Commentaries
Never waste a crisis: The war on Ukraine as a catalyst in the Balkans
“The difficulties and the wounds of the past have to be overcome in order to build a better future for everybody in this country.” So said Josep Borrell, the EU […]
Europe in the World
In a world that is largely driven by competition and rivalry (and partnership, yet) between great powers, understanding the Grand Strategy of each of these powers is crucial. So is developing a Grand Strategy for the EU itself. An EU that acts as one, as one pole of the multipolar world on a par with the other powers, is the only way to safeguard the way of life that the Member States of the EU have chosen, based on democracy, the free market, and equality.
Power cannot be divided: a global player must have political, economic, as well as military power. To that end, the Europe in the World Programme analyses the diplomacy and defence of the US, China, and Russia, and of the EU, NATO, and their members. We also focus on geoeconomics, researching Open Strategic Autonomy and the Global Gateway as key EU instruments, as well as the geoeconomic approaches of the other powers.
Defence policy is our third main axis of research, with a particular focus on European defence and its interaction with NATO, but also on nuclear deterrence and the deterrence of hybrid threats. Throughout all three research axis, we devote special attention to the role of Belgium, including notably the development of its own National Security Strategy and diplomatic and military capabilities.
Publications
Commentaries
A Russia Strategy Must Look South: The Caucasus Impacts Europe through the Eastern Mediterranean
In the current Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, NATO and the EU would do well to recall the Boston speech of the great Belgian statesman, Paul-Henri Spaak, on 2 […]
Commentaries
Putin’s critical raw materials are a threat to EU economic security
As Russia gets ready to restrict the export of critical raw materials, the EU’s supply vulnerability will become evident. Possible countermeasures are well understood, but more urgency is required to […]
The EU-Ukraine Association Agreement after Ukraine’s EU membership application: still fit for purpose
In an extraordinary session of the European Parliament on 1 March 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky requested from a bunker in Kyiv, while Russian missiles bombarded Ukraine, the EU to […]
Putin Is Creating the Multipolar World He (Thought He) Wanted
Up until the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia’s and China’s worsening relations with the European Union and the United States meant that the world order was at risk of falling […]
Commentaries
For Russia, the Ukraine Front Stretches to the Mediterranean
Russia’s strategic line in the current war on Ukraine doesn’t stop at the Crimea as most maps depict, but goes all the way southwards to the Mediterranean. Maps are more […]