Shapes of Multilateralisms Collection
This collection of nine insightful essays illuminates the strategies employed to advance European interests and values within this evolving global polity of overlapping cooperative frameworks
Re:shape Global Europe
Re:shape Global Europe explores how Europe can influence its environment in line with its values and interests. It examines how Europeans can reconcile a deep commitment to multilateralism and global cooperation with the need for a more geopolitical and assertive presence in the international arena.
Re:shape Global Europe is supported by Stiftung Mercator.
Featured
Keeping America close, Russia down, and China far away: How Europeans navigate a competitive world
European citizens are adapting slowly to the new geopolitical landscape. But leaders have an opportunity to build public consensus on Europe’s approach to China, the US, and Russia
The art of vassalisation: How Russia’s war on Ukraine has transformed transatlantic relations
Europeans’ response to Russia’s war on Ukraine confirms their profound dependence on the US – an unwise position given the security challenge in Europe and coming geopolitical competition with China
10 Oct
Europe debates: Should Italy ditch China’s Belt and Road Initiative?
Italy’s leaders are confronting a decision about whether to withdraw from a memorandum of understanding with China on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) before…
Europe Listens: Governing outer space with Ruvimbo Samanga
The global space economy is worth a whopping $469 billion, and growing fast. Commercial interests are proliferating; more and more countries are launching satellites…
Europe Listens: Combatting online disinformation with Flora Rebello Arduini
On 8 January 2023, following a contentious national election, protestors attacked government buildings in Brazil’s capital. The riots were preceded by years of online disinformation,…
Europe Listens: Overcoming the global digital divide with Jane Munga
Digital technologies are set to transform African economies. Yet, only 40 per cent of Africans accessed the internet in 2022 – well below the…
The costs of escalation: How political leaders can build more public support for Taiwan
Voters in Europe and the G7 still lack a clear idea of what Chinese action against Taiwan could mean for their own lives. Political leaders should start to remedy this.
Multilateral changes: Turn and face the strange
Russia’s war on Ukraine has exposed the weaknesses of the already creaking multilateral system. Europeans need to accept the radical changes that are under way and adapt their approach to international cooperation
Multilateral health: Developing a habit of pandemic preparedness
A lack of coordination among the world’s states hindered the global response to covid-19. The same problem is now disrupting international efforts to put in place a more effective system to prepare for future pandemics
Multilateral development: How Europeans can get real with the global south
Traditional forms of development multilateralism are losing credibility in the global south – but the EU and its member states can help turn this around
Multilateral internet: Unplugged and somewhat slightly dazed
To prevent the worldwide web from splintering into regional nets, the EU should safeguard the principles of the current internet governance model while becoming more open to inclusive reform
Keeping America close, Russia down, and China far away: How Europeans navigate a competitive world
European citizens are adapting slowly to the new geopolitical landscape. But leaders have an opportunity to build public consensus on Europe’s approach to China, the US, and Russia
Publications
Keeping America close, Russia down, and China far away: How Europeans navigate a competitive world
European citizens are adapting slowly to the new geopolitical landscape. But leaders have an opportunity to build public consensus on Europe’s approach to China, the US, and Russia
The art of vassalisation: How Russia’s war on Ukraine has transformed transatlantic relations
Europeans’ response to Russia’s war on Ukraine confirms their profound dependence on the US – an unwise position given the security challenge in Europe and coming geopolitical competition with China
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
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
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
How to prevent Germany from becoming Eurosceptic
To engage more confidently with a world that is changing, outward-looking Germans need to shape a progressive new national identity before it is defined by the forces of isolation and exclusion
Crisis of confidence: How Europeans see their place in the world
Public faith in EU institutions has declined due to their handling of the covid-19 pandemic. However, citizens still believe in the need for greater cooperation.
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.
Articles
The costs of escalation: How political leaders can build more public support for Taiwan
Voters in Europe and the G7 still lack a clear idea of what Chinese action against Taiwan could mean for their own lives. Political leaders should start to remedy this.
Multilateral changes: Turn and face the strange
Russia’s war on Ukraine has exposed the weaknesses of the already creaking multilateral system. Europeans need to accept the radical changes that are under way and adapt their approach to international cooperation
Multilateral health: Developing a habit of pandemic preparedness
A lack of coordination among the world’s states hindered the global response to covid-19. The same problem is now disrupting international efforts to put in place a more effective system to prepare for future pandemics
Multilateral development: How Europeans can get real with the global south
Traditional forms of development multilateralism are losing credibility in the global south – but the EU and its member states can help turn this around
Multilateral internet: Unplugged and somewhat slightly dazed
To prevent the worldwide web from splintering into regional nets, the EU should safeguard the principles of the current internet governance model while becoming more open to inclusive reform
Multilateral nuclear disorder: Let’s rock till we explode
The global nuclear order has so far proven resilient in the face of Russia’s war on Ukraine. European engagement through the EU and NATO can help shore up this uneasy equilibrium
Multilateral climate: How Europeans can cure planet Earth’s blues
The EU still needs traditional multilateral forums to fight climate change. But it also needs to strengthen its efforts to build coalitions and form alliances with key states – especially in the global south
Multilateral trade: The green European genie at the WTO
The EU’s use of trade policy in pursuit of its climate goals risks undermining its multilateral credentials and efforts to reform the WTO. To avoid this, it needs to take credible steps to reconcile its trade and climate agendas
Multilateral values: European ideals under pressure
The West no longer has a monopoly on values at the UN. But Europeans can shape a new narrative in the changing multilateral system by emphasising their commitment to sovereignty, development, and openness
Multilateral space: A European space oddity
Competition among major space powers hinders multilateral action to protect access to outer space. The EU has a key role to play in promoting responsible behaviours and securing the use of space for all
Specials
European Sovereignty Index
The EU can overcome the new challenges it faces and can shape the global order. To achieve this, Europeans will need to improve their joint capacity to act.
