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A Russian victory against Ukraine would be devastating for Europe’s security and stability. European governments have no excuse for not realizing what is at stake.
For too long, the EU has neglected Viktor Orbán’s attack on its fundamental values. Brussels must use its financial leverage to halt Hungary’s democratic decline.
Albeit unwittingly, the Soviet Union’s last president paved the way for complex democratic transformations across Eastern Europe. The values these countries fought for must now be protected within the EU itself.
After a decade of crises in Europe, historic decisions were taken at the EU and NATO summits to strengthen the continent. To overcome today’s challenges, Brussels must confront the causes of its paralysis in the 2010s.
Granting candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova has earned the EU praise. But by keeping Western Balkan countries in the waiting room, the union is aggravating the region’s frustrations with Brussels.
Russia’s war against Ukraine shows why NATO and the EU are both essential for European security. The two offer different yet complementary models for organizing the continent’s defense.
Political wrangling and polarization continue to erode democracy in Georgia. But Tbilisi’s bid for EU membership gives Brussels leverage to help get the country back on track.
Ukraine’s membership bid has placed enlargement high on the EU’s agenda. The bloc must rethink the accession process to make it more effective while maintaining democratic and rule-of-law standards.
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.
After Viktor Orbán’s landslide victory, the illiberal Hungary experiment will continue. Brussels must respond decisively to the erosion of democracy and media freedom.
Moscow is seeking to revise the existing world order. Liberal Europe’s biggest mistake would be compromising on its core values and legitimizing Putin’s approach to international politics.
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.
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.
Belarus is instrumental in Russia’s ongoing military attack on Ukraine. Developments since the 2020 rigged election in Belarus and the forthcoming changes to its constitution reflect Lukashenko’s growing dependence on Putin.*
Putin continues to focus on the preservation of his system by means of Russian domestic and foreign policy. His threat of invading Ukraine is leaving other troubling developments out of the headlines.
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.
Civil society is under attack in the EU’s neighborhood. To defend democracy, academic freedom, and independent thought, Europe should step up its assistance to repressed voices.*
Differing threat perceptions in Western and Central Europe combined with democratic backsliding risk creating dangerous fractures within the EU. Building a shared understanding of today’s security challenges must go hand in hand with strengthening democracy in the bloc.
The fate of Serbia’s democracy is in the hands of its citizens. If the country is to move toward democratic accountability, it will be through bottom-up action, not the EU’s membership conditionality.
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.
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