7 Dec
The European Green Deal: A recipe for development or a source of conflict?
The green transition is vital to Europe’s future. Rebuilding economies to achieve climate neutrality is essential not only to avoid a catastrophe but also to…
European Power
Why connectivity can strengthen European sovereignty
The European Union is a success story of economic integration and interconnection. Europe can draw on this experience to become a leader and sought-after partner in fair connectivity worldwide.
6 Dec
Defence of Europe: How much autonomy can the EU afford?
Introductory remarks: Michał Kuź, Foreign Policy Expert, Jagiellonian Club There is a growing awareness that the EU should do more on defence given the strategic…
Small victories: Why US-Russia relations could improve under Biden
The Biden administration’s approach to Nord Stream 2 indicates that it could ease the pressure on Russia in some of the most important spheres. But a new crisis could quickly lead to a new low in US-Russia relations.
How the German “traffic light” coalition can solve the EU border crisis
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.
17 Dec
Europe Debates | German-Turkish relations: Ditching “constructive dialogue”?
Should the next German government ditch Merkel’s “constructive dialogue” with Turkey and join France and Greece for a more confrontational approach?
2 Dec
Resilient Recovery: Best practices from Romania, Poland, Greece and Bulgaria
The European Union has made efforts towards its vision of Europe as the first climate-neutral continent by 2050, as laid out in the #EuropeanGreenDeal. To…
The new German coalition’s roadmap for foreign policy
What does the German coalition agreement say about foreign policy issues, China, defence and security?
Economic arm-twisting is on the rise. Europe must learn how to resist it
Protectionism is not the answer. European countries must build public support for strategic openness.
Views from the capitals on COP26
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.
Publications
Climate of cooperation: How the EU can help deliver a green grand bargain
The bloc should reframe the international debate on energy security to focus on clean energy resources and efficiency, engaging in the market reforms needed to incentivise this shift
What Europeans think about the US-China Cold War
A majority of European citizens believe a new cold war with both China and Russia is under way – but they mostly do not think that their own country is involved
Beyond Merkelism: What Europeans expect of post-election Germany
Paradoxically, to fulfil many Europeans’ expectations, Berlin will need to revise the principles of Merkelism that created this trust
Europe’s invisible divides: How covid-19 is polarising European politics
Europe’s covid-19 experience has been a tale of two pandemics – and the differences in each story could haunt the continent for many years to come
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
Dark money politics: Why Europe should join Biden’s fight against corruption
European policymakers should set up high-profile national institutions that are charged with tackling corruption and capable of working within an international network
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.
Ambiguous alliance: Neutrality, opt-outs, and European defence
The EU’s work on its Strategic Compass should include debates on the special status states’ future role in European defence
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
New energies: How the European Green Deal can save the EU’s relationship with Turkey
EU member states should help Turkey manage the impact of the new trade regulations the deal would bring in
Articles
Why connectivity can strengthen European sovereignty
The European Union is a success story of economic integration and interconnection. Europe can draw on this experience to become a leader and sought-after partner in fair connectivity worldwide.
Small victories: Why US-Russia relations could improve under Biden
The Biden administration’s approach to Nord Stream 2 indicates that it could ease the pressure on Russia in some of the most important spheres. But a new crisis could quickly lead to a new low in US-Russia relations.
How the German “traffic light” coalition can solve the EU border crisis
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.
Economic arm-twisting is on the rise. Europe must learn how to resist it
Protectionism is not the answer. European countries must build public support for strategic openness.
Views from the capitals on COP26
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.
After COP26: How the EU and UK can lead efforts to keep 1.5C alive
The EU and UK should strengthen their climate commitments to unlock enhanced global climate action ahead of COP27
France’s presidential election: How the far-right could win
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.
Autocratic power grab is no defence of sovereignty
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.
Scotland’s Arctic dream of independence
The Scottish government is developing a foreign policy, and its Arctic vision is one of its most ambitious efforts yet. Should independence come, close friends in the north could be a vital support.
Why COP26 will fail
UN Climate Change Conferences have failed to produce a model of global governance that can tame power politics, let alone forge a sense of shared destiny among countries. And there is little reason to believe this time will be different.
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 Coalition Explorer
The Coalition Explorer illustrates the expert opinions of more than 800 respondents who work on European policy and creates a visual understanding of the views held by Europe’s professional political class
European Solidarity Tracker
The European Solidarity Tracker collects and displays instances of pan-European solidarity throughout the coronavirus crisis
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
What Europeans really want: Five myths debunked
New ECFR/YouGov research reveals huge fluidity in current voting intentions: 70 percent of Europeans certain to vote are yet to make their choice. Nearly 100m swing voters are up for grabs.
The 2019 European election: How anti-Europeans plan to wreck Europe and what can be done to stop it
Summary With anti-Europeans on their way to winning more than one-third of seats in the next European Parliament, the stakes in the May 2019 election…
Eyes tight shut: European attitudes towards nuclear deterrence
Europeans remain unwilling to renew their thinking on nuclear deterrence, despite growing strategic instability. Their stated goal of “strategic autonomy” will remain an empty phrase until they engage seriously on this matter
The nightmare of the dark: The security fears that keep Europeans awake at night
Great power competition is increasingly shaping Europeans’ security environment, while other security threats are also on the rise, from terrorism and cyber attacks to climate change
Migration through the Mediterranean: Mapping the EU response
The Mediterranean and migration: Postcards from a ‘crisis’ Since 2014, European citizens have been engaged in an intensifying discussion about migration. This is the result…
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
The new German coalition’s roadmap for foreign policy
What does the German coalition agreement say about foreign policy issues, China, defence and security?
Lead time: How Germany should move on from Merkel | Episode 4 – Tech
What are the necessary steps the new German government needs to take to advance and support European tech sovereignty?
Ask the author anything! – Mark Leonard on “The Age of Unpeace”
Mark Leonard answers questions from our listeners about his newly released book, “The Age of Unpeace: How Connectivity causes Conflict”
French Connection: Macron’s plans for Europe
What are Macron’s plans for the EU Council presidency in 2022 and beyond?
Out of Order: the Polish Constitutional Court’s challenge to the European Union
What steps can the EU take to defend its legal order and protect the authority of the CJEU?
Lead time: How Germany should move on from Merkel | Episode 3 – Economic Coercion
How can the next German government build up Europe’s strength against economic coercion?
Germany’s election result and what it means for Europe
How are the German election results being perceived throughout Europe? And what do they mean for the future of our continent?
The transatlantic meaning of AUKUS
What does AUKUS mean for the future of transatlantic relations?
Lead time: How Germany should move on from Merkel | Episode 2 – China Policy
How should the next German government concretely shape its China policy, and its approach to the Indo-Pacific?
The age of unpeace – How connectivity causes conflict
Mark Leonard presents the main themes of his new book and talks particularly about how China’s growing role in this interconnected world poses threats for Europe
In the media
They tried to cover it up in the coalition agreement, but the text remains very open
Jana Puglierin sees conflict potential between the three “traffic light” parties on fundamental EU issues
Rather than eliminating tensions between countries, connectivity offers new means of competing and engaging in conflict
[The new coalition] adopts a new tone with China and Russia that sounds more realistic…they recognize that they are engaged in international systemic competition and want the EU to be prepared
Jana Puglierin’s recent commentary on Germany’s new coalition and its foreign policy position
The policy of remaining neutral and avoiding tough solutions to Europe’s predicaments does not seem to be a viable approach to the challenges ahead
Jana Puglierin and Piotr Buras’s “Beyond Merkelism” policy brief is quoted by EuroActiv