The Power Atlas
Power is now defined by control over flows of people, goods, money, and data, and via the connections they establish. Only states that see the new map of geopolitical power clearly will be able to control the modern world.
Podcasts
Europe Listens: Governing outer space with Ruvimbo Samanga
The global space economy is worth a whopping $469 billion, and growing fast. Commercial interests are proliferating; more and more countries are launching satellites…
Europe Listens: Combatting online disinformation with Flora Rebello Arduini
On 8 January 2023, following a contentious national election, protestors attacked government buildings in Brazil’s capital. The riots were preceded by years of online disinformation,…
Europe Listens: Overcoming the global digital divide with Jane Munga
Digital technologies are set to transform African economies. Yet, only 40 per cent of Africans accessed the internet in 2022 – well below the…
Europe Listens: Advancing green tech partnerships with Dhanasree Jayaram
Beyond the UN formats, countries around the world are forging hundreds of bilateral and multilateral agreements to advance the clean energy transition. India has emerged…
Europe Listens: Overhauling climate finance with Avinash Persaud
Action on climate financing is long overdue. Inadequate mitigation and adaptation have already led to substantial loss and damage in the most vulnerable countries. But…
Europe Listens: Navigating climate diplomacy with Shauna Aminath
Climate change is an immediate existential threat to the coral islands that make up the Maldives, one of the lowest-lying countries in the world. Recent…
The European Sovereignty Index #FactsThatMatter
How can the EU and member states close the gap between ambition and capability in their quest for European sovereignty?
Europe listens…Dr Togzhan Kassenova
As the EU builds up its global footprint, it’s crucial to avoid European naval gazing. Instead, Europe needs to engage partners around the world on…
Events
10 Oct
Europe debates: Should Italy ditch China’s Belt and Road Initiative?
Italy’s leaders are confronting a decision about whether to withdraw from a memorandum of understanding with China on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) before…
13 Jun
Europe’s global role in light of Russia’s war in Ukraine: The public perspective
What do Europeans think about Russia, China, and the war in Ukraine? Join a panel of policymakers and expert observers to analyse ECFR’s latest public opinion…
1 Dec
Europe debates | Feministische Außenpolitik und militärisches Engagement sind inkompatibel
This debate is part of ECFR’s Re:shape Global Europe project funded by Stiftung Mercator
30 Aug
Europe debates | Should the EU ban Russian tourists from entering the Schengen area?
This debate is part of ECFR’s Re:shape Global Europe project funded by Stiftung Mercator
29 Mar
The birth of geopolitical Europe: In conversation with Josep Borrell
With the EU’s High Representative as our honoured guest, the panel will explore the birth of a geopolitical Europe and the new dimensions of European power with a focus on the tech, economic, and security terrains
17 Feb
Europe Debates | Should Lithuania expect more European solidarity vis-à-vis China?
This Oxford-style debate is part of ECFR’s Re:shape Global Europe project supported by Stiftung Mercator
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?
8 Nov
Europe Debates | Rule of law: Does Poland have a point?
In Poland, as well as across the EU, we witness a battle between these two narratives. Depending on which of them prevails, EU countries and institutions may choose to react more or less firmly to the Polish challenge – with lasting consequences for the EU’s future shape.
14 Jun
Deutschland vor der Wahl – Einschätzungen aus der Perspektive internationaler Politik
Der Checkpoint EXTRA findet als Kooperation zwischen der bpb und dem Berliner Büro des European Council on Foreign Relations statt
9 Jun
Crisis of European confidence: How Europeans see their place in the world
Join a panel of political pundits to help disentangle the public mood ahead of Biden’s first overseas trip
In the media
The multipolar world, in this form, does not allow multilateralism, or even nonalignment in the sense of the Cold War, but rather multi-alignment
Timothy Garton Ash comments on key findings of new ECFR survey
Europeans must oppose the expansion of Israel’s land offensive into densely populated southern Gaza, currently home to hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons
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.
To say that there is an attempt today to impose anything on anyone is pure disinformation. There is no such attempt there is only a project that would require the consent of all states.
Despite the war in Ukraine, a majority of Europeans still see China predominantly as “a necessary partner,” according to the poll of more than 6,000 people in 11 E.U. member states
The poll conducted by Jana Puglierin and Pawel Zerka analyses what European citizens currently think about Europe’s place in the world and its relationship to other powers