European Union

Georgia's parliament on Sunday (8 September) confirmed an ex-interior minister accused of cracking down on protesters as the country's new prime minister, fuelling political tensions in the ex-Soviet nation.

The United States will continue to impose sanctions on whoever purchases Iran's oil or conducts business with Iran's Revolutionary Guards and no oil waivers will be re-issued, a US official said on Sunday (8 September).

Poland's foreign ministry on Sunday (8 September) condemned violence against a group of Israeli students beaten at a Warsaw nightclub early on Saturday, following criticism that Polish leaders are not doing enough to denounce antisemitism.

The United States and Turkey on Sunday (8 September)  began joint patrols in northeastern Syria aimed at easing tensions between Ankara and US-backed Kurdish forces who battled the Islamic State jihadist group.

Russia and Ukraine swapped dozens of prisoners on Saturday (7 September) in a carefully-negotiated rapprochement that brought Western praise and could thaw a freeze in relations since Moscow's annexation of the Crimea region in 2014.

The chances of an election before the UK leaves the EU are rapidly receding but the political and constitutional battle between Prime Minister Boris Johnson and parliamentarians is set to continue to intensify.

Weekly schedule of President Donald Tusk 9 - 16 September 2019

As the moment edges closer for Ursula von der Leyen to unveil her new Commission on Tuesday (10 September), the Brussels rumour mill has shifted into overdrive. In this Brief, EURACTIV analyses some initial lists that have been circulating in Brussels.

EU's foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini on Friday presented the "Global Exchange on Religion in Society". This new initiative aims to connect community actors inside and outside Europe in the field of religion and social inclusion with a wide range of activities. The programme will be like "an Erasmus for civil society," Mogherini said. The exchange platform is expected to be operational in the first half of 2020.

Europeans still drink more alcohol than the rest of the word, according to a recently-released report of the World Health Organisation (WHO). Germany, the Czech Republic, and Lithuania are the heaviest-drinking EU countries.

After weeks of consultations, Ursula von der Leyen will put forward her commission on Tuesday, as London's Brexit drama keeps rumbling on in the background in Brussels.

Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on the alignment of certain third countries with Council Decision (CFSP) 2019/1210 of 15 July 2019 amending Decision (CFSP) 2016/849 concerning restrictive measures against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Presidents Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker congratulated Oleksiy Honcharuk, Prime Minister of Ukraine.

The intense drought in France has already led to the elimination of fallow fields. It has also created tensions that are not so favourable to the negotiations over the EU's new Common Agricultural Policy. EURACTIV France reports.

Written by Marcin Grajewski,

© VanderWolf Images / Fotolia

The European Union faces numerous challenges, both short and long-term, as it prepares to choose the new executive European Commission for the next five years, following elections to the European Parliament in May 2019. The most immediate task is for European Commission President-elect, Ursula von der Leyen, to put together a college of Commissioners and secure the approval of the European Parliament for it. The EU is also engaged in tough negotiations on the terms of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU, currently due on 31 October.

On the economic front, the EU needs to deal with the fallout of a trade conflict between the United States and China, and to boost its competitiveness, as the two other global powerhouses swiftly pursue the digitalisation of their economies. In the face of political volatility in the U.S., Europe should also consider enhancing its defence capabilities. Last, but not least, the Union must deliver on its pledge to remain the world’s leader in efforts to fight climate change.

This note brings together recent commentaries, analyses and studies by major international think tanks and research institutes on challenges facing the EU. More papers analysing the outcome of the European Elections can be found in a previous edition of ‘What Think-tank are Thinking’, published in July.

Institutions and politics

Setting course for the next five years: Three steps to start an effective EU Commission presidency
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Auswärtige Politik, September 2019

Europeans face the risk of democratic regression: What can be done
Notre Europe, September 2019

An EU budget in support of the next commission’s agenda
Notre Europe, September 2019

The political reform agenda of Ursula von der Leyen
European Policy Centre, August 2019

A new budget for the EU
Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, August 2019

Von der Leyen’s bumpy road to becoming Commission President
Centre for European Reform, August 2019

Laying the foundations for a successful Commission presidency
European Policy Centre, July 2019

The nomination of von der Leyen: Towards institutional balance in a reformed lead candidate process
Centre for European Policy Studies, July 2019

Can citizen participation really revive European democracy?
Carnegie Europe, July 2019

Fixing the European social malaise: Understanding and addressing the grievances of European workers
Instituto Affari Internazionali, July 2019

La 9ème législature européenne, une nouvelle donne politique
Fondation Robert Schuman, July 2019

A more streamlined Commission structure
European Policy Centre, July 2019

Why did Italy fall out of love with Europe?
Instituto Affari Internazionali, July 2019

A strategic agenda for the new EU leadership
Bruegel, June 2019

2019: The year for a fresh start in Europe?
Institut der Deutschen Wirtschaft Köln, June 2016

Can regular replace irregular migration across the Mediterranean?
Centre for European Policy Studies, Mercator, June 2019

From Enlargement to the unification of Europe
Open Society Foundations, June 2019

The European Parliament and climate change: Past, present and future
EUROPEUM, June 2019

How to govern a fragmented EU: What Europeans said at the ballot box
European Council on Foreign Relations, June 2019

