Hungary in waiting: The Slovak challenge for the EU and Ukraine
The new Slovak government seems a natural pro-Kremlin ally for Hungary. But there is still time for the EU, member states, and Ukraine to get Fico onside
National Politics
Election quake: An opportunity for a more European Dutch foreign policy
The next Dutch government will come to power amid a broad national consensus on several foreign policy topics. To capitalise on this opportunity, it will need to break with some of the traditional norms of Dutch European policy
Message in a ballot: What Poland’s election means for Europe
Poland is making its return to Europe – but Warsaw’s partners may still need to be a little patient yet
Poland before the election: How to reverse illiberalism
The 15 October election could lead to a historic experiment: if the opposition wins, it will launch an unprecedented attempt to overcome illiberalism
Spain and Poland at the ballot box: what’s next for Europe?
Mark Leonard welcomes José Ignacio Torreblanca and Piotr Buras to discuss recent developments in Spanish and Polish politics and their impact on Europe
Rifts and realities: The strained bond between Poland and Ukraine
In the dispute over grain and arms deliveries, Poland’s government is squandering the chance to shift Europe’s centre of gravity to the east
Hanging in the balance: How the Polish far-right could swing the next election
As Poland’s parliamentary election nears, the rising far-right party Confederation is set to swing the balance between right-wing incumbents Law and Justice, and the liberal opposition. An alliance with either could spell political chaos
In balance: How Italy can solve its China problem
Italy’s membership of the BRI risks harming its relations with G7 partners. It is time for it to carefully disentangle itself from the initiative
After the riots: The future of Macron’s foreign policy
France’s support for EU and NATO enlargement could be transformational for European security. But domestic unrest and sniping by others could undermine French steadfastness on these major questions
Showdown: What to expect from Spain’s general election
While Spain’s People’s Party leads the polls, obscure alliances and voter concerns leave the country’s future direction – and its impact on next year’s European Parliament elections – uncertain
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
What Europeans really feel: The battle for the political system
Support for membership of the European Union is currently high, but so too is pessimism about the future of the European project
The Young and the Restful: Why young Germans have no vision for Europe
Polls and interviews conducted for the paper indicate that German millennials are surprisingly conservative and liable to status quo bias
Europe and its discontents: Poland’s collision course with the European Union
If Poland continues to drift away from the EU it will not only diminish its own influence, but also undermine the EU’s internal cohesion
Articles
Hungary in waiting: The Slovak challenge for the EU and Ukraine
The new Slovak government seems a natural pro-Kremlin ally for Hungary. But there is still time for the EU, member states, and Ukraine to get Fico onside
Election quake: An opportunity for a more European Dutch foreign policy
The next Dutch government will come to power amid a broad national consensus on several foreign policy topics. To capitalise on this opportunity, it will need to break with some of the traditional norms of Dutch European policy
Message in a ballot: What Poland’s election means for Europe
Poland is making its return to Europe – but Warsaw’s partners may still need to be a little patient yet
Poland before the election: How to reverse illiberalism
The 15 October election could lead to a historic experiment: if the opposition wins, it will launch an unprecedented attempt to overcome illiberalism
Rifts and realities: The strained bond between Poland and Ukraine
In the dispute over grain and arms deliveries, Poland’s government is squandering the chance to shift Europe’s centre of gravity to the east
Hanging in the balance: How the Polish far-right could swing the next election
As Poland’s parliamentary election nears, the rising far-right party Confederation is set to swing the balance between right-wing incumbents Law and Justice, and the liberal opposition. An alliance with either could spell political chaos
In balance: How Italy can solve its China problem
Italy’s membership of the BRI risks harming its relations with G7 partners. It is time for it to carefully disentangle itself from the initiative
After the riots: The future of Macron’s foreign policy
France’s support for EU and NATO enlargement could be transformational for European security. But domestic unrest and sniping by others could undermine French steadfastness on these major questions
Showdown: What to expect from Spain’s general election
While Spain’s People’s Party leads the polls, obscure alliances and voter concerns leave the country’s future direction – and its impact on next year’s European Parliament elections – uncertain
Wheels up for Vilnius: Three lessons Germany’s NATO partners should draw from its new national security strategy
Germany’s first ever national security strategy contained few big surprises – but the country’s NATO partners can still draw three key lessons from the document
Specials
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…
Podcasts
Spain and Poland at the ballot box: what’s next for Europe?
Mark Leonard welcomes José Ignacio Torreblanca and Piotr Buras to discuss recent developments in Spanish and Polish politics and their impact on Europe
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
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?
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?
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 2 – China Policy
How should the next German government concretely shape its China policy, and its approach to the Indo-Pacific?
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
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.
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…
27 Sep
German elections debriefing: results are in, what’s next?
Which coalition is likely? Who are the winners and losers, and likely candidates for main political jobs?
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
14 Sep
Beyond Merkelism: What do Europeans expect from post-Merkel Germany?
What do European citizens expect from Germany’s next government, after 16 years of Angela Merkel? With little over a week to go until the elections, join a panel of pundits to analyse ECFR’s latest survey of attitudes of 16,000 citizens across 12 EU countries
In the media
People do not know what legal value the EP report has. In Poland, when the parliament passes something, it becomes law, but this is not the case in the Europarliament.
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
For Italy, for long a middle power working as a bridge in the Wider Mediterranean, this is about retrieving that connecting capability and use it towards the Global South
In light of ECFR’s new polling, Arturo Varvelli assesses the role Italy can play in the Global South
No Polish government has had as much confidence placed in it by Brussels, as the new Tusk government will have
Piotr Buras discusses Donald Tusk’s future government and its relationship with the European Union