Lorenzo Santini
For over 50 years, the European Parliament and the US Congress have steadily practiced transatlantic parliamentary diplomacy. In a second Trump era, what space remains for gender equality? Lorenzo Santini argues that informal and symbolic diplomacy helps keep women’s rights visible on the agenda Read more
Lesley-Ann Daniels
Lesley-Ann Daniels and Marc Sanjaume-Calvet explore a paradox at the heart of Ukraine’s path to EU membership: the strongest pro-European voices are often the least supportive of minority rights. Drawing on new survey data, they call for a more adaptive and politically sensitive enlargement strategy Read more
Amélie Jaques-Apke
Are we nearing a new incarnation of the French vision of a Gaullist Europe? Focusing on strategic autonomy, nuclear deterrence, coalitions of the willing, threat perception, and defence capability, Amélie Jaques-Apke examines the strategic dilemmas, and conceptual and operational deficiencies, in European defence policy Read more
Rafaela Gonzalez Lucioni
EU enlargement, without credible enforcement of democratic standards, threatens the Union’s integrity. Cases like Hungary and Serbia expose the dangers of performative reforms and weak accountability. Rafaela Gonzalez Lucioni argues that to remain a values-based project, the EU must reform internal mechanisms and adopt a phased, conditional approach to accession Read more
Evelina Staykova
A new Pact on Migration and Asylum is gradually coming into force. As it does so, Evelina Staykova and Ildiko Otova examine its solidarity mechanism, a central — but not new — element of EU migration policy. While the mechanism holds potential for positive change, it also carries significant risks Read more
Maria Merkouraki
Maria Merkouraki argues that a May 2025 joint letter from nine EU member states signals a sovereignty-led pushback against the European Court of Human Rights. This backlash erodes Article 10 protections of the European Convention on Human Rights — and the long-term viability of judicial diplomacy in Europe Read more
Shamsoddin Shariati
From escalating trade wars with the EU to snap ultimatums on Iran, Donald Trump's international playbook is startlingly predictable. Trump seeks not agreement, but surrender. Shamsoddin Shariati explains how Europe must now learn from this pattern, and respond with firmness, not concession Read more
Magdalena Frennhoff Larsén
Talking shop or powerhouse? The role of the European Parliament in foreign affairs is the subject of much debate. Magdalena Frennhoff Larsén explains how the Parliament has contributed to the current momentum around enlargement – an area where parliamentary influence is often overlooked – and how the European Commission is increasingly recognising, and valuing, the parliamentary dimension Read more
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