ECFR’s new research reveals Europeans are suffering from an imagination gap. Many people want to see Europe strong and flourishing—but fewer can picture a credible route from today’s disruptions to that destination
Turkey hosted this year’s NATO summit and fields the alliance’s second-largest army, arms Ukraine while trading with Russia, and remains an EU candidate whose accession talks collapsed years ago. Europeans keep asking whether Ankara can be anchored in the West or is drifting away. Both questions assume Turkey must eventually choose a home when…
Icelanders voted no because of old, domestic reasons: fish, the currency and comfort with the status quo. The result was not a victory for the far-right—but the heated campaign is a warning sign for Icelandic political life
At July’s NATO summit in Ankara, European leaders accepted that they must carry more of their own defence. Turning that promise into money means winning a fight over the EU’s next seven-year budget, against coalitions that have defended farm and cohesion spending for decades
Drone warfare in Europe is no longer tomorrow’s problem. The continent is under attack by drones today, and the threat is not isolated in the east
A Le Pen-led France would mean major changes to European politics. Here’s how political leaders can begin to prepare
A Team Enlargement coalition of EU member states can drive the changes needed to bring Ukraine and others into the bloc
When the fighting in Ukraine stops, America and Europe will likely end up facing Russia in a low-grade rivalry for years to come. Here is how to prevent that disordered rivalry from sliding into another war
The next industrial revolution will be built with microbes as much as machines. China understands this. Europe still has the science to compete but must act quickly before industrial leadership slips away again
Those who follow only intergovernmental negotiations or debates in the media might think that nothing has changed in the decade since the United Kingdom’s voters decided to leave the European Union. Yet new polling finds that large majorities on both sides of the English Channel now support re-engagement
Drone warfare in Europe is no longer tomorrow’s problem. The continent is under attack by drones today, and the threat is not isolated in the east
A Le Pen-led France would mean major changes to European politics. Here’s how political leaders can begin to prepare
A Team Enlargement coalition of EU member states can drive the changes needed to bring Ukraine and others into the bloc
When the fighting in Ukraine stops, America and Europe will likely end up facing Russia in a low-grade rivalry for years to come. Here is how to prevent that disordered rivalry from sliding into another war
The next industrial revolution will be built with microbes as much as machines. China understands this. Europe still has the science to compete but must act quickly before industrial leadership slips away again
Ten years on from the referendum, the British electorate has moved on from its old divisions and—in a world of crisis—is embracing an ambitious move back towards the European Union
The EU can exploit its system to say no to China—now, and long into the future
The next Trump crisis will come. European governments facing American pressure will need to weigh the costs and benefits of their responses. Here are two scenarios to show what resistance costs, and why those costs are lower than they appear
The US under Trump will seek new ways to coerce Europe economically. Here is how Europeans can resist the pressure and emerge stronger for it
A major ECFR poll finds the European public, in a time of rupture, thinking differently and questioning old assumptions. It reveals new political space available to their leaders (for now) and challenges them to use it
Icelanders voted no because of old, domestic reasons: fish, the currency and comfort with the status quo. The result was not a victory for the far-right—but the heated campaign is a warning sign for Icelandic political life
At July’s NATO summit in Ankara, European leaders accepted that they must carry more of their own defence. Turning that promise into money means winning a fight over the EU’s next seven-year budget, against coalitions that have defended farm and cohesion spending for decades
Those who follow only intergovernmental negotiations or debates in the media might think that nothing has changed in the decade since the United Kingdom’s voters decided to leave the European Union. Yet new polling finds that large majorities on both sides of the English Channel now support re-engagement
A full return will require a marathon of democratic persuasion, on the continent as much as in Britain. For one side holds most of the cards
The lifting of the Hungarian veto opens up new opportunities for Ukraine’s and Moldova’s EU accession
As Europe rearms, the real vulnerability is not on tanks or missiles but the software and networks behind them. The union can import weapons. It cannot afford to outsource the digital systems that make modern military power possible
Beijing no longer needs to actively deploy economic coercion to shape Europe’s economic agenda in its interest
Under a barrage of cognitive warfare, European governments need institutions designed to interpret threats, coordinate responses and act fast
Iranian strikes on Qatar’s LNG infrastructure are complicating Brussels’ plans to ditch Russian gas, handing Washington and Moscow fresh leverage
The Iran war is a reminder Europeans should move quickly to install a monitoring network that could identify a “dirty bomb”
