The incoming EU leadership will have to navigate political turbulence and internal power dynamics. Working together as a real team would help in tackling the challenges ahead.

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.

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.

With the global balance of economic and political power shifting away from Europe, the EU’s influence and credibility are in decline. To repair its image abroad and rebuild trust, the union should strengthen its international engagement and position itself as a force for reform of the international order.

Rosa Balfour and Stefan Lehne discuss why the radical right is on the rise in Europe, how this trend might impact EU policies, and what can be done to contain it.

The turmoil spreading across the globe makes it difficult to meaningfully respond to individual crises. The resulting expectation of impunity is emboldening aggressors.

The prospect of further enlargement presents the EU with multiple institutional, policy, and financial dilemmas. The successful integration of Ukraine and other candidate countries will require pragmatism, reforms, and transitional arrangements.

Rosa Balfour and Stefan Lehne discuss how the EU’s institutional and political dynamics are shaping its role in an increasingly chaotic and contested global order.

A decade and a half of constant crises has gradually restructured the power dynamics in the EU institutions. The European Commission is now in the driver’s seat.

There is a growing perception that the liberal world order is coming to an end. While the current multilateral system may be weakened by the return of geopolitics, economic interdependence and transnational ties will prevent a complete lapse into anarchy.