Economic security

Europe’s reliance on Chinese pharmaceutical products leaves it dangerously exposed. To reduce risk, the EU must protect domestic production, diversify supply chains, and invest in innovation to strengthen resilience and strategic autonomy.

European countries are deeply intertwined with the United States financially. But under Trump they can no longer rely on trust, political restraint and legal certainty. Europe must reduce its financial dependence.

Beijing has reshaped the US-China tech war by weaponising critical minerals, forcing Washington to abandon non-negotiable controls in favour of G2-bargaining. Europe now faces growing dependence and exposure to economic coercion, and must reindustrialise with partners to protect...

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...

Critics blame Europe’s ‘summer of humiliation’ on the EU’s timidity in trade negotiations with President Trump. Yet the greater threat to European prosperity is Beijing’s twin strategy of flooding markets with cheap goods while weaponising supply chains.

Europe faces a security and competitiveness crisis. Increased defence spending offers an opportunity to address both challenges, unleashing a dual-use technology boom. Both the EU and its Member States have key roles to play in this effort.

Critical materials are the backbone of modern defence. For Europe's rearmament to succeed, the EU defence ministers must break Beijing's chokehold on these essential resources.