How the fight against Russian agents in Poland could destroy democracy
Under the guise of fighting “Russian influence”, the Polish government is preparing to attack and disqualify its opponents
Cohesion & Governance
Economic peacefare: Lessons for the future of European sanctions strategy
An effective sanctions campaign in wartime needs to be linked to a strategic industrial policy and technology control agenda in peacetime
Baltic defence: Why NATO should persuade Turkey to admit Sweden
The longer that Ankara delays Swedish membership of NATO, the harder it may become to sustain public support and prepare effective Baltic defence
East side story: Poland’s new role in the European Union
Poland will need to expand the boundaries of its influence in order to transform its wartime political capital into real leadership in the EU
Easy prey? Russia’s influence in Bulgaria
Newly released investigations have shed light on how corruption and the weak rule of law in Bulgaria enable Russian influence to thrive
Strategy, capabilities, technology: A manifesto for new European defence
To develop a new approach to defence, European states need to bury their longstanding disputes and learn from Ukrainians’ experiences on the battlefield
A battle on two fronts: Poland, Germany, and the rule of law
How has the war in Ukraine affected Polish politics and Poland’s relationship to its neighbours and the EU?
The moment to choose: How migration politics could damage the Meloni government’s EU credentials
The Meloni government has largely adopted a ‘Russia-pragmatic’ approach to its EU and Ukraine policies. But pressure over migration within the coalition could harm relations with other European states
Backsliding democracy: Zsuzsanna Szelenyi on Hungary
What would the freezing of EU-funds mean for Hungary-EU relations and Hungary’s role in the union?
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
Publications
A certain idea of Europe: How the next French president can lead
The next French president should pursue a strong European foreign policy agenda to protect Europeans against the threats they are most concerned about
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
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
Europe’s green moment: How to meet the climate challenge
Member states are not divided into two diametrically opposed camps. This makes the implementation of the European Green Deal an intricate puzzle – yet achievable.
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 presidency: How Portuguese leadership can guide the EU into the post-covid era
The Portuguese EU presidency should handle issues in line with European voters’ perceptions of the new reality created by the coronavirus
The Brexit parenthesis: Three ways the pandemic is changing UK politics
The shock of covid-19 in Britain may end the culture-wars politics set off by the Brexit referendum
The big engine that might: How France and Germany can build a geopolitical Europe
The EU Coalition Explorer survey reveals the importance of Germany and France within the EU, and the impact they can have when they cooperate with each other
In sickness and in health: European cooperation during the coronavirus crisis
ECFR research into how EU member states and institutions worked together at the height of covid-19 confirms Germany was the bloc’s undisputed crisis leader
Untapped potential: How new alliances can strengthen the EU
Fragmentation in the EU makes it increasingly difficult for member states to build coalitions. The EU Coalition Explorer reveals potential new groupings.
Articles
How the fight against Russian agents in Poland could destroy democracy
Under the guise of fighting “Russian influence”, the Polish government is preparing to attack and disqualify its opponents
Economic peacefare: Lessons for the future of European sanctions strategy
An effective sanctions campaign in wartime needs to be linked to a strategic industrial policy and technology control agenda in peacetime
Baltic defence: Why NATO should persuade Turkey to admit Sweden
The longer that Ankara delays Swedish membership of NATO, the harder it may become to sustain public support and prepare effective Baltic defence
East side story: Poland’s new role in the European Union
Poland will need to expand the boundaries of its influence in order to transform its wartime political capital into real leadership in the EU
Easy prey? Russia’s influence in Bulgaria
Newly released investigations have shed light on how corruption and the weak rule of law in Bulgaria enable Russian influence to thrive
Strategy, capabilities, technology: A manifesto for new European defence
To develop a new approach to defence, European states need to bury their longstanding disputes and learn from Ukrainians’ experiences on the battlefield
The moment to choose: How migration politics could damage the Meloni government’s EU credentials
The Meloni government has largely adopted a ‘Russia-pragmatic’ approach to its EU and Ukraine policies. But pressure over migration within the coalition could harm relations with other European states
How to defeat Russia and prevent nuclear armageddon with one weird trick
We are not on a path to nuclear war – but strong deterrence measures from the West can help ensure that scenario remains unlikely
Running on empty: How trust among EU states can survive the energy crisis
Member states’ reactions to the energy crisis could endanger European unity. A mature political response would help the bloc stay united through the coming winter.
Mind the gaps: The pending suspension of Hungary’s EU funds
The European Commission’s agreement with Hungary on anti-corruption reforms is significant. But, even if the Hungarian government does implement them, the measures alone are not sufficient to reverse democratic backsliding in the country.
