Europe Center Commentary & Analysis

An Economic Roadmap for Germany

By Daniel Andrich

On September 24, Germany held an election for its federal parliament, the Bundestag, and as many forecasters had predicted, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) emerged as the strongest party.  For the first time in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany, six political groups consisting of seven parties sit in the Bundestag. With new […]

Dealing with the Far-Right in Germany

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Atlantic Council experts share their take on the outcome of the German elections. Here’s what they have to say:

German Election Shows Europe’s Nationalist Wave Has Not Crested

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Interview with the Atlantic Council’s Daniel Fried German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party came in first, which is good news. But the strong showing by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in elections on September 24 is evidence of the fact that the nationalist wave remains a significant factor in Europe, according to the Atlantic Council’s […]

Duda’s Veto Presents Poland with an Opportunity

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Warsaw must focus on repairing ties with the European Union, said Atlantic Council’s Fran Burwell Polish President Andrzej Duda’s decision to veto controversial judicial reforms gives Poland—the scene of creeping authoritarianism—an opportunity to mend its relationship with the European Union (EU). It also represents a significant split between the president and Jarosław Kaczyński, the head […]

Charting a Path to a More Secure EU

Political developments in Europe leading up to, and in the wake of last year’s Brexit referendum show that the path toward a more secure future for the European Union (EU) cannot rely on traditional political structures, a reality demonstrated by the campaign and election of French President Emmanuel Macron, according to a political analyst. “The […]

Wilson Testifies Before US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on Southeast Europe: Strengthening Democracy and Countering Malign Foreign Influence

By Damon Wilson

Read the full testimony here.

May’s Humiliation Could Make Brexit Easier

By Reginald Dale

The Conservative government’s surprise loss of its parliamentary majority in the United Kingdom’s June 8 general election will greatly complicate the task of withdrawing the country from the European Union (EU), on which negotiations are due to start June 19. But it might conceivably lead to a better outcome in the end. Prime Minister Theresa […]

Theresa May’s Failed Election Gamble

By Ashish Kumar Sen

British Prime Minister Theresa May made a gamble when she decided to call early elections with the hope of shoring up political support ahead of difficult Brexit negotiations. That gamble did not pay off. May’s Conservative Party, while still the largest in Parliament following the June 8 election, failed to secure the 326 seats necessary […]

For Macron, the Hard Part Starts Now

Emmanuel Macron’s election as the next president of France marks a defeat for Russian President Vladimir Putin and a setback for the wave of populism that has swept the West, but France is not out of the woods just yet. “Vladimir Putin emerges as a loser,” said Daniel Fried, a former US assistant secretary of […]