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
Rethink:Europe
Launched in 2015, Rethink: Europe crafted policy strategies based on data and dialogue. The initiative harnessed surveys of experts, open data sources, and government statistics to analyse cohesion and cooperation in the European Union.
Rethink: Europe also provided a forum for discussions of its work, hosting briefings and public events for policy professionals and others who have an interest in new strategies for improving European cooperation. Rethink: Europe was supported by Stiftung Mercator.
Watch Rethink:Europe videos on YouTube
Featured
European Solidarity Tracker
The European Solidarity Tracker collects and displays instances of pan-European solidarity throughout the coronavirus crisis
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.
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
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
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
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
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
Orban’s integrity office: Everything is legal but nothing is democratic
Viktor Orban has had 12 years to learn how to circumvent democratic reforms. The European Commission should bide its time in assessing whether to suspend funding to Hungary.
The three challenges for the West in the new cold war
Western states will only maintain their unity and resolve if they address major problems related to their external alliances, EU unity, and people power
Staying power: How the EU can support NATO in eastern Europe
NATO should deter Russia by establishing a truly permanent presence in front-line states. The EU has a major role to play in this effort.
The game is not over: Fidesz, Law and Justice, and far-right cooperation in the EU
The war in Ukraine has driven a wedge between Hungary’s Fidesz and Poland’s Law and Justice parties. But they could still mount a powerful challenge to the EU if – or, rather, when – they reunite in their opposition to rule of law demands.
The meaning of victory: How Russia’s war on Ukraine could divide Europeans
Support for Ukraine is both morally correct and in the best interests of the EU. Europeans should use this moment of unity to address several long-term challenges linked to the conflict.
Publications
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
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.
Crisis and Cohesion in the European Union: A Ten-Year Review
Despite financial and refugee crises, research suggests the European Union is getting stronger, not weaker
Exploring EU Coalitions
New essay collection points way to potential coalitions for flexible European cooperation
The invisible web – from interaction to coalition-building in the EU
Survey of experts in 28 capitals illuminates the complex network of relationships among EU member states
Keeping Europeans together
This volume reflects the diversity of European cohesion. It provides the national context and personal assessments from 28 EU member states.
Articles
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
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
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
Orban’s integrity office: Everything is legal but nothing is democratic
Viktor Orban has had 12 years to learn how to circumvent democratic reforms. The European Commission should bide its time in assessing whether to suspend funding to Hungary.
The three challenges for the West in the new cold war
Western states will only maintain their unity and resolve if they address major problems related to their external alliances, EU unity, and people power
Staying power: How the EU can support NATO in eastern Europe
NATO should deter Russia by establishing a truly permanent presence in front-line states. The EU has a major role to play in this effort.
The game is not over: Fidesz, Law and Justice, and far-right cooperation in the EU
The war in Ukraine has driven a wedge between Hungary’s Fidesz and Poland’s Law and Justice parties. But they could still mount a powerful challenge to the EU if – or, rather, when – they reunite in their opposition to rule of law demands.
The meaning of victory: How Russia’s war on Ukraine could divide Europeans
Support for Ukraine is both morally correct and in the best interests of the EU. Europeans should use this moment of unity to address several long-term challenges linked to the conflict.
All-out support: The West’s commitments to Ukraine
Ukraine’s Western partners now recognise that it can defeat Russia. Yet they need to provide the guarantees of long-term support that will make this a reality.
Ukraine, Europe, and the power of association: A new way to help aspiring EU states
A new compact could allow Ukraine, Balkans states and others to move closer to the EU and drive reform more powerfully than the current rigid rules
Specials
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
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
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
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?
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?
The coronavirus world order
How can we explain the current crisis of the liberal international order?
Where there’s a will, there’s a way: France, Germany and EU coalition building
In this week’s episode, Mark Leonard presents the new and third edition of ECFR´s Coalition explorer, which also included special questions regarding the impact of…
Europe’s way out of the coronavirus crisis: from self-interest to solidarity?
The coronavirus crisis brought about financial hardship for the European Union, and many agree that a recovery fund would be needed to overcome it. In…
You better bring a book – the start of the EU’s lengthy budget talks
Negotiations over the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2021 – 2027 just have started. But as tensions and divergences between the EU member states are…
Midterm elections: Will US foreign policy change?
Mark Leonard speaks with Craig Kennedy, Jeremy Shapiro and Anna Kuchenbecker about the election results and Donald Trump's tenure. The podcast was recorded on 8th…
A world without Angela Merkel
What does Angela Merkel’s decision to stand down as leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) mean for Germany and Europe? Mark Leonard discusses with…
ECFR Berlin: Kooperation und Konflikt in der EU
Eine Podiumsdiskussion mit Anne-Marie Descôtes, Botschafterin der Französischen Republik in Deutschland Michael Roth, Staatsminister für Europa, Auswärtiges Amt Moderation: Lykke Friis, Korrespondentin…
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
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
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 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
21 Apr
Europe’s green moment: How to meet the climate challenge
How can decision-makers mobilise creative coalitions and integrate the European Green Deal into EU foreign policy to deliver on the deal?
14 Apr
ECFR x Intelligence² Germany – Debate: We must stop big data’s pandemic power grab
An Oxford-style debate in cooperation with Intelligence² Germany
12 Mar
Europäische Außenpolitik gestalten: Gespräch mit EAD Generalsekretär Stefano Sannino
Prioritäten & Herausforderungen Europäischer Außenpolitik, sowie Deutschlands Rolle in diesem Kontext
2 Feb
ECFR x Intelligence² Germany – Debate: The West should engage not confront China
An Oxford-style debate in cooperation with Intelligence² Germany
10 Dec
Daring New Spaces – Summit on the European Public Sphere
As a joint event with the Progressives Zentrum, the German Federal Foreign Office and Stiftung Mercator, the Daring New Spaces Summit gives civil society actors, journalists, and academics across Europe a strong voice during the current Trio Presidency of the EU Council
29 Sep
ECFR x Intelligence² Germany – Debate: The European Green Deal is not fit for purpose
The European Commission has called the Green Deal, Europe’s “man on the moon” moment. But the stark reality is that it is impossible to solve the bio…
In the media
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
This project cannot be reduced to an act of opposition to Russia
Marie Dumoulin spoke on France Culture about expectations ahead of the second European Political Community summit in Chișinău
The question is not whether European strategic autonomy is realistic or not, but whether we really have a choice – the French believe it is inevitable
