Research
Four years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine: Four lessons for European leaders
24 February 2026
For their own security as well as Ukraine’s, European leaders must tilt the balance of economic and military advantage against Putin.
The ECB's bid to strengthen the euro's global role
20 February 2026
As dollar dominance wobbles, Europe should boost the euro’s reach, led by bolder liquidity lines from the ECB.
The Mercosur deal tests Europe's geoeconomic ambition
19 February 2026
The struggle to ratify the deal exposes a weakness in Europe's geoeconomic agenda.
Europe’s future: Grounds for hope? - Annual report 2025
11 February 2026
The CER's annual report features an essay which analyses the many problems the EU faces, but concludes that it is not doomed.
EU-UK relations: Will 2026 be the year to reset the reset?
03 February 2026
A lot has changed in the world since the UK voted to leave the EU in 2016. In response, the UK and EU need to be more willing to change fundamental aspects of their post-Brexit relationship.
Can Hungary's opposition win and restore democracy?
21 January 2026
After 15 years, Viktor Orbán could lose power. But the opposition’s path is fraught with obstacles, from a lopsided electoral system to the extraordinary difficulty of restoring democracy even if they win.
The Ukraine Reparations Loan: How to fix Europe's financial plumbing
18 December 2025
As US support for Ukraine vanishes, Europe must overcome Belgian opposition and improvise fiscally to provide Kyiv with €210 billion.
Fixing the EU's broken Israel-Palestine policy
17 December 2025
The EU’s efforts to forge a common approach that promotes peace and human rights in the Israel-Palestine conflict have failed. As the EU rethinks its broader Middle East policy, a new approach cannot wait.
The paradox of French power
10 December 2025
France has a very weak government with an uncertain future, yet it remains a dominant force in EU policy-making. How does one explain this paradox?
Europe's clean tech industry between Trump's policies and Chinese pressure
09 December 2025
The EU needs a coherent clean tech strategy to fend off the US industrial & trade policy shock & Chinese market pressure.
Resilient growth: Aligning productivity and security
08 December 2025
The European Competitiveness Fund could be a powerful tool to improve the EU's economic security. But the proposal needs reform to avoid pitting security and growth against each other.
European security in a time of war: Standing with Ukraine, against Russia and without the US
02 December 2025
Russian aggression & US indifference threaten Europe. Europe must build security against Russia, without the US but with Ukraine.
The far right’s impact on the EU’s climate agenda
14 November 2025
The far right is stronger than ever in the European Parliament. And climate policy has become a testing ground for its influence.
Three hard lessons for European trade
10 November 2025
Global trade policy is now dominated by great power politics, putting Europe under pressure. The EU will have to accommodate the US, confront China and derisk from both.
What the Dutch elections mean for the Netherlands and for Europe
05 November 2025
Armida van Rij and Sander Tordoir decipher what the election results mean for The Netherlands and Europe more broadly.
The EU’s Defence Readiness 2030 Roadmap: Ambition and constraints
29 October 2025
The Defence Readiness 2030 Roadmap seeks to accelerate and inject coherence into the EU’s defence build-up. Its success depends on sustained funding and political will.
Policy to accommodate populist voters won't work
28 October 2025
There is an expansive literature on the causes of the rise of populism. Its lesson? Policies designed to appease populism are unlikely to be effective. That battle can only be won through argument.
How buy-European rules can help save Europe's car industry
23 October 2025
Europe's car industry faces an acute demand shock from Chinese overcapacity & US tariffs. Instead of bailouts & regulatory rollbacks, member-states should co-ordinate buy-European EV subsidies & revive internal demand.
A reform agenda for the single market
16 October 2025
Last year, the Draghi report laid bare the need for reform to drive growth. Practical steps on energy, services, competition, finance and simplification can operationalise this agenda into meaningful change.
China and Europe: Can the EU and the UK find a shared strategy?
14 October 2025
China’s trade and industrial policy, its monopoly on many critical technologies and its geopolitical ambitions make it a genuinely systemic rival to the EU and the UK. They need to work together to defend their interests.