State of the Union: How the energy crisis can strengthen EU unity
The European Commission president’s annual address has not pleased everybody – but its focus on energy reflects a deeper understanding of the nature of security today
European Power
Summer resolution: How to sustain public support for Ukraine
The holiday period could erode public interest in Ukraine. Europeans should recognise that their attitudes towards Russia’s war on the country have consequences.
23 Jun
Il Circolo dell’ECFR: Pandemia e guerra in Ucraina. La visione dei cittadini europei
Lo European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) e Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo organizzano a Torino una nuova edizione de Il Circolo dell’ECFR sulla visione dei cittadini europei su pandemia e guerra in Ucraina
The EU’s sixth sanctions package: A battle of narratives
In the wake of the EU’s latest set of sanctions, European leaders should work quickly to take control of the narrative around sanctions
27 Jun
Balance of interests: keeping decarbonisation on course through the energy crisis
How can member states co-operate concretely to build European energy and climate sovereignty? What role for the new French government and other member states? And what is the role of the financial development institutions such as the EIB?
European solidarity and the Russia-Ukraine war
How sustainable is European unity? And what scenarios of solidarity or division can be expected in the next few months?
Ukraine, Europe, and the power of association: A new way to help aspiring EU states
A new compact could allow Ukraine, Balkans states and others to move closer to the EU and drive reform more powerfully than the current rigid rules
Europe’s soft-power problem
Although Europe has begun to make up for years of neglect in terms of defence spending, it remains woefully ill-equipped to win over other countries through the power of attraction and persuasion. Each side in the European culture war is uniquely unappealing to billions of people around the world.
Efficient influence: Energy initiatives for a geopolitical Europe
Initiatives to improve energy efficiency can reduce the EU’s dependence on Russian fossil fuels. They can also help increase the union’s influence in the global south.
Burn time: The case for a new European energy union
Almost all EU member states are exposed to the fallout for the energy market of Western sanctions on Russia. To protect their energy security and support the green transition, they should form a new energy union.
Articles
State of the Union: How the energy crisis can strengthen EU unity
The European Commission president’s annual address has not pleased everybody – but its focus on energy reflects a deeper understanding of the nature of security today
Summer resolution: How to sustain public support for Ukraine
The holiday period could erode public interest in Ukraine. Europeans should recognise that their attitudes towards Russia’s war on the country have consequences.
The EU’s sixth sanctions package: A battle of narratives
In the wake of the EU’s latest set of sanctions, European leaders should work quickly to take control of the narrative around sanctions
Ukraine, Europe, and the power of association: A new way to help aspiring EU states
A new compact could allow Ukraine, Balkans states and others to move closer to the EU and drive reform more powerfully than the current rigid rules
Europe’s soft-power problem
Although Europe has begun to make up for years of neglect in terms of defence spending, it remains woefully ill-equipped to win over other countries through the power of attraction and persuasion. Each side in the European culture war is uniquely unappealing to billions of people around the world.
Efficient influence: Energy initiatives for a geopolitical Europe
Initiatives to improve energy efficiency can reduce the EU’s dependence on Russian fossil fuels. They can also help increase the union’s influence in the global south.
Burn time: The case for a new European energy union
Almost all EU member states are exposed to the fallout for the energy market of Western sanctions on Russia. To protect their energy security and support the green transition, they should form a new energy union.
Necessary friends: Turkey’s improving relationship with the West
Russia’s war on Ukraine has allowed Turkey to begin to rebuild its relationship with the West. Brussels and Ankara both need to make sacrifices to continue this process and protect their strategic interests.
Why Ukraine has won the right to join NATO
The new European security order should be based on Ukraine’s security, not Russia’s. This will require Ukraine to join NATO and the EU.
Armed for innovation: How to drive German-Italian defence industrial cooperation
Defence industrial cooperation between Italy and Germany could boost the EU’s geopolitical credibility and capacity for technological innovation. There is no strategic autonomy without a strong defence industry.
Podcasts
European solidarity and the Russia-Ukraine war
How sustainable is European unity? And what scenarios of solidarity or division can be expected in the next few months?
War in Ukraine: a stale-mate for the West and NATO’s future?
How should Europe react to Russian loss or indeed victory in this war? And what are the possible ramifications for the West?
