CEPS in focus

The EU-US trade deal promises temporary relief but longer-term pain By Cinzia Alcidi After months of uncertainty and escalating rhetoric, a new EU-US trade deal has finally been announced. Under the deal, a 15% US tariff will apply to most EU imports, including cars, pharmaceuticals and semiconductors. This is higher than the 10% rate applied to most imports from the EU since April, but lower than...

Going beyond the ‘EuroStack’ could help the EU build a truly global (open) Science Stack By Stefaan Verhulst Europe is facing a defining moment in its approach to science, research and innovation. As geopolitical tensions mount and investment in dual-use technologies surges, the EU is being called to reimagine its research policy – not just for strategic autonomy but for lasting societal relevance...

The EU’s strategic compromises are blinding it to the ongoing fight for democracy in Serbia By Antigona Imeri Since November 2024, Serbia has experienced a huge wave of anti-government protests. As students and citizens continue to pump up the situation by doubling down on their demands, the government’s intimidation attempts continues. By imprisoning students and activists, and cutting professors...

This week’s motion of censure in the European Parliament was a proxy war By Sophia Russack This week’s  motion of censure  against President Ursula von der Leyen’s Commission was not about vaccines but rather a proxy war over the emerging centre-to-far-right alliances in the European Parliament (EP), with the far right exploiting the tool to destabilise and divide. Many MEPs —particularl...

Why the EU needs a Special Representative for Global Health By Louise Bengtsson and Hampus Holmer When the Council conclusions on the Global Health Strategy – and disclaimer, one of us helped draft those conclusions – were adopted by ministers in January 2024, it marked a moment of real ambition. For the first time in over a decade, EU Member States endorsed a comprehensive vision for Europe’s rol...

For the euro to go global, the EU must match its ambition with real action By Cinzia Alcidi In recent weeks, EU leaders have voiced their support for strengthening the euro’s global role. Christine Lagarde has called for a ‘global euro’ moment and recent Council conclusions affirm the EU’s commitment to reinforcing the euro as both a reserve and transaction currency. Shifting global dynamics, acco...

The EU is at a crossroads – the Global Gateway can still lead the way forward By Ceren Ergenc The second Trump administration has intensified the global reshuffling of geoeconomic alliances following China’s phenomenal industrial growth and its near domination of new technology markets. While it increasingly feels like a new superpower tussle, middle powers and developing countries can still choos...

We have a case of sustainability reporting overload. The EU needs a smarter fix By Apostolos Thomadakis and J. Scott Marcus The EU’s sustainability reporting rules urgently need to be recalibrated. What began as a bold legislative push to steer markets towards environmental and social goals is now showing signs of regulatory overreach. Companies, especially SMEs, are struggling to navigate three m...

EU integration policies are broken – the case of Afghanistani immigrants (especially women) proves this By Shagofah Ghafori Kabul’s fall in August 2021 was a slow-motion tragedy. EU Member States opened their doors, then bureaucracy slammed them shut. Across the EU, highly-skilled Afghanistanis – especially many Afghanistani women – are unable to work or practice their professions: a former minist...

The EU’s new International Digital Strategy offers a promising start – but how it’s implemented will determine its ultimate success By Raquel Jorge Ricart and Diana Senczyszyn On 5 June, the European Commission and the EEAS published a Joint Communication that officially launched the EU’s new International Digital Strategy. This clearly shows how important digital diplomacy has become over the pas...

Could the EU and South Korea  be  any closer? Time to raise the bar in bilateral ties By Fanny Sauvignon South Korea began 2025 in deep political turmoil following the martial law crisis. Despite its gravity, the episode affirmed the country’s democratic resilience. In the early hours of 4 December 2024, the South Korean National Assembly had voted to lift the martial law that President...

Stop ‘techwashing’ layoffs – and start co-designing the future of work By Laura Nurski In recent weeks, headlines have taken a sharp turn, with Anthropic’s CEO warning that AI could eliminate half of all entry-level white-collar jobs within five years. Business media echo the same worry: is AI replacing – or going to replace – new graduates? These statements tap into a growing sense that generativ...

