Co-chair of ECFR’s Council
Former Prime Minister and Former Foreign Minister of Sweden
Carl Bildt served as both prime minister and foreign minister of Sweden. Under his leadership, the government initiated major liberal economic reforms and negotiated Sweden’s accession to the EU. Previously, he served as EU special envoy to the former Yugoslavia, high representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, UN special envoy to the Balkans, and co-chair of the Dayton Peace Conference. He also chaired the Global Commission on Internet Governance. In 2021, he was appointed WHO special envoy for the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator.
The event will explore recent developments in the international landscape and reflect on how Europeans can respond to an evolving global context. Mark Leonard will also present the main findings from his upcoming book ‘Surviving Chaos: Geopolitics When the Rules Fail‘. The discussion is organised in partnership with the Delegation of the European Union to…
Trump’s military action in Venezuela highlights America’s hemispheric turn, its disregard for international law and the president’s growing reliance on force. Europe faces tough choices to defend its interests
We Europeans certainly have our challenges. We need to revive our entrepreneurial spirit, beef up our defences, manage migration. But we are successful and confident societies. And we are certainly not going extinct
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
Mark Leonard welcomes Carl Bildt and Ivan Krastev to discuss a new ECFR major report on how the United States president is reshaping European politics and redefining the continent’s geopolitical identity
Mark Leonard welcomes Carl Bildt and Arancha González to discuss their insights from public conversations and private meetings at the World Economic Forum 2025
Defensive economic strategies might slow Europe’s decline, but they won’t secure its future. Only bold reforms and an offensive trade agenda can restore its competitive edge
As Brussels gears up for the next institutional cycle, it should first take stock of the last five years of EU foreign policy
Vladimir Putin’s ramblings to a compliant Tucker Carlson exposed the true motivations for Russia’s war against Ukraine
Amid the ongoing political turmoil and with half of the world’s population going to the polls, the EU needs to prepare for another stormy year
The bloc should reframe how it speaks of human rights and democracy, while developing closer security and military links with select neighbours
The Biden administration’s Interim National Security Strategic Guidance reflects an evolution in US strategic thinking and policy priorities
It will be difficult to sustain progress for Bosnia or the region without a credible and clear EU accession process
Introduction The last five years have not been kind to the European Union’s foreign policy. The EU has been less relevant, less active, and less…
Two decades after the end of the Bosnian war Carl Bildt considers the successes and failures of Dayton
Trump’s military action in Venezuela highlights America’s hemispheric turn, its disregard for international law and the president’s growing reliance on force. Europe faces tough choices to defend its interests
We Europeans certainly have our challenges. We need to revive our entrepreneurial spirit, beef up our defences, manage migration. But we are successful and confident societies. And we are certainly not going extinct
Defensive economic strategies might slow Europe’s decline, but they won’t secure its future. Only bold reforms and an offensive trade agenda can restore its competitive edge
As Brussels gears up for the next institutional cycle, it should first take stock of the last five years of EU foreign policy
Vladimir Putin’s ramblings to a compliant Tucker Carlson exposed the true motivations for Russia’s war against Ukraine
Amid the ongoing political turmoil and with half of the world’s population going to the polls, the EU needs to prepare for another stormy year
Russia will continue its war on Ukraine for as long as it can. Europeans need to make it clear that their will to support Kyiv will not falter
In this age of danger, we will need a strong EU and a strong NATO
Nothing was inevitable about the Taliban reconquering of Afghanistan. But in the end the US lost what minimal strategic patience it had
Only a firm framework of integration can bring long-term stability to the Balkans – this is as relevant today as it was in 2003, when EU leaders offered membership to all countries in the region
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
Mark Leonard welcomes Carl Bildt and Ivan Krastev to discuss a new ECFR major report on how the United States president is reshaping European politics and redefining the continent’s geopolitical identity
Mark Leonard welcomes Carl Bildt and Arancha González to discuss their insights from public conversations and private meetings at the World Economic Forum 2025
What can Sweden and Finland offer NATO? And are they worried about the Kremlin’s threats to attack their countries?
The event will explore recent developments in the international landscape and reflect on how Europeans can respond to an evolving global context. Mark Leonard will also present the main findings from his upcoming book ‘Surviving Chaos: Geopolitics When the Rules Fail‘. The discussion is organised in partnership with the Delegation of the European Union to…
To brace for a “Long War”, Europe needs to be ready to take its lessons learned from more than half a year of the war to heart and deliver enduring support to Ukraine
This event is the second webinar in a two-part series on current developments in the global use of economic coercion
Carl Bildt on the necessity for Europe to provide further support to Ukraine
Carl Bildt on the potential for a military intervention by Trump against Greenland
Carl Bildt on the Trump’s obsession with the Western Hemisphere and his willingness to assert power over Greenland
Carl Bildt on the seriousness of the US’s threat against Greenland and the necessity for Europe to arm itself
Carl Bildt warns of the potential for a brute-force conflict with the US over Greenland
