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EUISS is the EU's agency analysing foreign, security and defence policy issues.

19/10/2026

Ukraine launched one of its largest drone attacks against Russia yesterday.

Kyiv's increasingly frequent long-range strikes are raising the costs of Moscow's war, explains Ondrej Ditrych.

Now is the time to increase pressure on Russia and empower Ukraine.

Europe can do more, even without major new funding.
We set out concrete proposals to spend smarter and support harder.

Link in the comment

16/10/2026

What will the US midterm elections mean for Europe?

With the elections just weeks away, Democrats are well positioned to regain control of the House of Representatives, and the Senate is also in play. But how much would that actually change for Europe?

Together with the Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU, we brought together experts from both sides of the Atlantic to examine the electoral outlook and its implications for transatlantic relations.

3️⃣ takeaways from the discussion:

🇺🇸 The elections are largely about Trump and the cost of living.
🇪🇺 A Democratic victory would not necessarily reset transatlantic relations.
🌍 Domestic pressure could make US foreign policy even more unpredictable.

So what should Europe do?

Despite the enduring unpredictability, Europeans cannot afford to fully break ties with the US. They should combine strategies for facilitating cooperation with Washington, with more effective measures to counter coercion, argues Giuseppe Spatafora.

Thank you to Ambassador Luke Feeney, Bruce Stokes, Suzanne Lynch and our own Giuseppe Spatafora for their contributions, and to the Irish Presidency for partnering with us on this timely discussion.

15/10/2026

Since March 2026, the EU has spent an additional €100 billion on oil and gas without securing a single extra molecule.

As energy prices dominate today's European Council meeting, Caspar Hobhouse argues that financial support should do more than provide immediate price relief. It should also help reduce Europe's dependence on imported fossil fuels.

That means accelerating the electrification of transport, industry and domestic heating.

At the same time, Europe must strengthen its energy infrastructure against Russian threats.

How Europe should prepare for the winter ahead: Link in the comments

14/10/2026

Half baked or step by step: rethinking EU enlargement

While enlargement is back at the centre of European security policy, the question of how to do it is far from settled.

We were proud to partner with the Warsaw Security Forum for a high-level panel on rethinking EU enlargement, moderated by EUISS Director Steven Everts.

The discussion focused on how to accelerate enlargement, overcome political obstacles and maintain public support.

🎤 Four perspectives from the panel:

Montenegro's President Jakov Milatović: "Gradual integration must be a bridge to full membership, never a substitute for it."

Montenegro aims to become the EU's 28th member by 2028. Its accession, he argued, would demonstrate that Europe's transformative power is still alive. But candidate countries that deliver on reforms must be able to trust that the EU will also deliver on its promises.

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan stressed that in his country, the conversation about EU membership has only just begun. Neither Armenia nor the EU knows where it will lead. Armenia is deepening its ties with the EU while managing the geopolitical implications of closer EU ties, including for its relations with Russia.

Romanian Foreign Minister Oana-Silvia Țoiu: "There is a limit to how much fear can work." Security and geopolitical arguments alone may not win public support for enlargement. They compete with citizens' concerns about energy bills, jobs and their children's future. The economic opportunities of EU membership must also be part of the argument.

On EU's readiness for enlargement, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys warned that Member States spend too much energy competing with one another instead of building a stronger Europe. Reforming EU decision-making rules alone will not be enough without political will, leadership and a shared sense of purpose.

Watch the full discussion: https://www.youtube.com/live/xundt8_5quo

12/10/2026

Georgia shows what happens when the EU acts too late to respond to democratic backsliding. Is Serbia heading down the same path?

Bojana Zoric and Tefta Kelmendi examine the parallels between the two countries, and argue the EU needs to act before it loses it leverage, to prevent Serbia's from following Georgia's trajectory.

Link in the comments

09/10/2026

A Democratic win in the US midterms could constrain the Trump administration.

But it is unlikely to end transatlantic tensions.

With 2 more years of recurrent confrontation likely, Europe needs a more flexible playbook, argues Giuseppe Spatafora.

