Commentaries
Welcome address by the New Director-General Bart Ouvry
It is an honor to join the Egmont Institute at this moment in time. We live in what some call a ‘geopolitical era’, and this makes the Institute into a […]
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
A Decade of EU Support to the G5 Sahel: A Critical Assessment of the EU’s Security Assistance Toolkit
From 2013 to 2023, the European Union was a key player in Sahel security. This crisis-ridden region was chosen as a testing ground for a new comprehensive European approach, mobilising […]
Commentaries
BRICS and the Price of Consensus
On 12 September, the BRICS leaders adopted a 140-paragraph declaration by consensus. Until 2024, BRICS consisted of five countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. In 2024, Egypt, Ethiopia, […]
China in the Arctic: Separating Risk from Rhetoric
For the past several years, European debate about China in the Arctic has been caught between strategic concern and incomplete evidence. China calls itself a ‘Near-Arctic State’, operates polar research […]
Commentaries
Greenland: A Quest for Political and Military Adaptability
Earlier this year, several European countries announced a deployment to Greenland. Belgium and the Netherlands were among them. The public debate surrounding the transatlantic saga became heated, with questions about […]
From Excellence to Scale: Strengthening Belgium’s Semiconductor Ecosystem
When the European Commission adopted in June 2026 the Chips Act 2.0, it proposed a shift in the rules of the game for all actors. Nowhere is this more evident […]