The government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz set out to define its foreign and security policy in “the European interest,” but has regularly failed to do so. It should change course now.
The European Union seems disoriented in 2024. The German chancellor is turning to Washington when leadership is needed. That leaves French President Emmanuel Macron.
Germany’s navy and air force are planning to beef up their participation in various military exercises halfway around the world in 2024. This speaks of a clearer strategy vis-à-vis China and the region.
European voters are in the habit of treating the European Parliament elections every five years as inconsequential protest votes based on national issues not related to the EU. But if they vote for the far right, it will have major economic, environmental, and geopolitical consequences.
The debate about further enhancing the EU’s financial firepower has led nowhere and might actually be regressing. It is time to discuss the future of the EU budget, its capacity to borrow and Europe’s taxing power with greater urgency.
It’s not much of a secret that Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz don’t get along. Their deepening rift is damaging the Franco-German relationship—and Europe.
President Emmanuel Macron is hoping that his tougher line vis-à-vis Russia will endear his party to voters. But the French care much less about foreign policy than one might think.
European politics is braced for a potential right-wing surge at the 2024 European Parliament elections. The center-right European People’s Party (EPP) may face tricky decisions.
The EU needs more than rules to forge a successful technological future. Its digital policy will serve the bloc better if it stays open and consciously linked to the rest of the world.
Africa is experiencing significant democratic backsliding in many countries. In their programs to support democratic elections, European funders should try to ensure they don’t play into the hands of authoritarians.
With China and Russia collaborating on quantum technologies, the international race for superiority in this field is heating up. And Europe is well positioned to keep the pace.
The Orbán government’s upcoming presidency of the Council of the European Union has sparked criticism. More important, however, is the question of how the EU deals with a member state that breaks away from the principles of the rule of law.
Despite much goodwill on both sides, trade and economic relations between the United States and Europe have remained strained. Working together to collectively improve transatlantic geoeconomic security would offer a way forward.
Brussels has signaled that securing critical raw materials for the green transition is a top priority. But it faces major challenges in its competition with China, of which the biggest is how to convince companies to prioritize geopolitics over the market.
Decades of US protection created a false sense of normative superiority in the EU. It also made Europe lose much of its strategic instincts while facing deep-seated systemic deficiencies. Overcoming those will be the key task for 2024 and beyond.
The United Kingdom has not become “unpredictable” or “undependable” as a consequence of Brexit. Rather, its grand strategy suggests a blueprint for containing Russia’s aggression and increasing Europe’s security.
The German economy is already paying the price for having put the green energy transition on the backburner. To win the future, it needs four “Ds”: Decarbonization, digitalization, decentralization, and democratization.