experts
Rosa Balfour
Director, Carnegie Europe

about

Dr Rosa Balfour is the director of Carnegie Europe. Her fields of expertise include European politics, institutions, and foreign and security policy. Her current research focuses on the relationship between domestic politics and Europe’s global role.

She is the author of books, research-based articles, and opinion pieces in the international press on issues relating to European politics and international relations. Balfour is also an advisor to Women in International Security Brussels (WIIS-Brussels), an associate fellow at LSE IDEAS, an alumna of the Europe’s Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna. In 2024 she was appointed to the Scientific Advisory Council of the Finnish Institute of International Affairs. Since 2021, she is an honorary patron of the University Association for Contemporary European Studies (UACES).

Prior to joining Carnegie Europe, Balfour was a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. She was also director of the Europe in the World program at the European Policy Centre in Brussels and has worked as a researcher in Rome and London.

Dr Balfour holds an MA in history from Cambridge University, an MSc in European Studies and PhD in International Relations both from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

research
Geopolitics and Economic Statecraft in the European Union
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education
PhD, International Relations, London School of Economics and Political Science, MSc, European Studies, London School of Economics and Political Science, MA and BA, History, University of Cambridge
languages
English, French, Italian
featured work
research
Charting the Radical Right’s Influence on EU Foreign Policy

Despite embracing democracy, radical-right parties pose a significant challenge to the EU’s fundamental values. European leaders and institutions must address this challenge to safeguard democracy in the EU and ensure a more effective foreign policy.

Europe’s Fledgling Economic Statecraft and the Trump Challenge

Donald Trump’s victory underscores the need for the EU to rethink its political economic model. As it adapts its policies, the union must recognize the trade-offs between its quest for economic security and its global identity as a champion of the rules-based order.

Europe’s Radical Right Is Formidable—but not Unstoppable

Radical-right forces are already influencing EU policies and could determine the bloc’s future direction. Yet internal divisions give mainstream parties a tactical advantage in this pivotal election year.