Conquering the cyber sphere: How the EU can build digital sovereignty
Europe’s digital transformation and sovereignty has become a question of existential importance. But what does it actually mean to be digital sovereign? Host Mark Leonard…
Why Europe cannot become a giant Switzerland – geopolitical challenges in times of covid-19
The Covid-19 pandemic has shaken the EU’s conception of order and exposed a gap between European aspirations and actions. Firstly, Europeans are confronted with the…
From fragility to vitality – Analysing von der Leyen’s #SOTEU
Ursula von der Leyen’s first State of the European Union speech was as long as it was broad in topics and calls for action. Host…
Trump’s dirty tricks
Although US President Donald Trump’s efforts to undermine the election are shameless, they are still more subtle than the outright election rigging that one finds…
Surveillance and the inevitable AI future
In this week’s episode, we feature one of the focus sessions from our Annual Council Meeting this June. Policy Fellow Ulrike Franke moderated this online…
If you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready: Rethinking global health security
“Defending the WHO is necessary but not sufficient to address the weaknesses that the corvid-19 crisis has revealed. Fundamentally, those weaknesses revolve around the interplay…
Where there’s a will, there’s a way: France, Germany and EU coalition building
In this week’s episode, Mark Leonard presents the new and third edition of ECFR´s Coalition explorer, which also included special questions regarding the impact of…
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…
Events
27 Jun
Balance of interests: keeping decarbonisation on course through the energy crisis
How can member states co-operate concretely to build European energy and climate sovereignty? What role for the new French government and other member states? And what is the role of the financial development institutions such as the EIB?
23 Jun
Il Circolo dell’ECFR: Pandemia e guerra in Ucraina. La visione dei cittadini europei
Lo European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) e Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo organizzano a Torino una nuova edizione de Il Circolo dell’ECFR sulla visione dei cittadini europei su pandemia e guerra in Ucraina
11 Apr
Crisi energetica. La Geopolitica del Green Deal. Sovranità energetica europea, conflitto in Ucraina e competizione tra Grandi Potenze
Il conflitto in Ucraina ha confermato l’urgenza di un’azione congiunta europea su energia e clima
6 Apr
Invasione russa dell’Ucraina: Ruolo dell’UE nel contesto regionale e globale
Gli europei richiedono maggiore cooperazione a lungo termine su diversi dossier, in particolare in materia di sicurezza e difesa
20 Jan
Health security and geopolitical competition: For a more strategic view
The pandemic has transformed public health into an arena of geopolitical competition; at the same time, pandemics like covid-19 are a global challenge requiring international cooperation
17 Dec
Europe’s answer to economic warfare: The EU’s anti-coercion instrument and building sovereignty in a networked world
Join ECFR in this two-part event on the EU’s potentially game-changing geopolitical instrument against economic blackmail from great powers, and the principles that should guide Europe’s quest for economic sovereignty
24 Nov
Digital Challenges in the Great Powers Competition: what geopolitical role for the EU?
Technology is increasingly emerging as a source of geopolitical challenges, but also of geopolitical opportunities. In this framework, the EU has a unique chance to become a trend setter.
5 Jul
Between strategic autonomy and multilateralism: a more resilient future for the EU
The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and ECFR Rome Office aim at fostering a debate on strategic autonomy and how it intertwines with the promotion of multilateralism
21 Apr
Europe’s green moment: How to meet the climate challenge
How can decision-makers mobilise creative coalitions and integrate the European Green Deal into EU foreign policy to deliver on the deal?
19 Feb
Crisi del potere americano? Come gli europei vedono l’America di Biden
Nonostante a novembre gli europei abbiano festeggiato la vittoria di Joe Biden, la maggior parte rimane scettica sulla possibilità di assistere ad una ripresa globale della potenza statunitense
In the media
European capitals could finally understand how a stable and proactive Italy is beneficial for the stability not only of Italy itself, but also of the whole EU
Teresa Coratella analyzes the reasons behind the great European interest in the Italian elections
The energy diplomacy carried out in recent months is a rare example of coherence and strategy in the pursuit of national interest
Arturo Varvelli and Lorena Stella Martini analyse the foreign policy strategy of the Draghi government towards the Southern Mediterranean, and in particular North Africa
Candidate States – starting with Ukraine – should first of all gain access to European ‘four freedoms’ of movement (i.e., people, goods, services and capital).
Susi Dennison believes that a step-by-step approach to EU integration would be more feasible for candidate countries than a confederal Europe
The resilience of European democracies will mostly depend on the capacity of governments to sustain public support for policies that will ultimately bring pain to different social groups
Mark Leonard and Ivan Krastev assess European resilience given the divisions that are emerging on the war in Ukraine, as per ECFR survey conducted in nine EU countries and the UK
56% of Italians consider Russia to be mainly responsible for the outbreak of war in Ukraine, while 27% point instead to the role of Ukraine, the EU or the USA
Italy’s findings from Mark Leonard and Ivan Krastev’s report on European public opinion towards the war in Ukraine, which identified Italy as the less critical country towards Russia among those interviewed