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
Experts & Staff
Lykke Friis
Co-chair of ECFR’s Council
Director of the Danish Think Tank Europa
Biography
Lykke Friis is director of Denmark’s Think Tank Europa. Previously, she served as prorector at the University of Copenhagen; Danish minister of climate, energy, and gender equality; and the Danish liberal party’s spokesperson for European affairs. In 2007, she was appointed as a member of the EU reflection group on the future of Europe. She also covered Germany as a correspondent for the Danish newspaper Berlingske Tidende. Besides ECFR, she chairs the board of directors of Denmark’s House of Energy, is a board member of Team Denmark, and is president of the Danish Cancer Society.
The Neighbourhood: Europe’s enlargement moment
Mark Leonard launches ECFR’s new RE-ENGAGE podcast series with Lykke Friis to explore the future of EU enlargement and Denmark’s role in shaping it
Heart of the matter: How Denmark’s focus on Ukraine and enlargement will define its EU presidency
On 1st July, Poland hands over its EU Council presidency to Denmark. The latter’s focus on EU enlargement and support for Ukraine underscores its bid to reach Europe’s geopolitical heart—and secure Denmark against threats from east and west
European Power
No brain, no brawn: How Trump 2.0 makes an EU Economic Security Network essential
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. In this webinar, Agathe Demarais and Abraham Newman will discuss their recent policy brief, outlining how the creation of an EU network focused on the design and implementation of these…
European Power
Warsaw European Conversation
Polityka Insight and ECFR invite you to join us for the livestream of this year’s Warsaw European Conversation. At Polityka Insight and ECFR, we believe there is an urgent need to engage in a critical conversation about the risks and trends shaping the European project. For this reason, we invite you to join forces, and participate in the…
Giorgia Meloni: Redefining Italy’s place in Europe and the world
Mark Leonard welcomes Lykke Friis, Sylvie Kauffmann, and Arturo Varvelli to discuss Italy’s role on the global stage, and how it fits into Europe’s future
Sustain and prosper: How Europeans can support Ukraine
The EU and its member states need to make an urgent commitment to Ukraine’s security and long-term commitment to its European future. If they do not, they risk alienating the very Ukrainians they seek to support
NATO’s Vilnius summit: The highlights and the future challenges
Mark Leonard is joined by Alex Stubb, Lykke Friis, and Camille Grand, to discuss the outcomes of the NATO summit in Vilnius.
Wider Europe
From surviving to thriving: How Europe should support Ukraine in the long war against Russia
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
Denmark’s Zeitenwende
Denmark’s decision to end its opt-out from EU defence shows that it is still possible to win referendums on closer European integration. Yet it does not signal a broader shift in the country’s EU policy
Publications
Sustain and prosper: How Europeans can support Ukraine
The EU and its member states need to make an urgent commitment to Ukraine’s security and long-term commitment to its European future. If they do not, they risk alienating the very Ukrainians they seek to support
Articles
Heart of the matter: How Denmark’s focus on Ukraine and enlargement will define its EU presidency
On 1st July, Poland hands over its EU Council presidency to Denmark. The latter’s focus on EU enlargement and support for Ukraine underscores its bid to reach Europe’s geopolitical heart—and secure Denmark against threats from east and west
Denmark’s Zeitenwende
Denmark’s decision to end its opt-out from EU defence shows that it is still possible to win referendums on closer European integration. Yet it does not signal a broader shift in the country’s EU policy
Difficult allies: Denmark, social democrats, and the German election
One should not expect members of Europe’s political families to automatically cheer for one another. Copenhagen may find that implementing its European policy will become more difficult if the Social Democratic Party’s Olaf Scholz becomes German chancellor
Reinventing Europe: Denmark caught between ‘ins’ and ‘outs’
As part of the ’Reinventing Europe' project, ECFR is publishing a series of papers on the national debates within EU member states over the crisis and the future direction of Europe. In the tenth of the series Lykke Friis and Jonas Parello-Plesner analyse the situation in Denmark.
How to extend Burma’s Spring
The EU is due to decide on Monday whether to lift sanctions against Burma. Instead of lifting all sanctions the EU should follow a gradual approach and focus on targeted assistance and an ambitious social-responsibility framework for European companies.
Podcasts
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 Neighbourhood: Europe’s enlargement moment
Mark Leonard launches ECFR’s new RE-ENGAGE podcast series with Lykke Friis to explore the future of EU enlargement and Denmark’s role in shaping it
Giorgia Meloni: Redefining Italy’s place in Europe and the world
Mark Leonard welcomes Lykke Friis, Sylvie Kauffmann, and Arturo Varvelli to discuss Italy’s role on the global stage, and how it fits into Europe’s future
NATO’s Vilnius summit: The highlights and the future challenges
Mark Leonard is joined by Alex Stubb, Lykke Friis, and Camille Grand, to discuss the outcomes of the NATO summit in Vilnius.
COP26 and Europe’s green grand bargain
Is the EU in a position to deliver a green grand bargain, or is its role as peripheral now as it was at COP15?
Germany’s election result and what it means for Europe
How are the German election results being perceived throughout Europe? And what do they mean for the future of our continent?
Europe’s pandemic politics: How the virus has changed the public’s worldview
As covid-19 raged, speculation grew that the crisis would re– strengthen public support for the state; faith in…
The EU recovery plan – rather a “Merkron” than a “Hamiltonian” moment?
The recent Franco-German proposal for an EU recovery fund sparked a lively debate on possible changes in EU’s nature, suggesting that the plan to raise…
Events
European Power
No brain, no brawn: How Trump 2.0 makes an EU Economic Security Network essential
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. In this webinar, Agathe Demarais and Abraham Newman will discuss their recent policy brief, outlining how the creation of an EU network focused on the design and implementation of these…
European Power
Warsaw European Conversation
Polityka Insight and ECFR invite you to join us for the livestream of this year’s Warsaw European Conversation. At Polityka Insight and ECFR, we believe there is an urgent need to engage in a critical conversation about the risks and trends shaping the European project. For this reason, we invite you to join forces, and participate in the…
Wider Europe
From surviving to thriving: How Europe should support Ukraine in the long war against Russia
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
European Power
Transatlantic relations after President Joe Biden’s first 100 days in office
How central is the EU to the US and its interests in Europe? And how does the public in European countries view Biden’s America?
In the media
Lykke Friis on the Danish general election result
Lykke Friis on Denmark’s EU Presidency
With Nawrocki as president, there is a risk that Poland will cooperate more with Victor Orbán than Friedrich Merz – I think that is clear for everyone in Europe.
Lykke Friis on the changes in Polish foreign policy under Karol Nawrocki.
I suspect the EU will open a different track for membership, with more gradual admission
Lykke Friis comments on the EU in 2035
I suspect the EU will open a different track for membership, with more gradual admission
Lykke Friis speaks about her thoughts on the future of Europe