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Germany’s long-awaited pivot to leading Europe

Chancellor German Friedrich Merz is wasting no time in reshaping Berlin’s role in Europe and farther afield. To achieve his foreign policy objectives, the chancellor must have a strategic outlook and demonstrate conviction

At the same time, he will likely support military aid for Ukraine. He holds no sympathy for Russian President Vladimir Putin and recognizes that Ukraine’s victory is vital to Poland’s interests. As a result, it will be difficult for him to align with Washington if U.S. President Donald Trump pursues a reset with Moscow.

Razor-Thin and deeply divided: The Polish election shock

By: EBR | Tuesday, June 3, 2025

The election of populist Karol Nawrocki as Poland’s president poses challenges to the country’s reform agenda and deeper EU integration. Yet, the narrow result underscores that Poland still has a strong, resilient pro-European democratic core.

While the Civic Platform chose Rafal Trzaskowski, the Mayor of Warsaw, a nice liberal politician like London Mayor Sadiq Khan, to be its candidate for President, the PiS allowed Nawrocki to run as an “independent,” albeit one who, like PiS politicians, is an anti-abortion, anti-EU, anti-gay, anti-woke candidate.

Sobering News from Poland: Advantage PiS and Nawrocki

By: EBR | Tuesday, June 3, 2025

Poland’s new President, a strident nationalist, is politically close to Trump and Farage — and a potential misfortune for the EU‘s political center.

Until then, it is worth revisiting, from time to time, the central assertion regarding natural rights in the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

The U.S. State Department’s artful misreading of contemporary Europe

By: EBR | Monday, June 2, 2025

Does Europe really need a crusade from American shores to save it? On the dangers of using the history of Western intellectual thought to conflate questions of legal governance with political persecution.

But those in Europe who say broaching the topic and presenting a plan would encourage the Trump administration to abandon the Europeans infantilize their American counterparts. Also, Europeans cannot keep pretending that every single capability the United States provides is irreplaceable and unattainable. It undermines their own credibility and desirability as allies. If everything is vital, nothing is.

The irresistible plan Europeans can offer Trump to save NATO

By: EBR | Wednesday, May 28, 2025

At the next NATO summit, Europeans have an opportunity to set new conditions for decades to come. They can strengthen the alliance by committing to a timeline that allows for a U.S. drawdown while preserving American strategic enablers

First of all, my train from Paris to Frankfurt departed two hours late. This is not entirely surprising. German trains are frequently very late or cancelled — something which is quite rare in France.

Germany goes loopy

By: EBR | Monday, May 26, 2025

Let me first dispel the myth that all Germans speak English. It is quite simply not true.

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Some Labour ministers use Theresa May’s slogan she “would make Brexit work.” That is an oxymoron. When the very conservative governor of the Bank of England says here will be no growth if we continue to set our faces against trade with Europe that is an ex-cathedra statement saying Adieu to Brexit.

The ancient mariners of Brexit are losing the plot

By: EBR | Wednesday, May 21, 2025

So the white smoke emerged from Whitehall as the Prime Minister didn’t quite say “Habemas a Deal”. at the end of the much hyped UK-EU reset talks

They have also guided Ukrainian officials with daily advice behind the scenes on everything, from communications to diplomacy, to help them repair their severely damaged relationship with the U.S administration after the blow-up between Trump, U.S. Vice President JD Vance, and Zelensky in the Oval office at the end of February.

Why Europeans should impose a ceasefire in Ukraine

By: EBR | Tuesday, May 13, 2025

The meeting of EU leaders in Ukraine underscored their reliance on the United States for game-changing actions to end Russia’s war. But Europeans can influence military efforts on the ground, including interdicting Russian attacks over Kyiv

Also, the transactionalism taking over international relations has infected several EU member states, which is increasing the risk of deadlock and disunity in the bloc at a crucial moment. Hungary is already set to block the renewal of EU sanctions against Russia in June and veto the beginning of membership negotiations with Ukraine. If this veto persists, some member states that support Ukraine may consider blocking any progress on the Western Balkans to put pressure on Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

EU enlargement in the age of geopolitics

By: EBR | Thursday, May 8, 2025

EU enlargement remains the union’s most potent tool to strengthen unity and stability in Europe. But to succeed in this era of geopolitical standoffs between great powers, enlargement requires greater EU engagement and an innovative, differentiated approach

But in April, the Parliament’s legal affairs committee backed a legal opinion rejecting the Commission’s approach. The Parliament’s legal service argued the legal basis was procedurally inappropriate, as the proposal fails to meet the threshold for emergency powers.

Metsola to Commission: Change legal basis for €150bn defence fund or face EU court

By: EBR | Wednesday, May 7, 2025

Metsola has considered legal action against the Commission for invoking an emergency clause to bypass Parliament oversight.

In this election, Russian influence was amplified by pressure from elements of the Trump-aligned MAGA movement to create a window of opportunity for a radical reversal of the country’s democratic course and strategic orientation. Simion’s success will no doubt embolden them. Russian influence has already become normalized, and has continued more visibly and explicitly after the annulled presidential election last year.

When disillusion meets interference in Romania

By: EBR | Tuesday, May 6, 2025

Far-right candidate George Simion’s lead in Romania’s presidential election reflects public discontent with political elites. To safeguard democracy in Europe, political parties must better represent their voters and engage with them in a fair information environment.

