Spirit of ambition: The Ukraine war and European defence integration
Europeans should look to the success of the automotive sector for inspiration on uniting their defence efforts across the whole continent
European cohesion
Orban’s integrity office: Everything is legal but nothing is democratic
Viktor Orban has had 12 years to learn how to circumvent democratic reforms. The European Commission should bide its time in assessing whether to suspend funding to Hungary.
The game is not over: Fidesz, Law and Justice, and far-right cooperation in the EU
The war in Ukraine has driven a wedge between Hungary’s Fidesz and Poland’s Law and Justice parties. But they could still mount a powerful challenge to the EU if – or, rather, when – they reunite in their opposition to rule of law demands.
All-out support: The West’s commitments to Ukraine
Ukraine’s Western partners now recognise that it can defeat Russia. Yet they need to provide the guarantees of long-term support that will make this a reality.
Ukraine, Europe, and the power of association: A new way to help aspiring EU states
A new compact could allow Ukraine, Balkans states and others to move closer to the EU and drive reform more powerfully than the current rigid rules
Europe’s new economic statecraft: A strong Anti-Coercion Instrument
A strong Anti-Coercion Instrument could help the EU brace for a long-term economic war with Russia and adapt to the new geo-economic order
The true value of European sovereignty
Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has underlined the importance of European sovereignty. The EU should now invest boldly in its military capabilities, cyber-defences, energy independence, and economic resilience.
Germany at the helm: How Berlin kept Europe together in 2020
Germany managed to keep Europe together in a time of severe crisis. The country led diplomatic efforts to find an agreement on the EU’s seven-year budget and its recovery fund.
Lithuania’s pandemic: The power of regional cooperation
Russia and the eastern neighbourhood are Lithuania’s top foreign policy priorities, even in a global pandemic
The provincial German-Polish relationship
One should not expect a parting of the ways between Poland and Germany in the near future so much as the further provincialisation of their relations in a changing European Union
Publications
The crisis that made the European Union: European cohesion in the age of covid
The pandemic poses a threat to European cohesion by increasing economic divides and undermining trust in the EU and national governments
Crisis and Cohesion in the European Union: A Ten-Year Review
Despite financial and refugee crises, research suggests the European Union is getting stronger, not weaker
Making sense of Europe’s cohesion challenge
A new study from ECFR shows that, perhaps surprisingly, between 2007 and 2014, cohesion among EU member states has improved, even after years of crises
Paying the price: The cost of Europe’s refugee crisis
Europe can more sustainably and cost-efficiently handle refugee arrivals by centralising management at a European level
Articles
Spirit of ambition: The Ukraine war and European defence integration
Europeans should look to the success of the automotive sector for inspiration on uniting their defence efforts across the whole continent
Orban’s integrity office: Everything is legal but nothing is democratic
Viktor Orban has had 12 years to learn how to circumvent democratic reforms. The European Commission should bide its time in assessing whether to suspend funding to Hungary.
The game is not over: Fidesz, Law and Justice, and far-right cooperation in the EU
The war in Ukraine has driven a wedge between Hungary’s Fidesz and Poland’s Law and Justice parties. But they could still mount a powerful challenge to the EU if – or, rather, when – they reunite in their opposition to rule of law demands.
All-out support: The West’s commitments to Ukraine
Ukraine’s Western partners now recognise that it can defeat Russia. Yet they need to provide the guarantees of long-term support that will make this a reality.
Ukraine, Europe, and the power of association: A new way to help aspiring EU states
A new compact could allow Ukraine, Balkans states and others to move closer to the EU and drive reform more powerfully than the current rigid rules
Europe’s new economic statecraft: A strong Anti-Coercion Instrument
A strong Anti-Coercion Instrument could help the EU brace for a long-term economic war with Russia and adapt to the new geo-economic order
The true value of European sovereignty
Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has underlined the importance of European sovereignty. The EU should now invest boldly in its military capabilities, cyber-defences, energy independence, and economic resilience.
Germany at the helm: How Berlin kept Europe together in 2020
Germany managed to keep Europe together in a time of severe crisis. The country led diplomatic efforts to find an agreement on the EU’s seven-year budget and its recovery fund.
