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.

The EU’s enlargement momentum, fueled by Russia’s war against Ukraine, is wearing off. To make political conditionality work, the union must prioritize securing buy-in from candidate countries’ elites and civil society.

France, Germany, and Poland have concrete ideas for making EU foreign policy more coherent and effective. The union’s incoming leadership should use these proposals to strengthen the bloc.

Europe’s biggest economy is struggling to cope with a rapidly changing geopolitical environment. Chancellor Scholz has yet to provide the necessary leadership.

Russia and like-minded South Caucasus leaders are reshaping alliances in the region, where competition for influence is raging.

The recognition of a Palestinian state remains a highly divisive issue among European governments. Even if EU member states reached consensus, the value of such a move would be largely symbolic.