Featured commentary & analysis

The Europe Center uses real-time commentary and analysis to explain to key audiences in America current developments in Europe and how they affect the transatlantic relationship.

Europe Center

New Atlanticist Aug 28, 2025

Germany wants to double its defense spending. Where should the money go?

By Atlantic Council experts

After decades of Berlin underinvesting in its defense, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has plans to transform the Bundeswehr into Europe’s strongest military. 
Defense Policy Europe & Eurasia
Europe Center

New Atlanticist Aug 27, 2025

The US-EU face-off over pharma is on pause—for now

By Emma Nix

Both Europe and the United States would benefit from working together to secure affordable and accessible pharmaceutical supply chains.
Economy & Business European Union
Europe Center

New Atlanticist Aug 25, 2025

Trump should kickstart Kosovo-Serbia talks into making real progress

By Agon Maliqi

The Trump administration has an opening to reinvigorate dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, but it must avoid the mistakes of past mediation processes.
European Union Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding
ALL COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS

Stay updated


Get the latest updates, publications, and events from the Europe Center.

Regions in focus

European Union

Growing from its start as the European Coal and Steel Community, the European Union has risen as a key actor and norm-setter in areas as diverse as trade, energy security, digital policy, and defense. In an era of great power competition, the United States has a national interest in the EU reinvigorating faith in the European project.

France

The United States’ oldest ally, France is a key strategic partner for Washington. France remains a key country to watch for the future of the European project as it pursues a vision for a more integrated, cohesive European Union.

Germany

Germany is a key player in the transatlantic relationship and in Europe. The US-German relationship has been the backbone of the international order for seven decades, and a strong transatlantic community and rules-based order relies on close US-German cooperation.

Poland

Poland is a major actor within NATO and the European Union, a growing economic powerhouse, and an influential regional leader. With increased Russian aggression, foreign influence campaigns, and a rise of populism, the United states needs to continue investing in the relationship with a key ally.

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom is a long-time friend and ally of the United States. Despite wrestling with internal challenges, the UK plays an important leadership role in the international system as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, a NATO leader, and the bridge between Europe and the United States on issues of defense, security, sanctions, and trade.

The Western Balkans

The Balkans are enjoying a period of relative stability after decades of turmoil. US and European engagement are as necessary as ever to stabilize the fragile peace of the 1990s and build further Euro-Atlantic political and economic integration.

Issues in focus

Transatlantic Digital Marketplace Initiative

The Transatlantic Digital Marketplace Initiative seeks to foster greater US-EU understanding and collaboration on digital policy matters and build tangible cooperation in this fast-growing area of the transatlantic economy.

Three Seas Initiative Programming

The Atlantic Council strives to promote a Europe undivided, free, and prosperous through its support of the Three Seas Initiative. The Initiative seeks to bolster investment in Central and Eastern European transportation, energy, and digital infrastructure to improve regional connectivity and bolster development.

Transform Europe Initiative

Based on the lessons of the Kremlin’s war on Ukraine, the Transform Europe Initiative aims to strengthen European security against petro-aggression, climate change, and weaponized corruption. The initiative aids in the development of structural reforms and expedited but practical solutions that promote Europe’s decarbonization and defenses against transnational kleptocracy networks.

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Featured in-depth research & reports

The Europe Center conducts research to guide the actions and strategy of key transatlantic decision makers on the issues that will shape the future of the transatlantic relationship.

Europe Center

Report May 20, 2025

The European Union Growth Plan for the Western Balkans: A reality test for EU enlargement

By Valbona Zeneli, Richard Grieveson, Isabelle Ioannides, Dimitar Bechev

EU enlargement faces a test case in the Western Balkans. The current plan offers real benefits before accession, creating incentives for reform, but questions of enforceability and the relatively low amount of financial support threaten the success of the EU’s political influence in the region.
Economy & Business Europe & Eurasia
Europe Center

Issue Brief Mar 14, 2025

The Three Seas Initiative stands at an inflection point

By Emma Nix, Ian Brzezinski

The Three Seas Initiative is preparing for a critical summit in Warsaw in 2025. What opportunities exist to ensure the Initiative can accomplish its goal of ensuring a Europe whole, free, secure, and at peace?
Central Europe Economy & Business
Europe Center

Issue Brief Mar 5, 2025

The EU must become a strategic player in defense—alongside NATO

By Justina Budginaite-Froehly

The European Union and NATO need renewed alignment on defense to meet the new geopolitical moment. Refocused cooperation would provide a critically needed burden sharing to eliminate vulnerabilities and prepare Europe to withstand new realities.
Defense Industry Europe & Eurasia
ALL IN-DEPTH RESEARCH

Featured events

By convening American and European leaders, through public events and workshops, the Europe Center promotes dialogue to bolster the transatlantic partnership.

Public Event Thu, May 1, 2025 • 3:00 pm ET

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot on Europe and the new world order

AN #ACFRONTPAGE EVENT—French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot will share his vision of Europe’s role for the future of transatlantic relations.
Europe & Eurasia Politics & Diplomacy
Public Event Thu, April 3, 2025 • 9:30 am ET

Europe’s Teresa Ribera on the EU’s clean transition and US-EU relations

AN #ACFRONTPAGE EVENT—Teresa Ribera, executive vice-president of the European Commission, shares her vision for the EU, the bloc’s competitiveness, and the US-EU relationship.