Europeans cannot afford to break with the US, so they should combine strategies for facilitating cooperation with Washington, with more effective measures to counter coercion:

➡️ Strengthening deterrence and maintaining European unity;

➡️ Raising the costs of coercion by introducing snapback mechanisms to suspend cooperation in high-priority areas for the US.

➡️ Offering credible options for de-escalation.

Link in the comments

07/10/2026

Europe under pressure: what does it need to decide now?

As EU leaders prepare to meet in Brussels, join us for a live discussion on the difficult choices facing Europe.

How can it sustain support for Ukraine? Is it ready to take the next steps on enlargement? And how should it navigate growing economic and geopolitical pressure from China?

Director Steven Everts will be joined by EUISS Analysts Ondrej Ditrych, Bojana Zoric and Tim Rühlig to look beyond the summit agenda at some of the bigger choices facing Europe, what is at stake and what needs to happen next.

📅 15 October - 10.30 CEST
Live here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8owBd9E4ZY

06/10/2026

Europe is heading into its toughest energy winter since 2022.

Gas storage is low, oil and gas markets are tight, energy prices have risen sharply, and the threat of Russian attacks on energy infrastructure is growing.

Europe needs to prepare now, warns Caspar Hobhouse.

On prices, this means avoiding a repeat of 2022, when governments spent heavily cushioning the immediate shock without addressing its underlying causes. Support should help permanently reduce demand for imported fossil fuels.

The best way to do this is through faster electrification of transport, industrial processes and domestic heating.

At the same time, Europe needs to respond to Russian threats on its energy infrastructure:

🔷 Step up police or military protection beyond major installations;
🔷 Improve intelligence sharing;
🔷 Establish an energy system repair hub to mobilise expertise and equipment quickly across Europe when systems are attacked.

Reducing Europe’s dependence on imported fossil fuels and protecting its energy system are increasingly part of the same security challenge.

Read the Commentary ➡️ Link in the comments

05/10/2026

Where data centres are located will determine whether the EU’s AI rollout is efficient, resilient and sustainable.

The US and China can draw on abundant energy supplies to power their AI expansion. Europe however, faces higher prices, congested grids, ageing infrastructure and continued dependence on energy imports.

Expanding its AI capabilities is therefore becoming an energy security issue.

Clotilde Bomont and Caspar Hobhouse argue that Europe can solve this dilemma by being smarter about where it builds its AI infrastructure.

Today, that geography is largely shaped by private actors. Hyperscalers, cloud providers and data centre developers choose locations based not only on energy, but also on land costs, tax incentives, permitting and connectivity. As a result, Europe’s data-centre geography does not necessarily match its energy resources.

The EU has a role to play in steering new investment towards locations with suitable grid capacity and surplus clean energy that would otherwise go unused.

Without such alignment, Europe’s AI capabilities will remain constrained and could deepen external energy dependencies.

Link to the Brief in the comments

02/10/2026

From grain routes and energy supplies to undersea cables, what happens in the Black Sea has direct implications for Europe’s security.

Russia’s war against Ukraine has put many of these vulnerabilities into sharper focus, from attacks on grain infrastructure to risks to maritime security and critical infrastructure.

Our Black Sea Security Seminar with the Romanian Permanent Representation to the EU, brought together policymakers and experts to discuss the next steps in implementing the EU’s strategic approach to the region, including regional preparedness, maritime security, cooperation with Ukraine and other regional partners, and the Black Sea’s role in Europe’s energy security.

We were honoured to have Romania's Minister of Foreign Affairs Oana Țoiu open the event, setting the scene for the morning’s discussions.

The event brought together Ana Tinca, State Secretary at Ministerul Afacerilor Externe/ Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Romania; Hristo Dikanski, Deputy Foreign Minister of Bulgaria; Mathilde FELIX-PAGANON, France’s Permanent Representative to the Political and Security Committee; Audrone Perkauskiene, EEAS; Adrienn Kiraly, European Commission; Christos Theophilou, European Commission; Vessela Tcherneva, European Council on Foreign Relations; Lt. Gen. Vasile Toader, New Strategy Center; and Kornely Kakachia, Georgian Institute of Politics.

The two panels were moderated by EUISS Director Steven Everts and Senior Analyst Ondrej Ditrych.

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