23 Jun
Defence without America? What Europeans are (and aren’t) ready for
Days before a high-stakes NATO summit, the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) hosts to a timely webinar on European public attitudes towards Europe’s defence,…
Elections & Referendums
2 Jun
A pivotal choice: Poland’s presidential election and the future of Europe’s foreign policy and defence agenda
The final round of the Polish presidential election of 1 June 2025 is a milestone for Poland and for Europe. The close race between pro-European…
Germany’s election results: Continuity or turning point?
On the morning after Germany’s election, Searching for Deutschland hosts Jeremy Cliffe and Jana Puglierin were joined for a live webinar by ECFR colleagues Timo Lochocki and…
Double speed: What Merz and a German right-turn would mean for Europe
Friedrich Merz is on the precipice of becoming Germany’s next chancellor. If successful, his conservatism and quest for new allies to secure Europe’s nuclear deterrent could create a “two-speed Europe”
Ukraine and the US-Russia talks: Deterrence or disarray?
In Searching for Deutschland’s last pre-election episode, hosts Jeremy Cliffe and Jana Puglierin review the Munich Security Conference, the US-Russia talks on Ukraine, and what the new era…
Out of its time: Germany’s ominous election campaign
To restore much-needed German impetus in Europe, the country’s next government must find a new sense of urgency and common purpose
24 Feb
ECFR election insights: Will Germany lead or lag in Europe’s next foreign policy chapter?
Germany’s election results are in—now what? Join the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) for a timely post-election analysis in the early morning after results…
Scholz’s populism playbook: Why Germany needs to tackle fringe-party influence to preserve EU unity
Germany’s political chaos is giving populist fringe parties unprecedented influence over policymaking. As internal divisions deepen within the governing coalition, these parties are shaping the political discourse and threatening the country’s – and the EU’s – stability
The far-right falters: Outcomes of the French snap election
Mark Leonard welcomes Célia Belin to discuss the results of the French election
8 Jul
The Morning After: Analysing the Results of the French Election
As France discovers the new making of its national assembly, this webinar will analyse the election results and reflect on their impact on a geopolitical…
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
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
Articles
Double speed: What Merz and a German right-turn would mean for Europe
Friedrich Merz is on the precipice of becoming Germany’s next chancellor. If successful, his conservatism and quest for new allies to secure Europe’s nuclear deterrent could create a “two-speed Europe”
Out of its time: Germany’s ominous election campaign
To restore much-needed German impetus in Europe, the country’s next government must find a new sense of urgency and common purpose
Scholz’s populism playbook: Why Germany needs to tackle fringe-party influence to preserve EU unity
Germany’s political chaos is giving populist fringe parties unprecedented influence over policymaking. As internal divisions deepen within the governing coalition, these parties are shaping the political discourse and threatening the country’s – and the EU’s – stability
Handle with care: The risks of punishing Slovakia’s new government
After Slovakia elected a populist president and a pro-Russian prime minister in a span of six months, the EU may be tempted to punish Bratislava. But this would risk making matters worse
Common cause: How Germany’s pro-European parties can stop the rise of the far-right
In their campaigns for the European parliament election, Germany’s pro-European parties must unite to effectively mobilise voters against the threat of the far-right party, Alternative for Germany
Hanging in the balance: How to save Bulgaria’s foreign policy from political turmoil
Facing its sixth election in three years, Bulgaria’s political instability risks marginalising Sofia’s role within the EU. To avoid this, the campaigns of pro-European politicians in the country must not lose sight of Bulgaria’s international position
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
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
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
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
Germany’s election results: Continuity or turning point?
On the morning after Germany’s election, Searching for Deutschland hosts Jeremy Cliffe and Jana Puglierin were joined for a live webinar by ECFR colleagues Timo Lochocki and…
Ukraine and the US-Russia talks: Deterrence or disarray?
In Searching for Deutschland’s last pre-election episode, hosts Jeremy Cliffe and Jana Puglierin review the Munich Security Conference, the US-Russia talks on Ukraine, and what the new era…
The far-right falters: Outcomes of the French snap election
Mark Leonard welcomes Célia Belin to discuss the results of the French election
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
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
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?
A foreign policy for a Green Germany
How would a (partially) Green government affect German foreign policy?
Events
23 Jun
Defence without America? What Europeans are (and aren’t) ready for
Days before a high-stakes NATO summit, the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) hosts to a timely webinar on European public attitudes towards Europe’s defence,…
2 Jun
A pivotal choice: Poland’s presidential election and the future of Europe’s foreign policy and defence agenda
The final round of the Polish presidential election of 1 June 2025 is a milestone for Poland and for Europe. The close race between pro-European…
24 Feb
ECFR election insights: Will Germany lead or lag in Europe’s next foreign policy chapter?
Germany’s election results are in—now what? Join the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) for a timely post-election analysis in the early morning after results…
8 Jul
The Morning After: Analysing the Results of the French Election
As France discovers the new making of its national assembly, this webinar will analyse the election results and reflect on their impact on a geopolitical…
10 Jun
ECFR’s Election Insights: Implications for Europe’s foreign policy agenda
This webinar will provide a snapshot analysis of election results and their implications for Europe’s foreign policy and security agenda. Featuring perspectives from selected ECFR…
7 May
European Elections and beyond: Crafting Europe’s new geopolitical agenda
Amid a volatile geopolitical environment, ECFR’s recent public opinion poll ahead of the European elections shows that a geopolitical case for Europe resonates with voters,…
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
21 Feb
The externalization of Europe’s borders: the only solution?
Migration in the Mediterranean has been a crisis factor for Europe for decades. To shed light on the issue, the discussion will revolve around ECFR’s policy brief edited by Lorena Stella Martini and Tarek Megerisi, which examines the case study of the Central Mediterranean route to analyse European externalization policies, focusing primarily on migration to Italy
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
In the media
Prime Minister Tusk will now have the difficult task of moving his governing agenda forward in an even more difficult cohabitation situation than with outgoing President Duda
Beyond institutional statements and ritual formulas, for PM Meloni this result is probably the best she could have hoped for
Tusk will have to reinvent himself and see where cooperation where Nawrocki is possible
Piotr Buras on Donald Tusk’s future following Karol Nawrocki’s election as Polish President
With Nawrocki as president, there is a risk that Poland will cooperate more with Victor Orbán than Friedrich Merz – I think that is clear for everyone in Europe.
With the elections in Poland, we can say that the electoral campaign for the 2027 general elections officially opened