The old deal is no longer on offer, and continuing to rely on it is a dangerous irresponsibility
It is high time to get serious about Europe’s strategic autonomy, demands Jeremy Shapiro with regard to the transatlantic relationship
European Sovereignty
Jana Puglierin contributes to the publication “European Sovereignty. Strategy and interdependence”
Rafael Loss summarises the European policy recommendations of the Bürgerrat “Germany’s role in the world”
The Conference on the Future of Europe should lead to tangible results in redefining the European framework, its institutions and their competences
Marco Saracco’s comment on the possible scenarios after the Conference on the Future of Europe
The open structure of Open Ran increases the number of vulnerabilities that cyber attackers can exploit
[…] what stands out is that Merkel was able like no other to bring the European heads of state and government to the table and negotiate with them until a viable solution was found for all
Angela Merkel had the advantage that during her 16 years at the helm, Germany was spared the economic and political upheaval many of its neighbors experienced, making her brokering EU leadership possible, writes Jana Puglierin
A majority of Europeans also want to see the EU scale-up its sharing-vaccines commitments, either before, or as soon as its own vulnerable population has been immunized against Covid
Europeans are losing faith in the EU. Brussels must act now to win them back urges Susi Dennison in her op-ed.
Maybe she went too far to keep the EU together
How the EU handles the launch of its vaccination certificate and how it prepares for the next episodes of vaccine diplomacy will have a major impact on the bloc’s reputation
Tefta Kelmendi, Joanna Hosa and Nicu Popescu write about write about how the pandemic has damaged the EU’s image and what the bloc can do to win the next round of vaccine diplomacy
If passivity and strategic indecision continue, European policymakers risk falling into new forms of dependency that the Chinese leadership is deliberately creating
Publications
The fall of the Afghan government and what it means for Europe
ECFR’s policy experts examine what the Taliban takeover means for countries and regions around the world: Europe, the US, the Middle East, Russia, China, Iran, Turkey, and the Sahel
Geo-tech politics: Why technology shapes European power
New technologies are a significant force shaping international relations. If the EU wants to be more than a mediator between the US and China, it will need to change its mindset.
Measured response: How to design a European instrument against economic coercion
The anti-coercion instrument needs to enable countermeasures that are both effective and credible; if it does not, this could carry more risks than benefits
Network effects: Europe’s digital sovereignty in the Mediterranean
The EU has the ambition and potential to become a sovereign digital power, but it lacks an all-encompassing strategy for the sector, in which individual governments are still the key players
Built to order: How Europe can rebuild multilateralism after covid-19
The covid-19 pandemic has brought forward a new agenda for multilateralism, focused on areas including global health, economic recovery, climate, technology, and trade
Climate superpowers: How the EU and China can compete and cooperate for a green future
As climate action becomes more material to economic interests, Europe and China will both compete and cooperate with each other, against the backdrop of an overarching systemic rivalry
Sovereign Europe, dangerous world: Five agendas to protect Europe’s capacity to act
To manage in this new world, the EU and its members need to embark on a broad-based effort to recover their strategic sovereignty
Promoting European strategic sovereignty in the eastern neighbourhood
The EU’s tendency to shy away from security issues has helped make covert operations and military threats Russia’s tools of choice in the region
Promoting European strategic sovereignty in the southern neighbourhood
To achieve greater sovereignty, Europe needs to push back against rival powers, build leverage in armed conflicts, and be more effective in supporting reform
Promoting European strategic sovereignty in Asia
Europe should upgrade its security activities, and seize the moment to push multilateral institutions up the agenda. But it will be Europe’s connectivity agenda that provides the golden thread running through its foreign policy and its other objectives in the region.
