German Economic Hopes after Election Fade Germany entered 2025 with renewed optimism after Friedrich Merz won the chancellorship promising pro-growth reforms and a €500bn fund to rebuild infrastructure and boost defence. Early hopes have faded: Q3 GDP confirms sluggish growth,…
Europe under Threat from Industrial Espoinage Chinese state-backed hackers have carried out a sustained, escalating cyber campaign across Europe from 2020–2025 that goes beyond simple espionage. These operations have targeted vaccine research, government and parliamentary networks, telecom and cloud infrastructure,…
How can the European Union Navigate the New Geopolitical Realities The new landscape of globalisation’s geoeconomic forces and rising geopolitics have pushed the EU away from a narrow neoliberal, market-first stance toward an emergent “economic statecraft” and more towards the…
Netherlands Takes over Nexperia from Chinese Firm The Netherlands seized control of Chinese-owned chipmaker Nexperia over governance concerns, prompting China to restrict exports of certain components from Nexperia’s China operations. The move has disrupted automotive supply chains, with major carmakers…
Economic and Military Options for the US and EU The US and the EU are exploring ways to economically squeeze the Russian economy to bring Putin back to the negotiating table. In fact, the economic strategy to tighten the noose…
EU Planning Counter Measures if No Deal The European Union and the US are moving towards an agreement on tariffs, with a proposed 15% tariff on imports as a baseline. The EU is prepared to accept this level for various…
EU – US Trade Deal Progress US President Donald Trump initially threatened to impose 50% tariffs on European Union imports starting June 1, 2024, due to stalled trade negotiations. However, after a phone call with European Commission President Ursula von…
Reality versus International Norms and Rules Tradeoff The Trump administration has presented an ultimatum pushing the line that that US to recognizes Russia's annexation of Crimea, forcing European capitals into a difficult choice between supporting Kyiv or aligning with Washington…
Is a EU Security Guarantee Credible Enough for Ukraine without the US? During a recent meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Brussels, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that Ukraine would not be joining NATO, a position that…
EU Strategic Autonomy on Defense Needed The potential U.S. retrenchment from Europe has increased, particularly under a possible second Trump presidency. This article highlights the challenges European nations face in developing a cohesive defense strategy in the context of declining…
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