Germany’s new government could defuse the conflict between Poland and Belarus by demonstrating greater toughness on Lukashenka and showing willingness to accept a limited number of migrants. And the EU should be ready to use its most effective weapon: trade.
Protectionism is not the answer. European countries must build public support for strategic openness.
Divergences are growing between the demands of Sudan’s powerful protest movement and the approach taken by the international community. Both can offer solutions, but they need to move quickly.
COP26 concluded on 13 November with the Glasgow Climate Pact, an agreement that sets out the next phase of the fight against climate change. The pact may have disappointed many, but views of it vary a great deal depending on where you sit. Below, experts from three of ECFR’s offices – in Rome, Paris, and Berlin – discuss the implications of the deal.
The EU and UK should strengthen their climate commitments to unlock enhanced global climate action ahead of COP27
It has taken three general elections for change to come in Bulgaria – but this week’s parliamentary vote gives cause to hope for genuine action on corruption
Emmanuel Macron shook French politics from top to bottom. To show he did not bring the house down, he will quickly need to defend his record and reach out to lost voters.
The Polish prime minister has dismissed the dispute between Poland and the EU as a difference of opinion over competences. This is nonsense: the rule of law is at stake.
Russia is mobilising its forces, but much more covertly than in the past. Moscow’s belief that the EU and US will not step in to protect Ukraine could lead it to take direct military action.
The EU currently lacks tools to make a real difference to stability in the Western Balkans. But it can create these tools if it musters the political will.