European Council on Foreign Relations

Commentary 10 August 2026 6 minute read Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store visits Hydrovolt’s new production line for recycling batteries in Fredrikstad Image by picture alliance / NTB | Fredrik Varfjell Recycling is no longer just an environmental obligation. It has become a geoeconomic imperative directly linked to Europe’s energy security and industrial competitiveness.

Commentary 10 August 2026 6 minute read Image by picture alliance / Photoshot | – Many—perhaps most—Trump administration foreign policy initiatives find ways to make money for people selected by Trump officials. These deals unjustly enrich a chosen few. They can also create facts on the ground that could bequeath problems to the next US administration. For example, grants of property rights to friends and family by the Trump-controlled Board of Peace could decide who has land and money in Gaza.

Commentary 6 August 2026 6 minute read Hamas fighters take position ahead of the planned release of Israeli hostages set to be handed over to the Red Cross in Nuseirat, Gaza Strip, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025 Image by picture alliance / ASSOCIATED PRESS | Abdel Kareem Hana At the end of July, Hamas agreed to a Board of Peace (BoP) roadmap to implement Phase 2 of the three-stage ceasefire agreement. At its core is Hamas’s willingness to decommission its weapons.

Commentary 6 August 2026 1 minute read Staff members work on a production line at a workshop of Changan Mazda in Nanjing, east China’s Jiangsu Province, March 17, 2026 Image by picture alliance / Xinhua News Agency | Li Bo Reluctance among German decision-makers has long stopped Berlin taking a tougher economic approach towards China.

Policy Brief 4 August 2026 Illustrations by Chris Eichberger Marine Le Pen’s candidacy for president means Europeans should prepare for a France wholly different to the one they know. A Rassemblement National government would be hostile to the EU and a disruptive partner on numerous issues facing Europe; including on Russia, enlargement, climate and migration.

Policy Alert 31 July 2026 2 minute read A migrant runs from Spanish police officers as they cordon off access to the beach for people crossing from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, Friday, 31 July 2026 Image by picture alliance / AP Photo/Antonio Sempere Around 60,000 migrants crossed from Morocco into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta in 24 hours between July 30th and 31st, overwhelming the territory and exposing divisions within the EU. The immediate cause is unclear.

Policy Alert 31 July 2026 2 minute read Image by picture alliance / REUTERS | KACPER PEMPEL Poland’s party system is unravelling. The Law and Justice (PiS) party, led by Jaroslaw Kaczyński, has split. More than 40 of its members have formed a separate parliamentary caucus that includes Mateusz Morawiecki, prime minister for most of the party’s rule from 2015 to 2023.

The NATO Summit in Ankara ended with a short but consequential declaration. Alongside commitments to develop a wide range of capabilities—such as drones, a warfighting cloud and AI models—the allies pledged to make them interoperable. This is not a trivial statement. Weapons systems are becoming increasingly software-defined, and NATO standards need to keep pace.

Article 29 July 2026 6 minute read Participants take a selfie with French President Emmanuel Macron (2nd R) following the closing session of the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, on May 12, 2026 Image by picture alliance / Anadolu | Lucas Mukasa When the G20 met on African soil for the first time in November 2025, it signalled that the continent is becoming more important to the world as an economic partner.

Commentary 28 July 2026 3 minute read Thousands of Houthi supporters gather in the streets of Sanaa, holding signs and raising lights during a rally backing statements by Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree Image by picture alliance / Anadolu | Mohammed Hamoud The next phase of the war between the US and Iran may be decided not in the Gulf but in Yemen.