2025: A Year Of Challenges
All the commentaries published at the turn of the year had at least one thing in common: at the dawn of 2025, the European Union has rarely been faced with […]
European Affairs
Located in Brussels at the heart of EU political decision-making, the European Affairs Programme provides in-depth as well as policy-oriented analyses on a wide range of themes of relevance to EU and Belgian policy makers. Topics that are – or ought to be – central to the EU policy debate are given special attention. Aside from a constant focus on institutional matters, various substantive EU policies dominate the Programme’s research agenda, such as the Green Deal, the digital agenda, the consolidation of an inclusive social model, the protection of people and the defence of rights, and the promotion of Europe’s interests in the world.
The Programme also deals extensively and in a forward-looking way with the impact of the multiple crises the EU has had to address over the last decade. They all had an impact on its policies, its decision-making processes, and more generally its architecture, which is proof of the resilience of the European project.
With the aim of reaching the broadest audience possible, the European Affairs Programme seeks to share its expertise and stimulate the debate through a variety of publications as well as by organizing round tables, expert-seminars, and conferences.
Publications
Financial Influence Operations in the Hybrid Threats Spectrum
This paper examines the Hybrid Threats posed by perfectly legal and legitimate financial markets operations to national security through a variety of legal routes including acquisitions of intellectual property (IPs), […]
Commentaries
Bargaining Chips: The Gilded Tech Triangle of Riyadh, Silicon Valley and Mar-a-Lago
Donald Trump is visibly in his element when surrounded by gilded palaces, ornate fountains, and absolute monarchs. His bond with the Gulf States—particularly Saudi Arabia—goes beyond mere aesthetic affinity or […]
Semiconductors and Statecraft: Belgium’s Role in Europe’s Technological Sovereignty
Abstract Belgium’s global role in semiconductors hinges not on scale but on control of a strategic chokepoint: upstream innovation. With imec at its centre, Belgium functions as Europe’s semiconductor R&D […]
The Geopolitical Impact of USAID’s Retreat on Humanitarian Aid: Towards a Complementary Approach between China and the EU?
Trump’s decision to cut funding and stop most of USAID’s projects will have lasting consequences. First and foremost, it adds great pressure on an already big funding gap. Forgotten and […]
Commentaries
Trump Takes on the Fed and Weakens the Geopolitical Position of the US
The serious confrontation between the Chairman of the US Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, and the White House, over the consequences of the tariffs policy for the economy of the US, […]