Commentary

Geopolitics: Russians and Americans are making plans, to which Europeans then react with panic – that's how it usually goes these days, observes Steven Everts . This week's EU summit is a crucial moment to change this.

Russia is waging a hybrid energy war on Europe and Ukraine, coupling physical attacks with targeted disinformation. The EU must reinforce infrastructure resilience and strategic communications to protect citizens and counter Moscow’s manipulation of energy security narratives.

As Washington’s overtures to Moscow grow, the EU risks being sidelined. Europe must adopt a more transactional strategy to safeguard its security and secure a voice in shaping the continent’s future security.

Europe must use the proposed reparation loan to shift the war’s trajectory: not just keeping Ukraine afloat but strengthening its defences, rebuilding critical infrastructure and pressuring Moscow. If targeted effectively, it can help Kyiv regain momentum and bolster Europe’s own...

Talk of a US–China 'trade truce' may lull Europe into a false sense of security. Beijing's export controls on rare earths and critical materials remain disruptive, unpredictable and coercive. Unless the EU accelerates de-risking, its industries and defence sector will stay...

Europe faces relentless foreign interference. The newly minted European Democracy Shield can turn defensive resilience into strategic resolve by boosting coordination, expanding capacities and enforcing compliance – strengthening Europe’s ability to deter hostile actors and...

As global climate ambition stalls and geopolitical rivalry deepens, the EU faces a choice: retreat or compete. Europe must recast climate diplomacy as a strategy for energy security and industrial strength – and seize its chance to lead.

A major US military build-up is under way in the Caribbean, officially to target drug-trafficking networks. But the scale of the deployment raises questions about possible regime-change ambitions in Venezuela and reflects the broader foreign-policy experiments shaping Trump’s...

Trial membership or gradual accession: the EU needs new ideas to make enlargement work. We need political creativity to implement what is a geopolitical necessity.

The 2025 enlargement package revives optimism about EU expansion, yet deferred reforms and political hesitation among Member States threaten to stall progress — testing the Union’s readiness as much as that of its candidates.