Digital Policy Economy & Business Energy & Environment Europe & Eurasia
ALL EVENTS

Debriefs

#AtlanticDebrief

#AtlanticDebrief hosts interviews with leading experts, policymakers, and newsmakers from both sides of the Atlantic to unpack the challenges and opportunities of the transatlantic relationship.

Explore the Series

#BalkansDebrief

The Atlantic Council Europe Center’s #BalkansDebrief series features timely conversations on key issues impacting the Western Balkans. Nonresident senior fellow Ilva Tare hosts newsmakers, experts, and officials for discussions on rule of law, energy security, cultural heritage, Russian and Chinese influence in the region, and more.

Explore the Series

Experts

Fellow

Marek Magierowski

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Europe Center

Economy & Business Europe & Eurasia

Fellow

Agon Maliqi

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Europe Center

Albanian Bosnian

Fellow

Jeffrey Hovenier

Nonresident senior fellow

Europe Center

Croatian Europe & Eurasia

Fellow

Richard Hurowitz

Nonresident senior fellow

Europe Center

Economy & Business Europe & Eurasia

Fellow

Naz El-Khatib

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Europe Center

Europe & Eurasia Indo-Pacific

Fellow

Justina Budginaite-Froehly

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Europe Center Transatlantic Security Initiative

Defense Industry European Union
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Content

In the News

Jan 13, 2022

Wieslander in Carnegie Europe’s “Judy Asks: Can diplomacy rescue European security?”

“There is something utterly disturbing about a situation where the perpetrator demands security guarantees and those under threat are willing to discuss them: an Alice-In-Wonderland-Upside-Down kind of feeling,” wrote Anna Wieslander, Director for Northern Europe.

Europe & Eurasia NATO

In the News

Jan 11, 2022

Wieslander interviewed by Radio Sweden on Russian demands

By Anna Wieslander

Russia’s demands that NATO should not expand any further, or face the consequences, has raised concerns over the security of the two Nordic non-NATO members Sweden and Finland. “This is very troublesome for Sweden… and it is not the first time Russia has done this,” Wieslander said.

Europe & Eurasia NATO

Britain Debrief

Jan 10, 2022

#BritainDebrief – What is Keir Starmer’s Brexit? A debrief from Luke Cooper

By Ben Judah

LSE associate researcher Luke Cooper joins #BritainDebrief for a look at Britain's Labour Party and what any future Labour government will mean for Britain in the world.

Elections Politics & Diplomacy

In the News

Jan 8, 2022

Wieslander quoted in Finnish YLE News on Russian negotiations

By Anna Wieslander

Ahead of US and NATO talks with Russia, Anna Wieslander spoke to the Finnish news outlet YLE on the risks of negotiations as well as NATO allies’ fatigue and fears of enlargement. “It is an uncomfortable situation that the West is negotiating with [Russia] at gunpoint…[and] a very bad situation for Finland and Sweden if […]

Europe & Eurasia NATO

In the News

Jan 7, 2022

Wieslander on Swedish & Finnish NATO enlargement in RUSI interview

By Anna Wieslander

Sweden and Finland’s freedom to potentially join NATO was recently challenged by Russia. Anna Wieslander spoke with Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) about the reactions in Stockholm and Helsinki. “Overall, Sweden’s response has not been at the same high level of state officials as the response in Finland. One key explanation for this is that […]

Europe & Eurasia NATO

Blog Post

Jan 7, 2022

Plan to crack open more books in 2022? Check out what our Europe experts are reading.

By Atlantic Council's Europe Center

One of the ways the experts at the Atlantic Council’s Europe Center passed the second full year of the pandemic was by reading everything from politics, philosophy, and history to biography and, of course, fiction. Here are their favorite and often surprising top picks.

Central Europe Eastern Europe

In the News

Dec 20, 2021

Propp in Lawfare: Towards OECD Principles for Government Access to Data

Nonresident senior fellow Kenneth Propp, with co-authors Theodore Christakis and Peter Swire, explores a project and implications of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to outline shared principles to govern the access of personal data held by private sector corporations for national security and law enforcement purposes. About the author

Digital Policy Economy & Business

Issue Brief

Dec 17, 2021

The EU as a global actor in the Indo-Pacific

By Marie Jourdain

The coming French presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first semester of 2022 presents a great opportunity to turn commitments to deepen such cooperation into action, demonstrating that the transatlantic community can effectively deliver together in the Indo-Pacific region.

Europe & Eurasia European Union

New Atlanticist

Dec 16, 2021

Is the EU about to build its own military capacity? Thanks to Germany, the jury’s still out.

By Francis Shin

Supporters of increased European military integration have taken the new coalition’s interest in an assertive foreign policy as a sign that EU military capacity may one day be feasible. But they should temper their hopes.

Defense Policy European Union

Britain Debrief

Dec 16, 2021

#BritainDebrief – Is corruption threatening Britain? A debrief from Helena Wood

By Ben Judah

On this episode of #BritainDebrief, RUSI's Helena Wood joins Ben Judah for a discussion on the threat of corruption to the UK's national security.

Corruption Economic Sanctions
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Events

Flagship Event Tue, September 30, 2025 • 9:00 am ET

2025 Transatlantic Forum on GeoEconomics

The Transatlantic Forum on GeoEconomics is an annual conference convening economic and financial leaders from both sides of the Atlantic.
Digital Policy Economy & Business Europe & Eurasia European Union