By Efthimios Kounalakis Mario Draghi’s engagement with the notion of a “two-speed Europe” during the European Union Summit on 12 February 2026 reflects a growing concern that the Union risks stagnation in strategic areas of European integration unless Member States secure the political will to pursue deeper cooperation. Differentiated integration is a widely studied conceptContinue reading “United In Diversity, Divided in Integration? The Debate of Europe’s ‘Two-Speed’ Future”
Tag Archives: Politics
SMR Strategy or Paralysis: Europe’s Next Energy Security Test
By Jordy Benooit Introduction The tension around Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, the phase out of Russian energy imports, and the subsequently rising energy prices highlight a structural weakness in the European Union’s energy system: a supply chain subjected to continued exposure to external shocks. When geopolitical disruption affects major oil and gas routes,Continue reading “SMR Strategy or Paralysis: Europe’s Next Energy Security Test”
The Hormuz Crisis and its Effects on the European Automotive Sector
By Simone Capuozzo The European automotive sector is at a turning point. After years of debating the need for green policies and drafting strategies for their implementation, decarbonisation deadlines are finally approaching. But why are carmakers facing so much pressure? The answer is simple: passenger cars are one of the biggest emitters of greenhouse gases,Continue reading “The Hormuz Crisis and its Effects on the European Automotive Sector”
In a Time of Need: Considering an Irish Security Service
By Harry Slattery While Europe prepares for a potential €800 billion security and defence boost via the Readiness 2030 package, Ireland remains lacking in many areas, with EU allies raising eyebrows about the island state’s pressing capability gaps. Particularly salient is Ireland’s lack of a dedicated foreign security service. In a European climate increasingly plaguedContinue reading “In a Time of Need: Considering an Irish Security Service”
EU Trade Policy: A New Engine of Global Relevance
By Riccardo Mouchanan Introduction From the Covid-19 pandemic, which showed the unstable nature of our supply chains, to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the second Trump administration’s rollback of the historical US role as guardian of democracy, Europe witnessed and underwent profound changes. Never has the Union been so exposed to unilateral actions fromContinue reading “EU Trade Policy: A New Engine of Global Relevance”
Stability and Growth Pact 2024 Reform: Ending the “One-Size-Fits-All” Approach?
By Alexandre Mies Since the eurozone crisis in the 2010s and especially since the Covid crisis, the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP), or the Eurozone’s fiscal rules, increasingly revealed its limits. Before 2024, the SGP imposed the same quantitative budgetary rules on the 20 eurozone Member States, inherited from the 1992 Maastricht Treaty: public deficitContinue reading “Stability and Growth Pact 2024 Reform: Ending the “One-Size-Fits-All” Approach?”
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