Euroscepticism in Germany: Normalisation or radicalisation?
This week, hosts Jeremy Cliffe and Jana Puglierin discuss German election campaign frontrunner Friedrich Merz’s bid to win Bundestag votes on migration with support from…
Experts & Staff
Jeremy Cliffe
Editorial Director
Senior Policy Fellow
Areas of expertise
European politics and foreign policy; EU institutions; Multilateralism; Geopolitics and global order
Languages
English (native), French, German, Italian, Spanish
Biography
Jeremy Cliffe is editorial director and senior fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. He leads the editorial team, oversees ECFR’s publications, and writes on the politics and geopolitics of European sovereignty as part of the European Power programme. He is also a future world fellow at IE University in Madrid.
Previously Cliffe spent eight years at The Economist, where he wrote the Bagehot and Charlemagne columns, and served as bureau chief in Berlin and Brussels. He subsequently joined the New Statesman as international editor, building and leading the magazine’s global affairs coverage, before working as chief speechwriter and special adviser at the Open Society Foundations.
Cliffe has written widely across the European media including for The Guardian, Die Zeit, Il Foglio, and El País, and appeared on broadcasters including CNN, CNBC, BBC World, Al Jazeera, and Deutsche Welle. He has also written and presented documentaries for BBC Radio 4. Cliffe was educated at the universities of Oxford and Harvard.
The China factor: Compete or double down?
Germany’s industrial model thrived for years thanks to soaring Chinese demand. But the relationship has recently become more contentious. This week, hosts Jeremy Cliffe and Jana…
Trump and tariffs: Stick or carrot?
With President Donald Trump and his threat of sweeping tariffs looming large over the German election campaign, co-hosts Jeremy Cliffe and Jana Puglierin discuss the…
German leadership: Gone for good or just resting?
Welcome to the inaugural episode of Searching for Deutschland, a new podcast by ECFR exploring the European and foreign policy dimensions of the German election…
Election countdown: New Germany, new Europe, new podcast
Mark Leonard welcomes Jeremy Cliffe and Jana Puglierin to discuss ECFR’s new podcast mini-series, Searching for Deutschland
Germany has gone missing
Germany has gone missing at a crucial juncture for Europe. In the lead up its federal election on February 23rd, ECFR has launched “Searching for Deutschland”, a new podcast which aims to discuss the domestic fault-lines behind Germany’s foreign policy disorientation
The Merz doctrine: What a CDU-led government would mean for German foreign policy
Germany’s likely next chancellor shares his party’s pro-EU and Atlanticist instincts, but also the country’s wider reluctance to play an exceptional international role
Germany special: The coalition collapse
Mark Leonard welcomes Jeremy Cliffe, Janka Oertel, and Jana Puglierin to discuss the collapse of the German government coalition
The emergency lane: How the EU can speed up its crisis responses
In times of crisis the EU can no longer rely on its standard, slow procedures. A European Defence Production Act could transform its ability to deal with shocks
Asia
EU sanctions for a conflict around Taiwan: What’s Europe’s leverage against China?
As the United States shifts its focus toward Southeast Asia and China, Europe faces a critical moment in evaluating its own approach to a potential conflict over Taiwan. Perhaps counterintuitively, the EU likely holds more economic leverage over China than the bloc typically assumes. This is because Beijing would probably factor in retaliatory sanctions from…
Publications
Rise to the challengers: Europe’s populist parties and its foreign policy future
An array of populist parties are challenging Europe’s foreign policy mainstream. To secure European sovereignty, its politicians need to adapt—which means preparing for a variety of future diplomatic scenarios
Articles
From fence-sitter to pace-setter: How Merz’s Germany can lead Europe
On foreign policy, Germany’s new chancellor will be pulled between conservatism and radicalism. For Europe’s sake, he must choose the latter
Out of its time: Germany’s ominous election campaign
To restore much-needed German impetus in Europe, the country’s next government must find a new sense of urgency and common purpose
The Merz doctrine: What a CDU-led government would mean for German foreign policy
Germany’s likely next chancellor shares his party’s pro-EU and Atlanticist instincts, but also the country’s wider reluctance to play an exceptional international role
The emergency lane: How the EU can speed up its crisis responses
In times of crisis the EU can no longer rely on its standard, slow procedures. A European Defence Production Act could transform its ability to deal with shocks
Podcasts
A new chapter in German politics
Mark Leonard welcomes Jeremy Cliffe and Jana Puglierin to discuss the inauguration of the new German government, led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz
German elections: Impact and implications for Europe
Mark Leonard welcomes Searching for Deutschland co-hosts Jeremy Cliffe and Jana Puglierin, and ECFR colleagues Piotr Buras and Marie Dumoulin, to discuss the impact of Germany’s federal election on the country and beyond
What comes next: European discord or European leadership?
The final episode of Searching for Deutschland—a special crossover with the World in 30 Minutes—sees experts from Berlin, London, Paris and Warsaw break down the…
Germany’s election results: Continuity or turning point?
On the morning after Germany’s election, Searching for Deutschland hosts Jeremy Cliffe and Jana Puglierin were joined for a live webinar by ECFR colleagues Timo Lochocki and…
Ukraine and the US-Russia talks: Deterrence or disarray?
In Searching for Deutschland’s last pre-election episode, hosts Jeremy Cliffe and Jana Puglierin review the Munich Security Conference, the US-Russia talks on Ukraine, and what the new era…
Defence and the Zeitenwende: Glass half-empty or half-full?
Ahead of the Munich Security Conference, hosts Jeremy Cliffe and Jana Puglierin talk German defence and the future of the country’s armed forces. They review the first…
Euroscepticism in Germany: Normalisation or radicalisation?
This week, hosts Jeremy Cliffe and Jana Puglierin discuss German election campaign frontrunner Friedrich Merz’s bid to win Bundestag votes on migration with support from…
The China factor: Compete or double down?
Germany’s industrial model thrived for years thanks to soaring Chinese demand. But the relationship has recently become more contentious. This week, hosts Jeremy Cliffe and Jana…
Trump and tariffs: Stick or carrot?
With President Donald Trump and his threat of sweeping tariffs looming large over the German election campaign, co-hosts Jeremy Cliffe and Jana Puglierin discuss the…
German leadership: Gone for good or just resting?
Welcome to the inaugural episode of Searching for Deutschland, a new podcast by ECFR exploring the European and foreign policy dimensions of the German election…
Events
European Power
ECFR election insights: Will Germany lead or lag in Europe’s next foreign policy chapter?
Germany’s election results are in—now what? Join the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) for a timely post-election analysis in the early morning after results are in. What does the outcome mean for Germany’s role on the European and global stage? Will the new government take a leadership role in shaping Europe’s foreign policy, or will…
Asia
EU sanctions for a conflict around Taiwan: What’s Europe’s leverage against China?
As the United States shifts its focus toward Southeast Asia and China, Europe faces a critical moment in evaluating its own approach to a potential conflict over Taiwan. Perhaps counterintuitively, the EU likely holds more economic leverage over China than the bloc typically assumes. This is because Beijing would probably factor in retaliatory sanctions from…
In the media
Jeremy Cliffe, Teresa Coratella, Camille Lons, and Arturo Varvell on the accusation on the EU for prioritising militaristic spending above investments in education and health
Jeremy Cliffe on the assessment of the EU’s decision to loan Ukraine without unanimity
Jeremy Cliffe on the Trump administration’s national security strategy and the European response to it
Jeremy Cliffe on the US National Security Strategy and the response from the EU
Jeremy Cliffe on on the political agenda of D66 in the Netherlands