Juncker ou la plus-value européenne: Le bilan positif de la Commission européenne (2014-2019)
Fondation Robert Schuman, June 2019

A redefinition of “Spitzenkandidaten”: The next EU Commission needs a common political mandate
Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, June 2019

The EU after the elections: A more plural Parliament and Council
Fundacion Real Instituto Elcano, June 2019

The European migration crisis: A pendulum between the internal and external dimensions
Instituto Affari Internazionali, June 2019

Brexit

How EU families in Britain are coping with Brexit uncertainty
UK in a Changing Europe, September 2019

How are MPs planning to stop a no-deal Brexit on 31 October?
Institute for Government, August 2019

Brexit and prorogation: Constitutional outrage or parliamentary sovereignty?
UK in a Changing Europe, August 2019

Boris Johnson’s Brexit backstop face-off risks everything for nothing
UK in a Changing Europe, August 2019

Negotiating after no deal
UK in a Changing Europe, August 2019

What Europe thinks about three central Brexit issues
UK in a Changing Europe, August 2019

No-deal Brexit means trouble for Brits living in the EU
Centre for European Reform, August 2019

A no-deal Brexit is not inevitable
Centre for European Reform, August 2019

EU security ambitions are hostage to the Brexit process
Chatham House, June 2019

Economy, trade and energy

Why Europe needs a change of mind-set to fend off the risks of recession
Bruegel, September 2019

A new approach to euro zone reform
Notre Europe, September 2019

The coming clash between climate and trade
Bruegel, August 2019

Making the Single Market work: Launching a 2022 masterplan for Europe
European Policy Centre, August 2019

The real cost of Trump’s trade wars
Centre for European Policy Studies, August 2019

Den Bad Guys die Stirn bieten
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Auswärtige Politik, August 2019

EU trade policy amid the China-US clash: Caught in the cross-fire?
Peterson Institute for International Economics, August 2019

European champion-ships: Industrial champions and competition policy
Bruegel, July 2019

The European Union energy transition: Key priorities for the next five years
Bruegel, July 2019

Union de l’énergie : L’indispensable intégration
Confronatiations Europe, July 2019

Will Europe scare off Silicon Valley?
Chatham House, July 2019

Plugging Europe’s great tax leak
Centre for European Policy Studies, July 2019

The capital markets union: Should the EU shut out the City of London?
Centre for European Reform, July 2019

The threats to the European Union’s economic sovereignty
Bruegel, July 2019

Machine politics: Europe and the AI revolution
European Council on Foreign Relations, July 2019

Paris-proofing the next Multiannual Financial Framework
European Policy Centre, June 2019

European economic democracy: A new path out of the crisis
Federation for European Progressive Studies, June 2019

5G and the US–China tech rivalry – a test for Europe’s future in the digital age: How can Europe shift from back foot to front foot?
Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, June 2019

The opportunities of the Modernisation Fund for the energy transition in Central and Eastern Europe
Centre for European Policy Studies, June 2019

Between partnership and punitive tariffs: Prospects for a New U.S-E.U. Trade Agreement in the New Congress
Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, June 2019

Security and foreign policy

Bolstering EU foreign and security policy in times of contestation
Notre Europe, September 2019

Hostile ally: The Trump challenge and Europe’s inadequate response
Brookings Institution, August 2019

Europe’s paralysis, America’s disruption
Carnegie Europe, August 2019

The budgetary future of migration and development policy in the European Union
Instituto Affari Internazionali, August 2019

An EU Security Council and a European Commissioner for Security and Defence: The final pieces of the Union’s Common Security and Defence Policy puzzle?
Egmont, July 2019

The rise of China and the future of the transatlantic relationship
Chatham House, July 2019

Strategic autonomy for European choices: The key to Europe’s shaping power
European Policy Centre, July 2019

Low risk, high reward: A Trans-Pacific Partnership for the EU
Centre for European Policy Studies, July 2019

Independence play: Europe’s pursuit of strategic autonomy
European Council on Foreign Relations, July 2019

Can Ursula Von Der Leyen save the transatlantic relationship?
Carnegie Europe, July 2019

From plaything to player: How Europe can stand up for itself in the next five years
European Council on Foreign Relations, July 2019

Europe and the digital arms race: Is winter coming?
Centre for European Policy Studies, June 2019

The EU’s Security Union: A bill of health
Centre for European Reform, June 2019

Building Europeans’ capacity to defend themselves
European Council on Foreign Relations, June 2019

Strategic sovereignty: How Europe can regain the capacity to act
European Council on Foreign Relations, June 2019

The governance of the European Defence Fund: Sovereignty and integration issues
Groupe de Recherche et d’Information sur la Paix et la Sécurité, June 2019

The European China strategy: The pieces of the puzzle are slowly falling into place
Egmont, June 2019

Towards an EU security community? Public opinion and the EU’s role as a security actor
Finnish Institute of International Affairs, June 2019

Read this briefing on ‘EU challenges at a time of transition‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Italy's new government made up of the Five Star Movement and the Democratic Party was sworn in on Thursday. The independent lawyer Luciana Lamorgese will take over from Lega leader Salvini as minister of the interior. Luigi Di Maio, leader of the Movimento Cinque Stelle, will become foreign minister. The new government is good news for Europe but a shaky construction, commentators observe.