Economic, financial and technological shifts are reshaping the global order. Globalisation has created world-spanning supply chains and with them, a web of dependencies. Meanwhile, profound changes to the economic landscape are reshaping the global financial system. And, increasing digitalisation and the emergence of disruptive frontier technologies create a host of new geopolitical challenges.
ECFR’s research on geoeconomics and technology explores these shifts and their geopolitical impact. It analyses trade tensions, the rise of non-Western financial systems, the green transition, frontier technologies and global technology rivalries. It also explores how these technological and economic changes impact relations with China, foreign interference and democracy. Finally, it recommends how the EU can boost ties with middle powers and emerging economies to create opportunities in this rapidly changing landscape.
Europe has a China problem and pretending otherwise is making it worse. Chinese cheap exports and a monopoly on rare earths are not just economic irritants, but leverage wielded deliberately. Europeans can no longer just de-risk. They need a deterrence strategy with teeth
Europe’s defensive measures to shield its democracies from hybrid attacks are no longer enough. If Europeans want to protect their peace and prosperity, the time has come for them to fight back
The geoeconomic power of the future will be shaped by climate policy. Countries that play the right moves in regulation, clean-tech production and climate finance today will win in the electrified world of tomorrow
Amid fears of an Iran war-fuelled global food crisis, Moscow is weaponising access to its fertiliser supplies in both Western countries and developing economies
Quest’anno lo European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) e l’Institute of Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI) co-presiedono il Think7 (T7), il gruppo di consultazione ufficiale del G7 per i think tank e i centri di ricerca a livello mondiale, con l’obiettivo di elaborare nuove proposte politiche per i paesi del G7. In questo contesto, ECFR ha preparato 4 solution paper su…
Europe has a China problem and pretending otherwise is making it worse. Chinese cheap exports and a monopoly on rare earths are not just economic irritants, but leverage wielded deliberately. Europeans can no longer just de-risk. They need a deterrence strategy with teeth
A growing transatlantic narrative claims that climate action is a gift to China and pressure is mounting on European policymakers to delay and water down the continent’s energy transition to safeguard its competitiveness. Yet such a dilemma between fighting climate change and remaining competitive is largely fallacious: the energy transition is already reshaping the global balance of power…
The escalation in the Middle East and the Strait of Hormuz underscores a defining feature of today’s global order: volatility, fragmentation, and great power competition. Europe is entering a world of hard leverage—where fossil fuel dependence translates into strategic vulnerability. At the same time, as confidence in the United States becomes fragile, China is…
Russia’s oil bonanza will hardly bridge its huge fiscal gap. China’s current pains are real, but its gains could last
Europe’s defensive measures to shield its democracies from hybrid attacks are no longer enough. If Europeans want to protect their peace and prosperity, the time has come for them to fight back
Un diálogo del European Council on Foreign Relations y Aspen Institute España. Los ponentes abordaron la tensión existente entre la simplificación normativa y la desregulación, la capacidad de la Unión Europea para exportar sus estándares regulatorios más allá de sus fronteras, los instrumentos jurídicos y estratégicos disponibles para hacer frente al poder de mercado…
The geoeconomic power of the future will be shaped by climate policy. Countries that play the right moves in regulation, clean-tech production and climate finance today will win in the electrified world of tomorrow
This year, the initiative focused on Europe’s response to the challenges posed by the now well-established rise of a new class of tech oligarchs, increasingly capable of influencing the political and institutional dynamics of our democracies. Against the backdrop of Donald Trump’s return to the White House and the growing interdependence between political and corporate…
Europe has a China problem and pretending otherwise is making it worse. Chinese cheap exports and a monopoly on rare earths are not just economic irritants, but leverage wielded deliberately. Europeans can no longer just de-risk. They need a deterrence strategy with teeth
Europe’s defensive measures to shield its democracies from hybrid attacks are no longer enough. If Europeans want to protect their peace and prosperity, the time has come for them to fight back
The geoeconomic power of the future will be shaped by climate policy. Countries that play the right moves in regulation, clean-tech production and climate finance today will win in the electrified world of tomorrow
Foreign technology companies cannot be entrusted with meeting Europe’s growing digital needs. This includes American big tech firms. Here’s what Europeans should do
The US president is throwing the EU lots of economic curveballs. Brussels should not be distracted by these; instead, it should double down on adopting measures that will benefit the bloc long after Donald Trump leaves the White House
European policymakers should take the long view on demographic change, strengthening Europe’s place in the world through stronger international partnerships, the use of technology and EU enlargement
Faced with an aggressive United States, Europe has more leverage than it realises. Across trade, technology, infrastructure, finance and people-to-people relations it has ways of retaliating
The EU lacks cohesive governance to deploy economic statecraft tools, such as sanctions and export controls, undermining their impact and the bloc’s global credibility. The creation of an EU network focused on the design and implementation of these tools could help fix this
The EU is falling behind the US and China in the digital realm. It urgently needs a new agenda combining innovation, security, and influence for an age of geopoliticised technology
In the coming years, China’s leaders could make good on their pledges to “reunify” Taiwan and the Chinese mainland by force. European policymakers need to begin preparing economic statecraft options for such a scenario – and they need to do so now
Amid fears of an Iran war-fuelled global food crisis, Moscow is weaponising access to its fertiliser supplies in both Western countries and developing economies
