Publications Archive

The rule of law beats populism: expelling refugees from Italy via Albania to their countries of origin will not be legitimised in the future either. This is the result of an analysis of existing and planned laws at national and European level by the Centre for European Policy (cep).

The US presidential election is completely open. The Centres for European Policy Network (cep) has analysed the consequences of possible election outcomes for Europe. Core thesis: Geopolitically, both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are moving away from Europe. With Trump, however, it will be stormier.

Between 4 and 12 November, the Commission candidates will have to answer questions before the European Parliament. The touchstone will be the so-called Mission Letters, in which President Ursula von der Leyen assigns tasks and portfolios to the new Commissioners until 2029. The Centre for European Policy (cep) scrutinised the candidates, departments and EU initiatives, particularly with regard to the internal market and competition. The result: many things should have been more ambitious and structured.

In the aftermath of Prime Minister Michel Barnier's general policy speech, the new government's ambition to strengthen France's influence within the European Union is clearer than ever, despite its fragility.

As France struggles to break its political deadlock, confusion also reigns over its ability to continue to assert its European vision in order to influence policies in Brussels.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has presented guidelines for her second term of office 2024-2029. She wants to strengthen Europe's competitiveness and promote sustainable innovation. The Centre for European Policy (cep) advises more concrete measures through prioritisation and smart regulation.

Ursula von der Leyen was very explicit when, during the Eurovision debate 2024 among the Spitzenkandidaten for the presidency of the Commission, she said that she was only willing to work with politicians who guaranteed three conditions: 'to be pro-European, pro-Ukraine - and therefore anti-Putin - and to be in favour of the rule of law'. 

In the last European elections in Italy, the three parties of the current governing majority were able to retain many of their outgoing MEPs. The opposition parties will be represented by a significant percentage of the newly elected MEPs, while two liberal lists failed to reach the 4% threshold and will have no seats.

France faces a difficult choice on June 30 and July 7. At this stage, the polls do not indicate that the presidential majority camp is in a position to win. On the contrary, the Rassemblement National (RN) and its ally, Éric Ciotti's LR, are best placed to win a relative or even absolute majority. Behind them, the Nouveau Front Populaire (NFP) - a left-wing or even far-left alliance - is also well positioned and could spring a surprise. Against this backdrop, it's worth imagining the impact of the policies potentially implemented by these two governments, one extreme right-wing, the other left-wing or even extreme left-wing.

The European elections have deeply shaken the EU, especially Germany and France. While the "Ampel" party in Germany suffered massive losses, Emmanuel Macron even called new elections in France. Two serious government crises in the largest member states are plunging the EU into a political survival crisis. This is the result of an election analysis by the Centre for European Policy Network (cep).