ECFR at 18: Has European foreign policy come of age?
Mark Leonard brings together Carl Bildt, Lykke Friis, and Norbert Röttgen to to unpack how Europe has changed since 2007, when ECFR was founded, and what challenges lie ahead
The European Council on Foreign Relations turned 18 in November 2025. This milestone offers a unique moment to reflect on the world in which ECFR was founded—and how dramatically it has changed. In 2007, Europe had the world’s confidence: democracy seemed secure, globalisation was a force for opportunity, EU enlargement was reshaping the continent, and peace felt almost guaranteed. So how did Europe move from the hopeful 2000s to a world of power blocs and war?
This week, Mark Leonard is joined by ECFR co-chairs Carl Bildt, former prime and foreign minister of Sweden, Lykke Friis, former Danish minister of climate, energy and gender equality, and Norbert Röttgen, member of the German parliament, to take stock, 18 years after ECFR began. They assess what Europe misunderstood then; what it must confront now; and what the next two decades might look like.
Why did Europe need a pan-European foreign policy think-tank like ECFR in 2007? Why does it still need one today? And how has ECFR has helped shape debates and policies over the past 18 years?
Bookshelf:
Waves of ambition: Russia’s military build-up in Crimea and the Black Sea
The Leopard plan: How European tanks can help Ukraine take back its territory
This podcast was recorded on November 24th 2025.