Russia’s oil bonanza will hardly bridge its huge fiscal gap. China’s current pains are real, but its gains could last
France’s G7 presidency coincides with an American-led G20. Paris will not find it easy to collaborate with the Trump administration, but it can still find meaningful areas for G7-G20 cooperation
The EU and India have just concluded the biggest trade deal in their respective histories. Europeans will benefit from lower tariffs with the G20’s fastest-growing economy—and potentially game-changing geoeconomic ties
Rather than panicking or posturing, European leaders should prioritise EU unity, pinpoint their leverage and consider buying time
Ukraine receives a vital lifeline, but it is not coming from immobilised Russian reserves
Africa’s digital economy is growing fast, and America and China have been sure to get a foothold. To compete, the EU’s Global Gateway needs to make a better offer to African partners
The EU’s new economic security communication is a step in the right direction. If Europe wants to be a geoeconomic actor instead of a mere geoeconomic battleground, it must evolve from being a risk manager and become a power broker
The EU has proposed simplifying and softening its digital regulation. This will only make the bloc more vulnerable to the coercion of America’s big tech firms
Europe’s solar boom has quietly handed Beijing remote access to hundreds of gigawatts of its power capacity. Without a 5G-type toolbox banning untrustworthy suppliers of inverters and other grid technologies, Europe risks another energy security crisis
Mark Leonard welcomes Tobias Gehrke and Andrew Small to discuss how Europeans can combat varieties of Chinese economic coercion
Mark Leonard welcomes Tobias Gehrke to unpack the escalating EU-US trade war and Europe’s next moves
Mark Leonard is joined by Alberto Rizzi to discuss the global demographic transition and its implications for Europe’s economic future
Mark Leonard welcomes Agathe Demarais and Janka Oertel to examine the diverse perspectives on US-China relations and how Europe can navigate this changing geopolitical landscape
Mark Leonard welcomes Agathe Demarais to unpack Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs and their seismic impact on the global economy
Mark Leonard welcomes Tobias Gehrke and José Ignacio Torreblanca to explore Europe’s leverage against Donald Trump’s economic and technological coercion
Mark Leonard welcomes Agathe Demarais and Abraham Newman to discuss how Europe can overcome its internal dysfunction to meet the geoeconomic challenges of today
Mark Leonard welcomes Agathe Demarais and Janka Oertel to discuss EU tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and the potential for future economic sanctions
In the first big multilateral test for prime minister Giorgia Meloni, this mini-series will explore the four main priorities of Italy’s 2024 G7 presidency: Ukraine, AI, infrastructure, and Africa
Mark Leonard welcomes Enrico Letta to discuss the future of Europe’s single market
Quest’anno lo European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) e l’Institute of Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI) co-presiedono il Think7 (T7), il gruppo di consultazione ufficiale del G7 per i think tank e i centri di ricerca a livello mondiale, con l’obiettivo di elaborare nuove proposte politiche per i paesi del G7. In questo contesto, ECFR ha preparato 4 solution paper su…
A growing transatlantic narrative claims that climate action is a gift to China and pressure is mounting on European policymakers to delay and water down the continent’s energy transition to safeguard its competitiveness. Yet such a dilemma between fighting climate change and remaining competitive is largely fallacious: the energy transition is already reshaping the global balance of power…
The escalation in the Middle East and the Strait of Hormuz underscores a defining feature of today’s global order: volatility, fragmentation, and great power competition. Europe is entering a world of hard leverage—where fossil fuel dependence translates into strategic vulnerability. At the same time, as confidence in the United States becomes fragile, China is…
Un diálogo del European Council on Foreign Relations y Aspen Institute España. Los ponentes abordaron la tensión existente entre la simplificación normativa y la desregulación, la capacidad de la Unión Europea para exportar sus estándares regulatorios más allá de sus fronteras, los instrumentos jurídicos y estratégicos disponibles para hacer frente al poder de mercado…
This year, the initiative focused on Europe’s response to the challenges posed by the now well-established rise of a new class of tech oligarchs, increasingly capable of influencing the political and institutional dynamics of our democracies. Against the backdrop of Donald Trump’s return to the White House and the growing interdependence between political and corporate…
The European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) and the Paris-based Institute of Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI) will co-chair the Think7 (T7) in 2026. The T7 is the official engagement group of the G7 for global think tanks and research centres. It aims at building a bridge between research and policymaking in a bid…
Since the return of U.S. President Donald Trump to the White House in January, European policymakers have been struggling to sketch a sensible response to Trumponomics – an unpredictable, fast-changing and often baffling mix of U.S. trade, investment and finance policies that have a direct impact on Europe’s interests. In her latest ECFR policy brief, Agathe Demarais…
Ce déjeuner a été l’occasion d’évoquer les défis économiques auxquels les entreprises européennes seront confrontées en 2025 et au-delà. La directrice du programme géoéconomie de l’ECFR, Agathe Demarais, est revenue sur les enjeux commerciaux, financiers et technologiques auxquels les Européens font face dans leurs relations avec l’administration Trump 2.0. Elle a également identifié les leviers…
Europe’s shrinking and ageing population is not just a domestic issue – it is a strategic challenge with global implications. As population dynamics reshape the international balance of power, Europe risks losing geoeconomic leverage and political influence. This public event marks the launch of a new ECFR policy brief “Markets, Migrants, Microchips:…
As technological innovation continues to reshape the global economy and intensify geopolitical competition, the recently published International Digital Strategy reaffirms the EU’s commitment to external digital action. This strategy sets out to deepen international partnerships by enhancing digital competitiveness and security, both within the EU and among its international allies. It…
Agathe Demarais on why China, and not Russia, could be the real winner of the war in Iran