Lithuania’s pandemic: The power of regional cooperation
Russia and the eastern neighbourhood are Lithuania’s top foreign policy priorities, even in a global pandemic
The provincial German-Polish relationship
One should not expect a parting of the ways between Poland and Germany in the near future so much as the further provincialisation of their relations in a changing European Union
Specials
EU Cohesion Monitor
European cohesion is bouncing back after crisis years. The EU Cohesion Monitor presents new insights on cohesion as an underestimated source of strength and collective action in the EU.
EU Cohesion Monitor 2019
European cohesion is bouncing back after crisis years. The EU Cohesion Monitor presents new insights on cohesion as an underestimated source of strength and collective action in the EU.
Podcasts
15 years of ECFR: Reflections on Europe in a tumultuous world
We turned 15! Time to reflect on the past years and ECFR’s role in helping Europe find a strong, united voice
European solidarity and the Russia-Ukraine war
How sustainable is European unity? And what scenarios of solidarity or division can be expected in the next few months?
A European Confederation: a common political platform for peace
How could a European Confederation aid greater cross-European integration? And is it a realistic alternative to the EU?
Events
12 Mar
BERLIN-MADRID-PARIS-ROME Quadrilateral Dialogue – Europe in the post-US elections scenario
Building on the success and results of the 2023 Project “France-Italy-Germany Trilateral Dialogue: in Pursuit of a common agenda”, the 2024 Quadrilateral Project will continue to promote intra-European dialogue between capitals, extending last year’s trilateral format to Spain
6 Dec
L’allargamento e il futuro dell’Unione europea
Secondo appuntamento di una serie di tre working lunch realizzati congiuntamente da ECFR Roma, SDA Bocconi e l’Institute for European Policymaking @ Bocconi University
31 Mar
The battle for the Elysee
ECFR is collaborating with De Balie to discuss France’s political future and the impact of the election result on European integration and solidarity
24 Sep
The Post-Merkel Era: Towards More or Less European Solidarity?
On this night at De Balie we will discuss Germany’s political future and the impact of the election result on European integration and solidarity
21 Apr
Europe’s green moment: How to meet the climate challenge
How can decision-makers mobilise creative coalitions and integrate the European Green Deal into EU foreign policy to deliver on the deal?
10 Dec
Daring New Spaces – Summit on the European Public Sphere
As a joint event with the Progressives Zentrum, the German Federal Foreign Office and Stiftung Mercator, the Daring New Spaces Summit gives civil society actors, journalists, and academics across Europe a strong voice during the current Trio Presidency of the EU Council
14 Oct
Antrieb im Auftrieb: Wie Paris und Berlin Europa stärker gestalten können
Diskussion zum ECFR Coalition Explorer 2020 und deutsch-französischen Beziehungen
19 Jun
Financial solidarity as a response to the Covid-19 crisis? A Franco-German debate
Dear Madam, Sir, dear friends, The Berlin and Paris offices of ECFR are delighted to invite you to a virtual debate: “Financial solidarity as…
11 Apr
Wie steht es um den Zusammenhalt in Europa vor der Europawahl?
Diskussion und Vorstellung des neuen EU Cohesion Monitor
21 Sep
Desayuno de trabajo “EU Coalition Explorer”
El jueves 21 de septiembre se presentó en España el proyecto de ECFR “EU Coalition Explorer”.
In the media
Law and Justice is threatening a radical change to the EU treaties that will not happen. But at the same time it makes it difficult for a future government to discuss the necessary reform of the Union
The key challenge for Europeans in their relationship with the US is the lack of a consensus on handling it, which impairs the development of a cohesive European foreign policy
The predominant voice in Berlin was that the reform of the EU is necessary and that the members need to start some changes, regarding the way decisions are taken, and the composition of the Commission
Despite a wide consensus on the necessity to enlarge the EU, the majority of State Members is not yet in an advanced reflecting phase on how to concretely achieve it
Engjellushe Morina comments on the opening of enlargement negotiations for Ukraine and Moldova
None of the upcoming national European elections will ever undermine or weaken Europe’s solidarity towards Ukraine. But American elections might represent a turning point.
Teresa Coratella comments on the war in Ukraine focusing on the internal frictions within the transatlantic coalition