To unlock EU-Western Balkans energy investment, we first need accurate emissions data By Christian Egenhofer and Damir Dizdarević The EU is strongly committed to integrating the Western Balkans into its energy and climate frameworks as part of the enlargement process. It also provides financial support for the region’s transition to sustainable energy systems. The Instrument for Pre-Accession III,...

A new EuroMed Pact could reinvigorate EU-MENA relations By James Moran The recent history of the EU’s relations in its ‘southern neighbourhood’ can hardly be called its finest hour. It has been preoccupied with defensive policies, notably the focus on controlling illegal migration, spurred by the far right’s growing support. Then there’s the rise of other world powers in the MENA region such as Ch...

To retaliate or not to retaliate? Or three reasons why the EU shouldn’t react to US tariffs (at least for now) By Cinzia Alcidi Donald Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ has delivered the highest tariff hike in nearly a century. If they’re implemented, the average US tariff rate will rise to 22.5%, around 11 percentage points higher compared to March. Trump has given the world just one week to absorb the ne...

Disk backup to the cloud is a gaping vulnerability in the EU’s security By J. Scott Marcus Suppose vast quantities of Europeans’ digital data were being sent every few days to a foreign power that has threatened military action against an EU Member State. How should the EU react? Oh, and that foreign power isn’t Russia or China – it’s the United States. We’re not talking about the data provided to...

The EU’s competitiveness drive could turn quality jobs into a mirage By Davide Monaco In the wake of the Draghi report and the EU Competitiveness Compass, ‘competitiveness’ is again dominating debates about the present and future of EU economies and societies, despite being long criticised as an elusive concept or a dangerous (and wrong) obsession. This is hardly new. The search for competitivenes...

Europe’s retail payments are a success story – we need to keep it that way By Judith Arnal, Fredrik Andersson and Beatriz Pozo We’re undergoing a global transformation marked by competition for resources, value chain shifts, geopolitical tensions, humanitarian crises, climate change and demographic challenges. This shifting landscape is forcing EU leaders and businesses to rethink their strategies...

In the plutocratic age of ‘broligarchy’, democracy is in deep trouble – but there’s still hope By Julia Pocze The democratic rule of law is badly deteriorating in many parts of the world and those responsible are hiding in plain sight. In fact, they’re not hiding at all, but they do pretend that their conduct supposedly benefits the public good instead of seriously harming it. A play on ‘oligarchy...

With the US leaving the WHO, Europe must urgently increase its global leadership in health preparedness – not weaken it By Alice Orlandini Five years on, Covid-19 taught us the hard way, that health crises can turn our lives upside down overnight – forcing lockdowns, halting even the world’s strongest economies but, most importantly, killing millions. The pandemic exposed the weaknesses of the mos...

Minding the gender gap – a critical omission in the EU’s AMR response By Cosima Lenz Gender is largely absent from the EU’s antimicrobial resistance (AMR) policies and strategies. Yet AMR is a major global health threat. It happens when microbes (bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites) stop responding to medication, making infections harder to treat, and increasing the risk of severe illness and d...

The fight for Georgia is still a fight for Europe By Tinatin Akhvlediani Georgia is no stranger to political turmoil but the country now finds itself at a perilous tipping point. Georgians are known for taking to the streets, waving EU flags with unmatched passion and fighting for their European future. But this time, with mounting geopolitical tensions and a ruling party desperate to cling to pow...

Skills aren’t your plug-and-play solution for inclusive competitiveness By Laura Nurski Skills have become a central pillar in policy discussions on the future of work. Since the 2000 Lisbon Strategy, the EU has gradually shifted from focusing on formal education and qualifications – as indicators of skill bundles – to a greater emphasis on skills as individual units that can be independently acqu...

The EU’s sustainability rollback is a retreat disguised as simplification By Apostolos Thomadakis The European Commission’s ‘Simplification Omnibus’ proposal, unveiled on 26 February, was presented as a necessary step to reduce the regulatory burden on businesses and enhance European competitiveness. By amending key sustainability directives – including the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Direc...

With a new German government incoming, the implications for Europe are substantial By Sophie Pornschlegel and Sophia Russack Germany went to the polls last Sunday and the conservative CDU came first, followed by the far-right AfD. Upcoming coalition negotiations will ultimately determine the next government’s composition, but CDU leader Friedrich Merz will likely become the next Chancellor, with t...