoric on Africa and the global order. European leaders should take every opportunity to advance the issue of a permanent African seat or seats

A prison of the mind: Lukashenka’s pursuit of exiled Belarusians
- Pavel Slunkin
- Commentary
- 5 minute read
The EU should invest more to support Belarus’s community of émigrés – through whom a different future for the country is possible

Coming of age: How young diplomats see the future of the EU’s Eastern Partnership initiative
- Pavel Slunkin, Gabrielė Valodskaitė
- Commentary
- 5 minute read
The EU should reform its Eastern Partnership initiative to better address the different needs and priorities of the partner countries

How to kill four birds with one stone: The West’s foreign policy challenge in Serbia
- Majda Ruge
- Commentary
- 4 minute read
EU and US policymakers have it within their gift to change the dynamic in their relations with Serbia. Taking on Western Balkans kleptocracy lies at its heart.
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.
Тhe French proposal includes all of the Bulgarian objectives, which is why over 170 political representatives from all political groups supported this proposal
Bulgaria, as well as all other countries applying for EU membership, had to meet the so-called Copenhagen criteria , which include the rule of law of democracy, market economy, and freedom of speech
One of the key objectives of the IRA is to exclude Chinese suppliers from clean energy supply chain
Tobias Gehrke believes that the IRA’s priority was reducing US dependence on Chinese imports
The Italians recognise there won’t be elections for a while and want to work with Dbeibah in the meantime, while also betting on the NOC, a guarantor of stability alongside Libya’s central bank
More on Africa

Back to barracks: Building democracy after the military coup in Sudan
- Amgad Fareid Eltayeb
- Policy Brief
Sudan needs a viable political pathway to end the military coup of 2021. European states should support pro-democracy actors while encouraging a comprehensive peace process
Principles for global order: How Europeans and the global south can shape the international order together
- Theodore Murphy
- Commentary
- 4 minute read
Seats at the table: How Europe can address the international democratic deficit
- David McNair
- View from the Council
- 4 minute read
More on Asia

A question of balance: India and Europe after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
- Frédéric Grare
- Policy Brief
Europeans have found India’s position on the Ukraine war frustrating. But, although it is dependent on Russia for its arms, and has huge worries about China, India is actually moving inexorably closer to the West.
From 5G hardware to apps and data: How Huawei has adapted to survive
- Vladimir Shopov
- Commentary
- 4 minute read
Still a sceptic: How Italy’s new government could influence the EU’s approach to China
- Francesca Ghiretti
- Commentary
- 4 minute read
More on European Power

EU Energy Deals Tracker
- Susi Dennison, Gosia Piaskowska, Pawel Zerka
- Special
The energy deals the EU and its member states are now making with third countries will shape Europeans’ ability to protect their energy security in the long term. The EU Energy Deals Tracker provides a comprehensive overview of these agreements, including their implications for the sustainable transition.
Caught in the crossfire: Why EU states should discuss strategic export controls
- Tobias Gehrke, Julian Ringhof
- Commentary
- 5 minute read
Russia-proofing Europe
- Mark Leonard
- Commentary
- 3 minute read
More on Middle East and North Africa

Sunny side up: Maximising the European Green Deal’s potential for North Africa and Europe
- Laura El-Katiri
- Policy Brief
North African states hold great potential to partner in Europe’s longer-term energy transition – if the EU takes the right steps in the coming years
Three ways European governments can support Iranian protesters
- Julien Barnes-Dacey
- Commentary
- 4 minute read
Global pitch: The World Cup, Gulf Arab states, and the Middle East’s losing sides
- Julien Barnes-Dacey
- Commentary
- 4 minute read
More on Wider Europe

Broken Dream: The oligarch, Russia, and Georgia’s drift from Europe
- Régis Genté
- Policy Brief
Georgian government actions are hindering the country’s journey to the EU, yet the Georgian people are strongly pro-European. The EU should more tightly condition the support it provides
The risk of ‘refugee fatigue’: Three ways European leaders can support Ukrainians fleeing the war
- Joanna Hosa, Gabrielė Valodskaitė
- Commentary
- 4 minute read
Russia-proofing Europe
- Mark Leonard
- Commentary
- 3 minute read
Views from the Council

Global solidarity or collective suicide: Why we cannot abandon the Paris Agreement’s global warming target
- Edwin Bendyk
- View from the Council
- 4 minute read
The international climate conferences in 2022 revealed the divisions between countries on climate goals – and the need for global solidarity in climate negotiations
Friends with benefits: How the European Political Community can further European integration
- Milica Delevic
- View from the Council
- 4 minute read
Seats at the table: How Europe can address the international democratic deficit
- David McNair
- View from the Council
- 4 minute read