Russia’s Shadow Fleet Finds a Safe Harbor
As Europe steps up boardings of Russia’s shadow fleet, Moscow is moving its tankers under the Russian flag, the one registration Europe cannot challenge at sea without confronting Russia itself.
Horizon Europe’s Scientific Answer to a Bipolar World
It is hard to overstate the innovative capacity of the US and China. To compete on equal footing, the EU must leverage its strategic edge: the collaborative nature of its own flagship R&I programme, now the largest research coalition in the world.
A Framework for Reparations-Backed Lending, Applied to Russia’s Frozen Assets
In December 2025, the EU considered using €210 billion in frozen Russian assets to finance Ukraine but stepped back from the plan. Not because the legal case collapsed, but because nobody had priced what the instrument would actually cost and who would carry that cost if it went wrong.
That question has not gone away. It has been deferred to a debate several Member States are already working to reopen.
The EU Should Look to Singapore and New Zealand on How to Secure Supply in a Crisis
A shortage turns trade policy into a sovereignty test: who keeps exporting when the goods become scarce?
The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement: The Implications for Europe’s Energy Security
The new agreement between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey exposes Europe to hidden Gulf energy shocks, making true economic resilience a vital priority.
The EU Cannot Win Its Eastern Neighbourhood Through Normative Power Alone
The EU’s Eastern Neighbourhood is being contested by actors who move faster, ask less, and deliver sooner, yet its policy strategy remains calibrated to a less competitive environment.
One Storm, Two Models: How the EU and ASEAN Weigh Efficiency Against Equality
Trade fragmentation and geopolitical shocks are testing two opposing answers to the same question.
Europe’s $750 Billion Promise to Buy US Energy That Nobody Needs
The EU has pledged $750 billion in US energy purchases at the exact moment its own gas demand is beginning to fall. Priced to satisfy trade negotiators rather than actual demand, the commitment risks locking Europe into fresh import dependency just as its own consumption starts to shrink.
Europe’s Opening in Africa’s Finance Race with China Lies in Local Value Creation
As Europe and China converge on de-risking private capital in development finance, the real contest is shifting from mobilising finance to turning it into value-chain offers built around African priorities.
Addressing the Growing Threat of Crypto-Asset Circumvention to EU Sanctions
Sanction circumvention is an adaptation game, and crypto has dealt Russia a new hand. To prevent the erosion of sanctions effectiveness, the EU must adapt to new evasion practices and tools to better target entry points into the formal economy.
Has Christmas Arrived Early? The Commission’s Busy To-Do List
This Wednesday, the President of the European Commission took the stage to launch a new and considerably ambitious path forward for the EU.
Will Trust in the EU’s Digital Identity Wallet Deepen European Integration?
Europe’s new digital identity wallet could let EU citizens carry their licence, health card, and credentials all on a single app, if they trust it enough to actually use it.
