Raising awareness of both existing and emerging foreign and security policy challenges facing the European Union, EUISS Briefs provide key information in a concise, focused format.
European militaries are facing the twin challenges of a hostile geopolitical environment and the global energy transition. There are solutions to fuel and electricity dependencies: prioritising biofuels and infrastructure in the short term while developing synthetic fuels, and...
Persistent scepticism in some EU Member States highlights that the main challenges to enlargement now lie within the Union itself. EU leaders could generate broader public and political support for enlargement by presenting it as a shared security imperative.
Europeans need to adapt to a new strategic reality where the US provides minimal assistance to Ukraine – or potentially none. To mitigate the impact of reduced US support, European countries can pursue a range of strategies, including boosting defence production both in Ukraine...
In addition to the mounting Russian threat, NATO must deal with the growing risk of US disengagement. European allies need to develop ways to replace the assets and forces that Washington could remove from the theatre. This may require changes to existing structures like the NATO...
Amid evolving regional and global dynamics, the relationship between Sahel and Maghreb countries is undergoing significant change. Countries in the region are increasingly resorting to strategic hedging to navigate uncertainty and mitigate risks. The EU must adopt a flexible...
The pledge to develop a new foreign economic policy is central to the European Commission’s July 2024 Political Guidelines. This ambition has become even more pressing in light of President Trump’s disruptive ‘America First’ trade practices, and the broader need to increase the...
Shifting geopolitical dynamics and new challenges make it imperative for the EU to enhance its efforts to build resilience in its Eastern neighbourhood. The EU can do that by pursuing a more strategic approach in three countries in the region – Moldova, Georgia and Armenia.
Despite two decades of progress, Somalia remains fragile. Funding for the newly established African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia is yet to materialise, while fragmented donor engagement jeopardises state-building efforts. To avert a security vacuum, the EU...
The Lukashenka regime in Belarus remains a brutal and repressive dictatorship. Moreover, Moscow’s increased foothold in Belarus presents growing security challenges for the EU, and a frozen conflict in Ukraine could further exacerbate those risks. How can the EU navigate this...
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a tool but not a silver bullet in the fight against climate change. The EU should harness CCS technology to become the world’s carbon banking hub and setter of the global CO2 price.
