Highlights
Featured
Catch-27: The contradictory thinking about enlargement in the EU
A new power audit of member states’ positions on EU enlargement shows broad agreement that it is a geopolitical necessity, but major disagreements about how to prepare the EU. To make credible progress, EU member states need to agree on a roadmap that addresses their conflicting concerns at the European Council meeting in December
Looking beyond China: Why it’s time to refresh the EU’s Indo-Pacific strategy
As ties between Europe and China continue to cool, European leaders should refocus their energies on strengthening relations elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific
Multilateral development in flux: Strengthening European cooperation with the global south
European countries are rethinking their policies on multilateral development. In the face of intersecting crises, they should embrace a new, far-sighted vision for development cooperation.
Living in an à la carte world: What European policymakers should learn from global public opinion
A new global opinion poll for ECFR reveals that many people outside the West want Europe and the US in their lives for all they have to offer – but that does not translate into full political alignment. People instead prefer an a la carte arrangement, in which their governments pragmatically select their partners depending on the matter at hand
Podcasts
A view from Moscow
Jeremy Shapiro welcomes Kadri Liik and Valerie Hopkins to discuss what Russian society really thinks about war in Ukraine
Featured projects
Charting The Long War
For seven decades, European integration has been driven by the quest for peace. The Russian invasion of Ukraine marks a turning point.
Featured
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
Featured
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
Latest
The Trumpist Manifesto: The Republican struggle for a second-term foreign policy
The prospect of Donald Trump’s return to the US presidency has left three Republican tribes vying it out to fill in the details of his hazy foreign policy ambitions
Beyond business as usual: A China strategy for Poland
Poland needs to rethink its approach to China. The new government provides an opportunity for Warsaw to work with European partners to develop a China strategy that strengthens both Poland and the EU
Balancing the books: Why the EU needs a European debt agency
European leaders have an opportunity to reform the EU’s fiscal rules at the European Council meeting in December, but they are currently divided by competing concerns over stability and growth. A European debt agency could achieve both of these, and provide the EU with the money it needs to address today’s geopolitical crises
COP28: France has a key role to play
COP is taking place this year in the United Arab Emirates, whose subsistence depends heavily on fossil fuels. Despite the controversy surrounding the choice of venue for the summit, the EU and France must not turn their back on negotiations with the Arab state on the gradual phase out of these fuels
Hungary in waiting: The Slovak challenge for the EU and Ukraine
The new Slovak government seems a natural pro-Kremlin ally for Hungary. But there is still time for the EU, member states, and Ukraine to get Fico onside
Laying the right foundations: Why Ukraine’s reconstruction plan should include investments in Moldova
As plans for Ukraine’s reconstruction ramp up, the EU should ensure that its neighbour Moldova is not left behind in the process
There is a growing likelihood that the final agreement ends up with a “compromise position” about working towards an energy system free of unabated fossil fuels
Neither Middle Eastern host countries nor countries in Europe have accurate numbers
In my view, these perceptions are largely substantiated, and are amplified by comparison with Europe’s response to the Russian war in Ukraine,
Ukraine’s invasion and the subsequent energetic crisis have given a new impulse to the EU-Gulf cooperation, still incomplete: green technologies could be the key to transform this partnership
More on Africa
Tricks of the trade: Strengthening EU-African cooperation on trade in services
Services play an increasingly important role in international trade. Improving EU-African trade in services would have wide-ranging benefits for both sides
More on Asia
The battle for the Indian Ocean: How the EU and India can strengthen maritime security
China is becoming increasingly assertive in the Indian Ocean. The EU and India should work together to support the smaller states of the region
More on European Power
Strategic interdependence: Europe’s new approach in a world of middle powers
Middle powers are shaping a fragmented world for which Europe is ill prepared. To protect its interests and values, the EU needs a foreign policy strategy that emphasises its wide range of interdependencies
More on Middle East and North Africa
House in disorder: How Europeans can help Palestinians fix their political system
Europeans should leverage their relationships with the Palestinian Authority to revive Palestinian institutions and reverse the PA’s slide towards authoritarianism
More on United States
The art of vassalisation: How Russia’s war on Ukraine has transformed transatlantic relations
Europeans’ response to Russia’s war on Ukraine confirms their profound dependence on the US – an unwise position given the security challenge in Europe and coming geopolitical competition with China
More on Wider Europe
Sustain and prosper: How Europeans can support Ukraine
The EU and its member states need to make an urgent commitment to Ukraine’s security and long-term commitment to its European future. If they do not, they risk alienating the very Ukrainians they seek to support
Views from the Council
A United States of Europe: The need for leadership
A United States of Europe is an ambitious goal but an increasing necessity if Europeans are to maintain their place in the world