The EU needs to plan now for a new policy toward its Eastern neighbors. It cannot wait for Russia to end its destruction of Ukraine or destabilize other countries in the region.
As Russia continues its war in Ukraine, the EU’s security and defense policies are undergoing major shifts. Brussels may finally be getting real(ist) about hard power.
Russia’s war in Ukraine is making neutral Finland and Sweden seriously consider joining NATO. Such membership would strengthen the alliance’s defenses and greatly increase security in the Baltic region.
Geopolitical realities have changed considerably since 2017, when Macron was first elected. In his second term as president, the Russo-Ukrainian war will inform French—and European—thinking.
Contrary to expectations, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has not weakened Marine Le Pen’s electoral position. Nevertheless, the political context in which France’s Russia policy will be formulated has changed.
After Viktor Orbán’s landslide victory, the illiberal Hungary experiment will continue. Brussels must respond decisively to the erosion of democracy and media freedom.
For decades, EU citizens enjoyed peace, low food prices, and unlimited access to travel and consumer goods. With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine—and the deepening climate crisis—old habits and assumptions must change.
With energy prices rising, EU solidarity with Ukraine may start to wane. Sharing the war’s economic burden will be crucial for keeping the public on board.
Ukrainians fleeing their homes in cities under Russian bombardment have been met with kindness and solidarity in Poland. To fully restore its image in the EU, Warsaw must show it respects the values Ukraine is fighting for.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine marks a turning point for the EU. When boosting its capabilities and resilience, Europe must not neglect engagement with the wider world.
With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, no country in the EU’s Eastern neighborhood can feel secure about its future. Strengthening the resilience of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Moldova must become the union's immediate priority.
Ten years after Strategic Europe was launched, the EU, with Germany playing a pivotal role, may finally start acting strategically. It will mean shattering illusions about war, peace, and stability.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will have profound consequences for the stability of the region and for the future of European security, not to mention the immense human suffering. We asked Carnegie Europe’s scholars to give their assessment about how the military attack will fundamentally change the post-Cold War era.
Emmanuel Macron’s bid to build a “Europe that protects” is not misguided; it outflanks both the siege mentality of a defensive continent and the artlessness of a defenseless one. But it will remain a mere ambition if Europe fails to protect itself.
President Macron’s diplomatic overtures to end the Ukraine-Russia crisis won him cautious praise but also drew criticism. While some EU member states are skeptical of Paris, the alternatives to French leadership are few.
Three decades after Maastricht, the EU remains a work in progress. While the political constellation in 2022 seems favorable to reforms in several policy areas, the union could easily once again be thrown into crisis mode.
The EU’s Eastern Partnership has brought tangible benefits to its member countries but does not reflect today’s geopolitical realities. The approaching summit is a chance to tailor the initiative to partners’ diverging needs.
A new coalition in Germany has ambitious plans to modernize a country that slipped into complacency and risk aversion. Its newfound energy could give the EU a much-needed impulse.
With twenty months left until Turkey’s legislative and presidential elections, the political debate will be fierce. The West may choose to sit it out rather than see its relationship with Ankara deteriorate even further.
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