Specials
The European Sentiment Compass 2022
In the wake of pandemic and war, the Sentiment Compass assesses the changing expectations of the EU across its member states. It finds that EU should harness the power of culture and the free media to nurture a stronger European sentiment – helping it to address the major challenges facing the continent.
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
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…
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.
The future shape of Europe: How the EU can bend without breaking
A critical mass of countries agree on the need for more flexible cooperation, but what could it look like?
Connectivity wars
This essay introduces “Connectivity Wars“, an essay collection on why migration, finance and trade are the geo-economic battlegrounds of the future
Britain in Europe Renegotiation Scorecard
The scorecard assesses the support that components of the reform agenda enjoy in Europe’s capitals.
Podcasts
A battle on two fronts: Poland, Germany, and the rule of law
How has the war in Ukraine affected Polish politics and Poland’s relationship to its neighbours and the EU?
Backsliding democracy: Zsuzsanna Szelenyi on Hungary
What would the freezing of EU-funds mean for Hungary-EU relations and Hungary’s role in the union?
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
Giorgia on my mind: The Italian election and European foreign policy
Mark Leonard and his guests discuss the implications of the new government in Rome and its foreign policy agenda, including Russia and China
Peace versus Justice: The coming European split over the war in Ukraine
New ECFR research reveals that Europe’s remarkable unity in the early days of the war is under threat from an emerging split – between those who want peace as soon as possible and those who favour justice for Ukraine
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?
The age of the strongman
What defines a strongman, and what varieties of this curious species exist? Are there any strongwomen? And when did the age of strongmen really begin?
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?
What a Le Pen presidency would mean for Europe and the world
How would a Le Pen presidency affect Europe and the world?
How Putin’s war is shaping France’s election
What kind of role did foreign policy play in the election campaigns before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and what role is it playing now?
Events
8 Nov
The role of Germany in Europe in times of war: Potential for German-Bulgarian cooperation
We will discuss Germany’s role in Europe and will reflect on how the new European order is viewed in Berlin
27 Oct
Il Circolo dell’ECFR: Il nuovo governo e la proiezione internazionale dell’Italia
Lo European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo, Formiche ed il Centro Studi Americani organizzano a Roma una nuova edizione de Il Circolo dell’ECFR su come e se cambierà la politica estera italiana del prossimo governo
4 May
United Europe, Divided World? The Ukraine crisis and beyond
Will new dependencies and partnerships develop in Europe and the world in the future? What role will international institutions play? Are we entering a post-American world?
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
10 Mar
A new era for Europe: Do Europeans trust France on Russia?
Our panel will discuss insights from new public opinion polling of 15,000 citizens across 12 EU member states, captured in the upcoming report by Susi Dennison and Tara Varma.
21 Feb
Can Europe stand up to Chinese and Russian economic coercion?
The European Council on Foreign Relations in the context of the French Presidency of the Council of the EU is delighted to invite you to a debate on the principles that should guide Europe’s quest for economic sovereignty
8 Feb
Japanese and EU Indo-Pacific policies after the German and Japanese elections
How will the new administrations in Germany and Japan impact the EU’s and Japanese Indo-Pacific strategy and China policy?
14 Dec
Traffic light coalition seen from the outside: what does Europe think?
What are the expectations of the coalition´s foreign and security policies? Will Germany’s ambitious climate policy spark mirroring across the bloc?
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 European Green…
12 Oct
THINKING BIG WITH Ivan Krastev and Mark Leonard on the Age of Unpeace
What do China’s mask diplomacy, America’s sanctions on Iran, Russia’s election interference, Belarus’s migration policy, struggles over Huawei, Covid-19 and Climate change have in common?
In the media
Célia Belin, Majda Ruge and Jeremy Shapiro are the authors of this article analyzing the consequences of 2024 US Presidential Election on Europe
For the moment, the European Political Community is essentially a forum for discussion of major strategic issues
Marie Dumoulin was invited to RFI’s Carrefour de l’Europe podcast to discuss the European Political Community summit in Moldova
There is a need for this type of continent-wide forum, where heads of state can discuss the continent’s challenges without being constrained by their cohorts of civil servants
The fact that the summit of the European Political Community is taking place in Moldova, the country of the former USSR which, after Ukraine, has been most affected by the war, sends out a very strong
In Poland, the government is preparing to deliver the final blow to democracy
In an article for Le Monde, Piotr Buras warns against a Polish attempt to intimidate the opposition and civil society