integration

In July 2025, the European Commission presented its proposal for the European Union’s (EU) 2028–2034 multiannual financial framework. In this context, new regulations for cohesion policy will also have to be adopted. It is becoming apparent that...

Donald Trump’s second U.S. presidency marks a turning point for Europe. The United States is no longer a reliable security guarantor, trading partner, or defender of the rules-based international order. Aggressive tariff policies, growing...

The European Council is one of, if not, the key institution of the European Union (EU). Founded about 50 years ago, in December 1974, it comprises the Heads of State or Government of the member states, thus linking the national and European levels....

With the Treaty of Lisbon, the European Council became an institution of the European Union (EU) that is fully integrated into the institutional framework. In this way, the originally intergovernmental institution was linked to the supranational...

This contribution analyses the role of the European Council in the foreign and security policy of the European Union (EU) as both the architect of the system of external action and the provider of guidelines for policies in trade, enlargement,...

This article is a proposal to distinguish major periods in the history of the European Council since its founding in 1974: the period before, starting with the European Coal and Steel Community (1951–1974); then its informal incubation period...

The European Council and its President have, in many ways, a sui generis character. The President is more than a chairperson during international summits but has less power than a Head of State in a presidential system. His task is to steer the work...

The European Council has played a prominent role in the negotiations on the multiannual financial framework (MFF) of the European Union (EU) in six rounds so far. The European Council dominates the MFF negotiations and largely determines their...

The decision to admit new members to the European Communities or the European Union (EU) has always been a power reserved to the member states. Since its creation in 1974, the European Council has been used by the Heads of State or Government to...

The European Union (EU) faces numerous challenges for the electoral cycle 2024–2029. In face of a drastically changed global environment, the leadership at the helm of the Union’s key institutions has defined the European agenda accordingly....

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has changed the European security architecture, leading to previously unthinkable reactions in Central and Eastern Europe. Due to their geographical and historical proximit⁠y to Russia, the countries around the...

This article examines the structural challenges hindering institutionalised security and defence cooperation between the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU) post-Brexit. At the end of the tumultuous Brexit process, the UK under Boris...

The European Union (EU) as a key actor in international economic and trade policy is facing new challenges in the era of geopolitics. Acknowledging this altered context, the article makes three contributions: First, it conceptualises what can be...

The European Union promotes democratisation in the European neighbourhood. Despite this policy, however, the region is characterised by de-democratisation and autocratisation. The authors explain this by behavioural, institutional and structural...

Liberal democracy is under massive pressure worldwide due to the transformation of party systems, economic and welfare state models, and disruptions to the global power structure. In view of these internal and external disruptors, research is...

The 2024 reform of the Stability and Growth Pact promises nothing less than a radical reset of European fiscal policymaking. Aimed at addressing the mounting debt burdens of certain member states of the European Union, the reform emphasizes greater...

In the 2024 European Parliament elections, far-right parties made gains in many member states and won a higher overall seat share than ever before. In addition, the much discussed “rise of the far right” also changed the debate among the other...

The European Union (EU) and South Korea have maintained intensive relations for more than 60 years, which have been institutionalised at a political, economic and security policy level. Both sides are very similar in terms of value orientation,...

With NextGenerationEU (NGEU), macroeconomically significant debt has been incurred via the European Union (EU) budget for the first time. It is controversial whether this marks the start of continuous EU debt. This article analyses the interests of...

Over the past decade, an increasing number of states have adopted a feminist foreign policy approach. Cooperation in this area between state, civil society and academic actors is developing very dynamically. Against this background, and in view of a...

In this article, we provide a systematic overview of developments in European social policy under the first von der Leyen Commission (vdL Commission). We analyse the developments in the areas of regulatory, distributive and coordinative social...

Town twinning comes with great expectations. Pursued after the Second World War as an instrument of reconciliation on the European continent, they are supposed to strengthen political and social cohesion in Europe. However, classic partnerships are...