Experts & Staff

Carl Bildt

Co-chair of ECFR’s Council
Former Prime Minister and Former Foreign Minister of Sweden

Biography

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.

Is peace in Donbas possible?

An ambitious international peacekeeping and transition operation is badly needed in the Donbas

Taking Turkey seriously

Make no mistake: the West’s attitude toward Turkey matters

More Europe, less Brussels

The idea of the Union must resonate with all Europeans, not just those who get invited to exclusive meetings. The era of Aachen is over; the age of Bratislava has arrived.

Ukraine: The case for ‘voor’

Ahead of the Dutch Ukraine referendum, ECFR co-chair Carl Bildt makes the case for greater integration and cooperation with Europe's eastern neighbour

The future global order

In the first episode of this series, Carl Bildt explains that with the dramatic increase in the importance of the cyber world, Europe must create the right environment in which an open, dynamic and global internet can flourish. It is a vital European interest and one that we are neglecting.

Publications

Articles

The challenges ahead: What to watch for in 2024

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

A war of wills: Europe’s peace mission in 2024

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

What now?

In this age of danger, we will need a strong EU and a strong NATO

Afghanistan: How it could have been different

Nothing was inevitable about the Taliban reconquering of Afghanistan. But in the end the US lost what minimal strategic patience it had.

The Balkans non-paper and the dangers of Plan B

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

The Armenian model for Belarus

While many Western observers have seized on Ukraine's 2004-5 and 2014 revolutions to understand the mass protests in Belarus, a much better analogy is Armenia's democratic transition in 2018. 

Hashim Thaci should resign

The indictment for war crimes against Kosovo President Hassim Thaci helpfully upends the poorly conceived US initiative to reconcile Serbia and Kosovo. But it fatally delegitimates Kosovo’s current leadership.

Podcasts

Events

In the media