European Union News & Analysis

If Vienna fails to restore its fiscal credibility, it risks becoming a “rule taker” rather than a rule maker at a time when Europe faces multiple geopolitical challenges.

The Ukraine war demonstrated how quickly neutral corners of global financial infrastructure can devolve into levers of geoeconomic influence. The lesson is not lost on Europe, but balances still must be struck between sovereignty and dependency.

EU states have maneuvered to minimize the fallout from a war they were not consulted on. Yet two weeks on, they’re being pulled into it anyways.

Strategic autonomy in defense cannot exist without autonomy in semiconductors. Europe has begun to recognize this link. The question now is whether Brussels will act with the scale and urgency required to keep pace with global competitors.

This week we examine how a rapidly evolving situation in Greenland could remake trans-Atlantic relations, details of the long-awaited US-Taiwan tariff deal, a shock government offensive that changed the map of Syria, and Canada’s efforts to thaw out its relations with China.

The amicable relationship between the Balkans and Western partners runs deep, yet efforts for reform continue to yield little positive change. One reason for this is the prioritization of enforcement optics and crackdowns on corruption over legal safeguards.

First comes greater confidence and courage, then comes stability as Europe looks ahead to 2026.

Time will tell whether recent developments in Europe represent a concrete step toward confronting the United States in the digital realm, or a bleak move towards dependence.

The BROMO project is essential to address the crisis in the European space industry, bolstering competitiveness and sovereignty. But is it sufficient? By 2027, the gap may already be too deep.

Critical mineral dependencies and a military complex that’s not fit for purpose represent strategic vulnerabilities that will reverberate in US foreign policy, at least in the short-term.

With assistance from the EU’s Global Gateway infrastructure fund, Kyrgyzstan hopes to become a major player in hydropower and potential energy exporter in Central Asia.

As Europe moves toward greater strategic autonomy, some of the best progress is happening in ad-hoc bilateral arrangements that are able to remain agile outside of EU institutions.

Albania’s ascension ambitions are a reminder that geopolitics should not override conditionality as the EU navigates its next round of expansion.

For twelve days in June 2025, Israel and Iran traded attacks as the world held its breath and watched, wondering how this geopolitical game of chicken was going to end. What can Europe’s military planners learn from the conflict?

This week we cover recently released details of the EU-US trade deal, tariff blowback in India, and signs of increased defense spending in Taiwan.