European Elections and beyond: Crafting Europe’s new geopolitical agenda
Guests
- Mark Leonard, Director, ECFR
- Javi Lopez, Member of the European Parliament (S&D)
- Hannah Neumann, Member of the European Parliament (The Greens/EFA)
Chaired by
Susi Dennison, Senior Director for Strategy and Transformation and Senior Policy Fellow, ECFR
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, in particular against the backdrop of Trump’s potential re-election. Our panel will respond to these preferences and discuss the geopolitical trajectory for Europe in the next institutional cycle. Looking ahead to a re-configured European Parliament and Commission, we will explore what the foreign policy mandate of the next EU institutional cycle will look like, as well as key tasks and challenges to address. Drawing on ECFR’s latest polling reports A new political map: Getting the European Parliament election right and Wars and elections: How European leaders can maintain public support for Ukraine, the debate will show how a geopolitical agenda can resonate with voters, and how mainstream parties’ messaging can achieve the implementation of this mandate.
What direction should the next EU institutional cycle’s foreign policy mandate take? Why do we need a stronger geopolitical Europe? How do certain narratives resonate with European voters and what are the implications of certain campaign strategies for the EU’s geostrategic direction?