ECFR’s new research reveals Europeans are suffering from an imagination gap. Many people want to see Europe strong and flourishing—but fewer can picture a credible route from today’s disruptions to that destination
Julien Barnes-Dacey welcomes Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud to discuss how the recently inked US-Iran deal could deliver a more stable regional order
Mark Leonard is joined by Ayşe Zarakol to explore whether we are entering an era of “unorder”—and what this means for Europe’s ability to adapt, survive and redefine its role in the world
Mark Leonard introduces his new book Surviving Chaos: Geopolitics When the Rules Fail. He is joined by Carl Bildt, Ivan Krastev, Gideon Rachman and Helle Thorning-Schmidt to unpack how capital, climate, chips, and civilisation are reshaping global politics
Mark Leonard is joined by Szymon Kardaś to discuss how the war in Iran is affecting energy prices and supplies in Europe
Mark Leonard welcomes Lea Ypi to discuss her latest book on indignity—and how lessons from the past can help the left counter the new right
Mark Leonard welcomes Julien Barnes-Dacey, Jana Kobzová, Andrew Small and Alex Vines to discuss upcoming political changes in 2026
Mark Leonard welcomes Tobias Gehrke and Andrew Small to discuss how Europeans can combat varieties of Chinese economic coercion
Mark Leonard welcomes Dan Wang to explore China’s evolving technological dominance and how its rivalry with the US and Europe will look in the future
Mark Leonard welcomes Ulrike Franke to unpack the crisis around Europe’s Future Combat Air System
Mark Leonard is joined by Gladden Pappin to explore the liberal international order and the recent shift in EU-US relations
Turkey hosted this year’s NATO summit and fields the alliance’s second-largest army, arms Ukraine while trading with Russia, and remains an EU candidate whose accession talks collapsed years ago. Europeans keep asking whether Ankara can be anchored in the West or is drifting away. Both questions assume Turkey must eventually choose a home when…
L’Ufficio di Roma dello European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) ha preso parte al Summit “Europe’s Independence Moment”, organizzato da Future Proof Society a Brescia dal 22 al 24 maggio 2026. Due gli appuntamenti in programma: 22 maggio (ore 18:00 – 19:30): Masterclass di Politica Internazionale, presso il Salone delle Scenografie del Teatro…
The international system is no longer held together by a single dominant vision of order. While the US is retreating from its dominant role, China and Russia are advancing competing models of order. In this context, middle powers are actively pursuing new strategies to secure their autonomy and expand their influence. They are challenging established hierarchies, reshaping economic and connectivity networks, and building alternative forms of cooperation that…
A growing transatlantic narrative claims that climate action is a gift to China and pressure is mounting on European policymakers to delay and water down the continent’s energy transition to safeguard its competitiveness. Yet such a dilemma between fighting climate change and remaining competitive is largely fallacious: the energy transition is already reshaping the global balance of…
Polityka Insight and ECFR Warsaw invite you to join us for the livestream of this year’s Warsaw European Conversation. When Europe was planning its 2021–2027 budget back in 2019, hardly anyone had heard of COVID-19, few could have imagined a full-scale war between Russia and Ukraine, and Donald Trump was defending himself against…
As European and German politics are being reshaped by electoral volatility, fragmented party systems, and the continued rise of populist forces, we are delighted to invite you to a public debate on “The New Right: Anatomy of a Global Revolution.” In the aftermath of the important regional elections in Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate,…
This year, the initiative focused on Europe’s response to the challenges posed by the now well-established rise of a new class of tech oligarchs, increasingly capable of influencing the political and institutional dynamics of our democracies. Against the backdrop of Donald Trump’s return to the White House and the growing interdependence between political and…
Russia’s hybrid warfare targeting NATO states has intensified since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Attacks on digital and energy infrastructure as well as drone incursions into NATO airspace occur almost daily now and put the alliance on alert about the potential of Russian aggression in the not-too-distant future. Between US president Trump…
La Commissione europea ha recentemente presentato il nuovo Patto per il Mediterraneo, con l’obiettivo di rilanciare la cooperazione politica, economica e di sicurezza con i Paesi partner del Mediterraneo meridionale, e ha rinnovato il suo impegno nella promozione di partenariati strategici in geografie chiave attraverso il Global Gateway. Parallelamente, negli ultimi mesi l’Italia ha intensificato…
Since the return of U.S. President Donald Trump to the White House in January, European policymakers have been struggling to sketch a sensible response to Trumponomics – an unpredictable, fast-changing and often baffling mix of U.S. trade, investment and finance policies that have a direct impact on Europe’s interests. In her latest ECFR policy brief,…
Alberto Rizzi on European solidarity from Ceuta to China trade disputes