France and Germany have a special responsibility to shepherd Europe through the epochal geopolitical crisis at hand. To assert Europe’s geopolitical power, Paris and Berlin must revamp their foreign and defense strategies as well as their economic fundamentals, and cooperate with Nordic, Baltic, and Polish allies.

France and Germany are staring into the Abyss

By: EBR | Tuesday, April 29, 2025

France and Germany have a special responsibility to shepherd Europe through the epochal geopolitical crisis at hand. To assert Europe’s geopolitical power, Paris and Berlin must revamp their foreign and defense strategies as well as their economic fundamentals, and cooperate with Nordic, Baltic, and Polish allies

Amid rising domestic political and media pressure, India announced several retaliatory measures, including suspending the Indus Waters Treaty. A move Pakistan described as tantamount to a declaration of war. With reports of border skirmishes between the two armies, the risk of further escalation is growing.

Why the Kashmir crisis between India and Pakistan should alarm the EU

By: EBR | Monday, April 28, 2025

As tensions escalate with border skirmishes between the two nuclear-armed states, Europe could face mounting risks

Brussels dipped its toe in the waters of television 20 years ago when it backed the launch of Euronews, but then failed to sustain its financial help. The channel has since morphed into a loose franchised network owned by a Lisbon-based company said to have close links to Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán. Euronews’ reporting is in fact independent (it is unambiguously pro-Ukrainian), but it isn’t a viable basis for a future EU broadcasting giant.

Three ways Europe should fill Trump’s geopolitical vacuum

By: EBR | Wednesday, April 23, 2025

Geopolitics, like nature, abhors a vacuum so the EU must prepare to fill the spaces the US is vacating

Some European populists, as well as their supporters at the highest levels of the U.S. administration, are drawing parallels with the rejection by the European Court of Human Rights of Călin Georgescu’s appeal against a Romanian court. The court’s decision to annul Romania’s 2024 presidential election after the far-right candidate won the first round amid evidence of Russian interference is being framed as political intrusion by judges, rather than understood as protecting the democratic process.

What Le Pen’s sentence means for the rule of law in Europe

By: EBR | Friday, April 11, 2025

Marine Le Pen’s conviction for embezzlement and ban from elected office have sparked accusations from far-right and populist movements of antidemocratic behavior. But the ruling shows that attachment to the rule of law is resilient, and upholding it is the only way to counter claims that the system is rigged

Partnership through strength starts at home. Unity is essential for Europeans to stand their ground. However, it remains unclear whether the Trump effect will stiffen or splinter Europe. Far-right political forces across the continent share Trump’s illiberal nationalist worldview, and the Trump administration will likely seek to exploit divisions to weaken the EU.

Securing Europe’s future: Partnership through strength

By: EBR | Wednesday, April 9, 2025

The Trump administration’s antagonist and negligent approach toward Europe has eroded trust between historic allies. By fostering its sovereignty, Europe can restore the balance of the transatlantic partnership and secure its future

Europe’s continuing inability ‘to speak with one voice’ is the focus of several former EU officials and diplomats. “Should it not be possible to merge the EEAS with the Commission?” asks one, referring to the EU’s much-criticised diplomatic service. The consensus among them is that a clearer EEAS mandate and a more professional internal culture should be priorities.

Ways the EU could streamline its governance without a new treaty

By: EBR | Tuesday, April 8, 2025

Reform is in the air almost everywhere except in the European Union and its institutions

There is a great example of how Arabs can enjoy living in the best possible conditions, once freed from the yoke of radical Islam: Masdar City in the United Arab Emirates. I visited there a month ago, and was amazed at how in the desert, this City of the Future emerged, blending sustainable urban living, renewable energy, green building practices and advanced technologies.

Hope you rarely hear about

By: EBR | Monday, April 7, 2025

Hope will come when Palestinians have something valuable to lose, like their homes

Europeans and their willing partners can build a credible deterrent signal, but they need to change track and recalibrate expectations. An effective in-country reassurance force is a long shot, but it has become the improbable yard stick European action is being measured against.Europeans could arguably be more effective and credible through a combination of other components.

The problems with European Security Guarantees for Ukraine

By: EBR | Wednesday, April 2, 2025

The coalition of the willing has raised unrealistic expectations about its support for Ukraine, setting itself up for failure. To build a credible deterrent and contain Russia, Europeans and partners must revise their approach and help Trump strengthen his negotiating position

Germany’s working-age population is projected to decline from approximately 52 million to approximately 43 million by 2050. The country needs increased workforce participation among women, older workers and immigrants to close the labor supply gap.

Will Germany’s new government tackle the key economic challenges?

By: EBR | Monday, March 31, 2025

Germany faces a host of challenges, necessitating a strategic vision that strengthens growth and charts a path to future prosperity

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Europe

Germany’s long-awaited pivot to leading Europe

Germany’s long-awaited pivot to leading Europe

Chancellor German Friedrich Merz is wasting no time in reshaping Berlin’s role in Europe and farther afield. To achieve his foreign policy objectives, the chancellor must have a strategic outlook and demonstrate conviction

Business

To save the Single Market, bring back Delors’ 1992 playbook

To save the Single Market, bring back Delors’ 1992 playbook

Most people familiar with EU affairs know the single market is a myth. Hailed as the bedrock of the European Union, it was never completed and is now crumbling.

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