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.
Why Transport Connectivity Can Accelerate the Credibility of EU Enlargement
How functional integration and corridor-wide network development can reinforce EU Accession in the Western Balkans, Ukraine and Moldova.
Progressive Bulgaria and the Paradox of Power
Has stability finally come to Bulgaria? It appeared that it might have on 19 April 2026.
The Case for a European Security Architecture Beyond the EU’s 35 Chapters
On September 15, an unidentified drone entered Lithuanian airspace. Earlier the same day, a top Kremlin aide warned Poland that it would take just two or three days for Russia to make Poland disappear. In the first 15 days of September 2026, Germany, Denmark, Moldova, Lithuania and Poland have all lodged complaints against Russian aggression.
Europe’s Second Front Is From Within
With conflict growing along the EU’s borders, the rising wave of the far right is limiting the capacity for response.
Icelanders Say “Nei” to EU Talks: Why the Push to Resume Accession Failed
Iceland voted 52.8% to 47.2% against resuming EU accession talks, as rural “no” strongholds outweighed pro-EU Reykjavik despite rising Arctic tensions. The verdict comes down to fisheries, the króna, and contentment with EEA membership, and it challenges the idea that EEA integration is just a waystation to joining the EU.
The AfD Won Two State Elections. What’s Next?
Despite polling success and victories in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the AfD will find it difficult to participate in future state – and federal – governments.
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.
Good Italian, Evil German: Two Fascist Pasts, Two Far-Right Futures
Two far-right parties, but two very different political situations. What does history have to do with it?
Inside the EU’s New Border System That Answers to No One
Airport queues of up to two hours are not a rollout glitch. The EU’s new border system issues have no clear culprit.
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.
Gotta Digitalize’em All: The EU’s League of E-Government
Brussels has built the rulebook for digital government, but not every member state is playing by the same rules.
