About: Foreign policy

Germany pledges to raise military spending, play more active role in NATO

Germany has pledged to play a more active role in NATO with Chancellor Angela Merkel promising to raise military spending to 2% of the country’s GDP by the beginning of the 2030s. EURACTIV Germany reports.

New geopolitical crises demand a more dynamic EU neighbourhood policy

As divisions in Europe are hardening under the pressure of the biggest flow of refugees since WWII, experts are making the case to adjust the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), so that it’s ready to adapt and make the bloc resilient to rapid geopolitical changes.

Why Europe needs a global strategy

The challenges facing Europe today have global implications and require global solutions. From the Greek crisis to migration and climate change, the EU must seek answers beyond its borders, argues the European Think Tanks Group.

Germany bumped up to ‘best nation’, exceeding US in global ranking

First world champion in football, now best image: in a global comparison, Germany was bumped to best nation status – not least because of its top performance in sports – while Russia suffered the largest demotion. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Ukraine crisis shows greater assertiveness of German foreign policy

The Ukrainian crisis is important in itself, but Berlin’s direct challenge of Ukraine's elected president is perhaps much more important. In challenging President Viktor Yanukovich, Berlin took on Russia, a reflection of Germany's recent brazen foreign policy, write George Friedman and Marc Lanthemann.

Vimont: EU shouldn’t underestimate its soft power

Despite the EU’s difficulties to get its voice heard on the Syria crisis, Pierre Vimont argues that the 28-country bloc should not underestimate its soft power footprint: “I don’t pretend that we’re doing as much as we’d like, but we’re as active as possible, at least in our neighbourhood.”

Top foreign policy official defends EU response to Arab Spring

Despite lacking a power broker capability, Europe should be proud of its diplomatic achievements in response to the Arab Spring, European External Action Service Secretary General Pierre Vimont told EURACTIV in an interview.

External Action Service Review: Why it is important

If the real added value of the EU as a global actor is in developing holistic approaches to international affairs which benefit from a very broad range of tools, the people involved need to be able to work together well, write Rosa Balfour and Kristi Rak.

Ukraine deserves stronger ties with the EU

Ahead of parliamentary elections, Kostiantyn Yelisieiev urges the European Union to strengthen its economic and political ties with Ukraine.

Rising Asia and old Europe need to work together

Europe should engage more firmly with Asia not only in trade but also in foreign policy, climate issues and resource efficiency if it is to regain its powerful role in the international arena, argue Giles Merritt and Shada Islam from Friends of Europe.

Tunisian democracy deserves full support from the EU

Recent events in Tunisia will have a profound impact on democracy and political freedom in the Arab world, while the EU – which had turned a blind eye to authoritarian rule and corruption in the country – must support the 'Jasmine Revolution', writes Eberhard Rhein in a January blog post.

The EU’s External Action Service: New actor on the scene

The European External Action Service (EEAS) can provide a more coherent, visible and effective EU foreign policy but faces problems such as low morale among personnel, friction with the European Commission and disputes over EU representation in international organisations, writes Graham Avery, senior advisor at the European Policy Centre (EPC).

Ahmadinejad visit shows Turkey’s diplomatic emancipation

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad joined regional leaders for an economic summit in Turkey yesterday (23 December), a month before nuclear talks with six major powers in Istanbul.

The spectre of a multipolar Europe

On 18 October, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev sat down to discuss a new European conception of global security and – with the current order dysfunctional and inadequate – it was high time to include Russia in the discussions, write Ivan Krastev and Mark Leonard in a report for the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR).

Füle warns of divergence with Ukraine, Turkey

The European Union should not narrow the scope of its foreign policy cooperation with Turkey and Ukraine at a time when those countries have shown a will to conduct foreign policies that are not necessarily in line with those of the EU, Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy Commissioner Štefan Füle told EURACTIV in an exclusive interview.

The EU needs a foreign policy doctrine

Today's world contains two declining global powers (Russia and the US) and two emerging ones (China and the EU). While China's rise is unstoppable, the EU must establish its own foreign policy doctrine, which in an interdependent world must be one of "inclusiveness" and soft power, writes Romanian MEP Adrian Severin, vice-president of the Socialists & Democrats group in the European Parliament, in an exclusive commentary for EURACTIV.

Ashton eases through Parliament hearing

Catherine Ashton, the EU's new foreign affairs chief, sailed through a hearing in the European Parliament yesterday (11 January), clearing the way for her confirmation when the new European Commission is voted upon later this month.

Sudan and European Ignorance

After decades of bloody conflict in Sudan, Europe is still applying double standards to Africa and does not recognise the right of the South Sudanese to decide their own future, wrote Savo Heleta, author of the book 'Not My Turn to Die: Memoirs of a Broken Childhood in Bosnia', in a letter to EURACTIV. 

Poland blocks Finnish politician from EU top job

Poland has refused to support former Finish Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen's candidacy as EU foreign policy chief, on the grounds that he works for Gazprom on the Nord Stream pipeline project. EURACTIV Poland reports.

EU-China High Level Economic & Trade Dialogue love-in

"It is not possible […] to take an optimistic view of the trade relationship" between the EU and China, writes European Policy Centre founder Stanley Crossick in a May blog post reflecting on the High-Level Economic & Trade Dialogue (HED), which took place in Brussels on 7-8 May.

The European Union and its Neighbourhood: Time for a Rethink

The EU's new foreign policy initiative, the Eastern Partnership (EaP), was written in "ambitious terms", but must show greater sensitivity to the intricacies of its target region, argues Helen Wallace of the London School of Economics (LSE) in a paper for the Hellenic Foundation for European & Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP).

G20 London summit: After the dust has settled

"The US-China relationship is becoming the most important bilateral relationship in the world," writes Stanley Crossick, the founder of the European Policy Centre, in a March blog post reflecting on the outcome of the recent G20 summit in London.

Obama’s Afghanistan: A bridge too far for Europeans?

"Afghanistan reveals Europe's incapacity to formulate coherent collective security strategies and dedicate the resources required to implement them," writes Fabrice Pothier, director of Carnegie Europe, in an April paper.