Trick or treat? French and German views on ‘Brextension’
The heads of ECFR’s offices in Paris and Berlin share the thinking in their countries about the latest round in the Brexit saga
Experts & Staff
Tara Varma
Head, ECFR Paris
Policy Fellow
Areas of expertise
French foreign policy; European security; politics and security in Asia
Languages
French, English, Spanish, Hindi
Biography
Tara Varma is a policy fellow and head of the Paris office of the European Council on Foreign Relations, where she follows French foreign policy and European and Asian security developments.
She looks particularly at current French defence and security proposals in the European framework. She is also interested in Asian security, and the role Europeans could play in it, notably in the Indo-Pacific region. Varma joined ECFR in January 2015 as a coordinator and then deputy head of the Paris office. She previously worked and lived in Shanghai, Delhi and Paris. She graduated from Sciences Po Lille and SOAS in London in International Relations, with a focus on Asian Politics and Indian and Chinese foreign policies.
Trick or treat? French and German views on ‘Brextension’
The heads of ECFR’s offices in Paris and Berlin share the thinking in their countries about the latest round in the Brexit saga
Von der Leyen’s EU Commission: Picks for a Union that strives for more
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Independence Play: Europe’s Pursuit of Strategic Autonomy
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Independence play: Europe’s pursuit of strategic autonomy
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The WhatsApp election: The fake news challenge to democracy
India’s general election is an important phase in the battle against fake news. But is it too late to avert further social media-fuelled violence in the volatile campaign atmosphere?
L’avenir de la démocratie en Europe
Podcast de notre conférence du 24 avril « L'avenir de la démocratie en Europe » en partenariat avec la Revue Esprit, en présence…
Gilets Jaunes: A French crisis?
Mark Leonard speaks with Simon Kuper, Tara Varma and Manuel Lafont Rapnouil about the Yellow Vest Movement, and whetherit’s only a French phenomenon. The podcast…
Will the yellow vests movement spread across Europe?
The yellow vests could have more influence than expected on the debates leading up to the European Parliament election
Publications
A new transatlantic bargain: An action plan for transformation, not restoration
The Trump years galvanised Europeans’ efforts to strengthen their own sovereignty; they now need to agree concrete offers they can make to the new administration
Health sovereignty: How to build a resilient European response to pandemics
Europe must improve its early warning systems, supply chain resilience, medical R&D, and cyber security and technology, to act decisively in future emergencies
Articles
The lonely leader: The origins of France’s strategy for EU foreign policy
Many EU member states argue that President Emmanuel Macron does not consistently follow his own advice on the need for European defence cooperation. France should respond by taking the lead while involving its close partners
Protecting Europe from economic coercion: Strategy after the 2020 US election
Europe needs to enhance its toolbox for protection against economic coercion, carefully balancing its strategy in five areas
Second acts: How Europe can renew the transatlantic partnership
This could be the moment to build a more balanced transatlantic relationship, with Europeans showing the US where we need it to engage, and how – rather than simply waiting for cues from Washington
Views from the capitals: Gas conflict in the eastern Mediterranean
Experts from ECFR’s national offices address the tensions in the eastern Mediterranean over gas reserves
Macron, Merkel, and Europe’s “moment of truth”
The French president has laid down the gauntlet by warning the European political project could end if it fails to embrace burden-sharing. One of two scenarios could now play out.
Views from the capitals: How the row over coronabonds is tearing Europe apart
ECFR’s national offices discuss the emerging divisions between EU member states on the economic response to covid-19
Covid-19 and European solidarity: The fight for who we are
Now is the time for the EU to harness its transformational power – and to protect citizens without turning in on itself
The search for freedom of action: Macron’s speech on nuclear deterrence
The French president reached out to the rest of Europe on Russia, the transatlantic relationship, and European solidarity.
Rocking the boat: The Macron method
The thread that runs through most of Macron’s speeches and declarations is European strategic sovereignty: he fears that Europe will be marginalised in a world in which authoritarian powers are rising.
