The European Council on Foreign Relations

Institutions, Money and Power

How can the European Union and its member countries increase their global reach? How should the EU pursue its interests and values through trade and aid policies? Can European civilian and military capabilities be deployed with greater effectiveness in the world’s conflict zones?

Publications

Towards a post-American Europe: A Power Audit of EU-US Relations by Nick Witney & Jeremy Shapiro

02 Nov 09

Europe has the US president it wished for, but does Barack Obama have the strong transatlantic partner he wants?

Can the EU rebuild failing states? A review of Europe’s civilian capacities.

15 Oct 09

Have broken promises and treating Afghanistan, DR Congo and Iraq like Bosnia left the EU without the capacity to prevent fragile states from becoming failing states?

Re-wiring the US-EU relationship

20 Jan 09

With the pivotal change of leadership in Washington, the US and the EU may have an ideal moment to strengthen the US-EU institutional bond.

Re-energising Europe's Security and Defence Policy

29 Jul 08

European governments cannot afford to move at the speed of the slowest, argues Nick Witney, and should push for a 'multi-speed' Europe on ESDP

New World Order: The balance of soft power and the rise of herbivorous powers

24 Oct 07

A global public opinion survey shows that there is growing public support for a more multi-polar world, and 35% of world citizens would like to see the EU’s influence to grow.

Commentary

Tomorrow's warriors

Richard Gowan - 02 Sep 10

Europeans need to respect what non-Western powers think, and that includes their militaries. Europe's Asian, African and Latin American counterparts are already playing a more vital role on the world stage; once Europe's defence budget cuts start to bite, this role will only increase.

A test cynically calibrated to fix the result

Wolfgang Münchau - 27 Jul 10

The EU's bank stress tests were flawed. The methodology suffered fundamental problems and was designed to fix the results. As ECFR council member Wolfgang Münchau argues in the Financial Times, if you tried to test the safety of cars using the same method, you would end up in jail.

PIGS can fly

Spain's footballing triumph at the World Cup came as a welcome distraction for the Spanish people. Their economy is a shambles; their politicians are struggling to do their jobs; and the Spanish presidency of the EU badly damaged their international reputation. But at least Spain's football team offer lessons as well as hope.

The BRIC bloc

The Political West (the US, Europe and Japan) are in the doldrums while the BRICs keep growing. A third of world economic growth in the last decade has taken place in BRIC countries. So far, so good for the BRICs. But what next?

Germany’s withdrawal symptoms

Hans Kundnani - 25 Jun 10

The euro crisis seems to have revealed a more inward-looking and nationalistic Germany. But Germany’s shift towards the domestic is more subtle than it appears. And it is certainly not just a recent development.

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In the Press

Les Echos - 01 Sep 10

Thomas Klau on Germany’s linchpin role in the eurozone governance debate.

Wall Street Journal - 30 Aug 10

Ulrike Guerot on Germany's place in Europe, post euro crisis.

Radio Free Europe - 24 Aug 10

Andrew Wilson says Ukraine's greatest success has been its 'survival'.

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