The European Power programme was created in 2015 to help Europeans develop policy responses to the issues affecting the EU’s capacity to act on the global scene. The programme explores the obstacles to sustainable unity on current and future foreign policy challenges and seeks to develop solutions for overcoming them.
Read moreAs 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
To manage in this new world, the EU and its members need to embark on a broad-based effort to recover their strategic sovereignty
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
To what extent can and will Iran policy be a priority of the incoming administration? What can Europeans do to bolster transatlantic diplomacy on Iran?
In supporting Trump’s lies and his refusal to concede, some eastern European governments are grooming their supporters to reject the result of any election they might lose
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
It was not only western European countries that insisted on the rule of law of mechanism – others like Slovakia and Romania did as well
To manage in this new world, the EU and its members need to embark on a broad-based effort to recover their strategic sovereignty
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
To achieve greater sovereignty, Europe needs to push back against rival powers, build leverage in armed conflicts, and be more effective in supporting reform
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.
The ‘frugal four’ are showing an admirable commitment to defending the rule of law. But they bear some responsibility in Hungary and Poland
The geopolitical grouping known as the “frugal four” — Austria, Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands — has emerged as a key power centre in this year’s negotiations over the EU’s next budget and the covid-19 recovery fund. Does “frugality” actually reflect the public sentiment in those countries?
Austria is surrounded by neighbours whose failings on the rule of law could cause trouble for Austria itself. For this reason, stronger EU mechanisms would suit Vienna’s strategic positioning.
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
To manage in this new world, the EU and its members need to embark on a broad-based effort to recover their strategic sovereignty
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
To achieve greater sovereignty, Europe needs to push back against rival powers, build leverage in armed conflicts, and be more effective in supporting reform
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.
The Trump years galvanised Europeans’ efforts to strengthen their own sovereignty; they now need to agree concrete offers they can make to the new administration
The reputation of Austria, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, and Sweden as ‘frugal states’ does not reflect public sentiment in these countries
Os planos de Portugal para a presidência da UE centram-se nas prioridades europeias para o mundo pré-coronavírus
The Portuguese EU presidency should handle issues in line with European voters’ perceptions of the new reality created by the coronavirus
The EU should move quickly to consider and adopt a suite of tools to protect and enhance European sovereignty in the geo-economic sphere
In supporting Trump’s lies and his refusal to concede, some eastern European governments are grooming their supporters to reject the result of any election they might lose
It was not only western European countries that insisted on the rule of law of mechanism – others like Slovakia and Romania did as well
The ‘frugal four’ are showing an admirable commitment to defending the rule of law. But they bear some responsibility in Hungary and Poland
Austria is surrounded by neighbours whose failings on the rule of law could cause trouble for Austria itself. For this reason, stronger EU mechanisms would suit Vienna’s strategic positioning.
France and Germany have different priorities, but both partners come to the same conclusion: Europe must do more
With the advent of the second wave, the medical situation in all three Baltic countries is changing quickly and, therefore, demands some flexibility from them to adequately handle the crisis
Many people in the European Union’s wealthiest states feel powerless to shape its future
Through a multilateral and cooperative approach to the Arctic, the EU could ensure that projects in the region addressed its economic and environmental concerns
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
Even with a new, far more sympathetic US administration, it will be incumbent on Europe to come to the table as a co-equal power bearing solutions, rather than as a helpless child begging for protection and guidance
The EU Coalition Explorer presents the results of the EU27 Survey conducted by the European Council on Foreign Relations in the 27 member states of…
The European Solidarity Tracker collects and displays instances of pan-European solidarity throughout the coronavirus crisis
To fulfil its true potential, the EU needs to end its strategic cacophony and focus on capability building
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.
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…
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. This intellectual under-investment looks set to continue despite: a revived debate “German bomb” debate; a new Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons; and the collapse of the INF treaty. Attitudes to nuclear deterrence differ radically from country to country – something which any new engagement on the nuclear dimension will have to contend with. And, while many governments and their voting publics are aligned in attitudes, in some crucial players like Germany the government and public are at loggerheads. No European initiative to declare strategic nuclear autonomy is yet practicable but a strategy to hedge for future uncertainties is available. As a first step, the UK and France should convert the idea of a European deterrent from mere notion into credible offer, by thickening their bilateral nuclear cooperation and sending growing signals that indicate their readiness to protect others.
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
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…
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.
Edited by Ulrike Esther Franke, Manuel Lafont Rapnouil & Susi Dennison
Has the coronavirus been Europe’s ‘Hamiltonian’ moment?
This week we will have with us Andrey Zagorsky, professor at MGIMO (Moscow State Institute of International Relations) and IMEMO (the Institute of World Economy and International Relations). Andrey will speak about “Russia and the OSCE-based European order".
Arancha González, Spain’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, shares her thinking on how global health can help revive multilateralism
When loading this video, your personal data will be processed by YouTube in line with Google’s privacy…
When loading this video, your personal data will be processed by YouTube in line with Google’s privacy…
An exclusive ECFR Madrid interview with Josep Borrell, Spanish Foreign Minister and lead PSOE candidate for the European Parliament elections, on the European Union and his vision for it
Mark Leonard participates in a debate organised by The Institute of Art and Ideas (IAI) in London
ECFR Madrid sits down with former Spanish Prime Minister Felipe González to discuss topics such as the state of the European Union ahead of May's European Parliament elections, the rise of Eurosceptic parties, Brexit, and relations with the US and Russia
ECFR Madrid in collaboration with Fundación Felipe González recorded a conversation between former Spanish Prime Minister Felipe González and Head of the ECFR Madrid Office José Ignacio Torreblanca on the situation in Venezuela and the legitimacy of Juan Guaidó’s claim to the presidency
Everything you need to know about the German elections: Which parties are in the running to form a government, and what are the implications for European and foreign policy?
To what extent can and will Iran policy be a priority of the incoming administration? What can Europeans do to bolster transatlantic diplomacy on Iran?
The geopolitical grouping known as the “frugal four” — Austria, Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands — has emerged as a key power centre in this year’s negotiations over the EU’s next budget and the covid-19 recovery fund. Does “frugality” actually reflect the public sentiment in those countries?
Where do we stand now in building a “strategic partnership” between the European and African continent?
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.
Head of ECFR’s Madrid Office, Jose Ignacio Torreblanca talks to the American historian, a Pulitzer Prize winner for Gulag, and expert on authoritarian populism about…
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 will and can Europeans react in the event of a post-election chaos in the US? The election day is fast approaching yet the outcome still…
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…
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…
The Covid-19 pandemic has shaken the EU’s conception of order and exposed a gap between European aspirations and actions. Firstly, Europeans are confronted with the…
Piotr Buras speaks about Poland and Hungary's veto against the EU budget and recovery fund.
In her editorial, Sylvie Kauffmann quotes the ECFR's report on the transatlantic offer to the new US administration.
Piotr Buras being interviewed about Poland and Hungary's veto against the rule of law mechanism and EU budget.
The new report on European sovereignty is highlighted in the Brussels Playbook.