After the French veto: The new scramble for the Western Balkans
Without a credible path to EU membership, the Western Balkans could easily succumb to the lure of regional nationalism – and to generous Russian, Turkish, and Chinese offers in the EU’s own back yard
Specials
Independence play: Europe’s pursuit of strategic autonomy
To fulfil its true potential, the EU needs to end its strategic cacophony and focus on capability building
Eyes tight shut: European attitudes towards nuclear deterrence
Europeans remain unwilling to renew their thinking on nuclear deterrence, despite growing strategic instability. Their stated goal of “strategic autonomy” will remain an empty phrase until they engage seriously on this matter. This intellectual under-investment looks set to continue despite: a revived debate “German bomb” debate; a new Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons; and the collapse of the INF treaty. Attitudes to nuclear deterrence differ radically from country to country – something which any new engagement on the nuclear dimension will have to contend with. And, while many governments and their voting publics are aligned in attitudes, in some crucial players like Germany the government and public are at loggerheads. No European initiative to declare strategic nuclear autonomy is yet practicable but a strategy to hedge for future uncertainties is available. As a first step, the UK and France should convert the idea of a European deterrent from mere notion into credible offer, by thickening their bilateral nuclear cooperation and sending growing signals that indicate their readiness to protect others.
Podcasts
Anxious allies: European sovereignty after the US election
How much impact does the future US president have on the very concept of European sovereignty? Will the idea and initiatives to build more strategic autonomy in Europe be put back to bed with Joe Biden in the White House?
Rifts under sea and on land: The multiple crises in the Eastern Mediterranean
In the eastern Mediterranean, a scramble is under way between countries in the region for access to recently discovered gas fields, often overlapping with wider…
The Biden effect and the future of US-Europe relations | Part II
After last week’s discussion with Matt Duss and Jeremy Shapiro, Mark Leonard follows up by gathering the European views on a possible Biden win and…
Europe’s role in global health & how to build European health sovereignty
“If it’s about Europe´s role in global health, a big part of it is Europe's health sovereignty which we want to make one of the…
Fighting racism together: anti-racism protests in the US and Europe
The ongoing anti-racism demonstrations in the United States spurred by the brutal killing of George Floyd spread across the Atlantic. In many European countries, people…
“We are all in this together” – The coronavirus crisis as a collective emotional experience?
Emotions are an increasingly important part of contemporary politics. Strategies based on fear, nostalgia or hope are used by political leaders all over Europe to…
Von der Leyen’s EU Commission: Picks for a Union that strives for more
Mark Leonard is meeting his ECFR colleagues, Tara Varma, Piotr Buras and Teresa Coratello in Berlin to go through the newly selected EU Commission. What…
Independence Play: Europe’s Pursuit of Strategic Autonomy
In the final episode of our special summer series on European strategic sovereignty, regular host Mark Leonard is joined by two of ECFR’s own experts:…
What is Europe’s maritime security role in the South China Sea?
Le podcast de notre BCM du 24 juin « What is Europe's maritime security role in the South China Sea? » en présence de Mathieu Duchâtel, directeur du programme Asie…
L’avenir de la démocratie en Europe
Podcast de notre conférence du 24 avril « L'avenir de la démocratie en Europe » en partenariat avec la Revue Esprit, en présence…
In the media
Tara Varma being interviewed about the India-France Strategic Dialogue.
Tara Varma participated in the radio show "Affaires étrangères" on France Culture to discuss the vaccination campaigns across the world.
Tara Varma wrote a short text for Le Grand Continent assessing the European strategic autonomy for 2020.
It seems strange to separate external and security policies, since these two areas are linked. The Brits will stay partners in NATO and on a bilateral level with France.
Tara Varma is quoted regarding the Brexit agreement signed between the EU and the UK.
Tara Varma is quoted regarding the Biden administration stance on the Nord Stream 2 project.