Articles
Why Afghanistan was not a failure of European strategic autonomy
Hand-wringing over Europe’s supposed failure to step up in Afghanistan ignores the fact that Europeans were principally there to support the US
Why should anyone care? Foreign policy and public opinion
There are at least six reasons why public opinion on foreign policy should matter more today than it did in the past
How Germany’s Greens could spell the end for the Franco-German fighter jet
The future of the FCAS fighter jet now likely lies with the German Greens. If they enter government this year, the end could be nigh for the Franco-German project.
Edge of the Atlantic: Portugal’s presidency of the EU Council
Faced with a growing Sino-American rivalry and a world in which US power may be diminishing, Portugal will have to decide how to maintain its traditional Atlanticism while increasingly focusing on Europe
Europe’s post-pandemic strategy for the WHO
The EU has an opportunity to become a key strategic actor on global health – by upgrading its observer status within the WHO, making even greater financial contributions to the organisation, and working in coordination with the United States
The long year: Top foreign policy trends for 2021
Mark Leonard and Jeremy Shapiro predict ten bright and bold policy projections for the year to come
Where Portugal can lead Europe in 2021
As president of the European Council, Portugal’s foreign policy intray is full to brimming – but the country has numerous strengths to bring to bear
We need to pull our own weight
European strategic sovereignty means the capacity to preserve and foster human rights, liberal democracy, multilateralism, and a social and green market economy in an interdependent and complex world
Second acts: How Europe can renew the transatlantic partnership
This could be the moment to build a more balanced transatlantic relationship, with Europeans showing the US where we need it to engage, and how – rather than simply waiting for cues from Washington
From Brussels with love: How the European Union can win the battle of narratives
The EU has a good story to tell. To tell it better, its leaders need to learn from Joe Biden and take a risk on showing themselves to be vulnerable human beings.
Specials
Independence play: Europe’s pursuit of strategic autonomy
To fulfil its true potential, the EU needs to end its strategic cacophony and focus on capability building
Podcasts
Between war and order: What has shaped Europe’s geopolitics?
What are different models for thinking about global order? How do ideas about war shape what statesmen and -women do?
Multilateralism after covid-19
How can Europe adapt its strategies for multilateralism in this competitive world and what would they look like?
A fair, green and digital recovery – brought to you by Portugal
How can the Portuguese presidency strengthen European strategic autonomy?
Stranger in Moscow: Borrell’s unwelcome visit
What lessons can be drawn from Josep Borrell’s controversial visit to Moscow?
Top ten foreign policy trends in 2021
Mark Leonard and Jeremy Shapiro predict ten bright and bold policy projections for the year to come
The coronavirus world order
How can we explain the current crisis of the liberal international order?
Europe’s new transatlantic bargain for Biden’s America
When Biden enters the White House, he will look for a Europe that brings solutions rather than problems. Europeans should show they can be an equal partner & offer him a new transatlantic bargain.
Anxious allies: European sovereignty after the US election
How much impact does the future US president have on the very concept of European sovereignty? Will the idea and initiatives to build more strategic autonomy in Europe be put back to bed with Joe Biden in the White House?
How can the EU strike back? The way towards higher economic resilience
European countries are increasingly coming under threat of economic coercion from great powers, as outlined in the latest ECFR’s policy brief. But what do we…
Conquering the cyber sphere: How the EU can build digital sovereignty
Europe’s digital transformation and sovereignty has become a question of existential importance. But what does it actually mean to be digital sovereign? Host Mark Leonard…
In the media
The old deal is no longer on offer, and continuing to rely on it is a dangerous irresponsibility
It is high time to get serious about Europe’s strategic autonomy, demands Jeremy Shapiro with regard to the transatlantic relationship
Jana Puglierin contributes to the publication “European Sovereignty. Strategy and interdependence”
Rafael Loss summarises the European policy recommendations of the Bürgerrat “Germany’s role in the world”
The Conference on the Future of Europe should lead to tangible results in redefining the European framework, its institutions and their competences
Marco Saracco’s comment on the possible scenarios after the Conference on the Future of Europe
The open structure of Open Ran increases the number of vulnerabilities that cyber attackers can exploit