Western Europe

FEATURED COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS

New Atlanticist
Oct 2, 2024

A man in a hurry: Keir Starmer’s early approach is making waves at home and abroad

By
Ed Owen

The new UK prime minister’s much-anticipated speech at the Labour Party’s recent gathering in Liverpool is a window into where the country may be headed.

Economy & Business
Elections

New Atlanticist
Oct 2, 2024

Three state elections have backed Germany into a corner

By
Jurek Wille and Friedrich Conradi

The recent successes of populist parties in Germany’s state elections could signal an imminent shift in Berlin’s policies on climate, immigration, and aid for Ukraine.

Elections
Germany

New Atlanticist
Sep 26, 2024

France’s new government aims to calm the political storm. What will it mean for foreign policy?

By
Léonie Allard, Jean-Loup Samaan

Prime Minister Michel Barnier is likely to follow the path of President Emmanuel Macron, but the big question is whether the delicate political context in Paris will allow ministers to focus on crises in Ukraine and Lebanon.

Europe & Eurasia
France

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Thu, May 1, 2025 • 1:00 pm ET

Underwater mayhem: Countering NATO energy & critical infrastructure threats

Energy & Environment
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European Union

Online Event
Wed, April 30, 2025 • 4:00 am ET

Microsoft’s Brad Smith on digital resilience during geopolitical volatility

AN #ACFRONTPAGE EVENT—Brad Smith, vice chair and president of Microsoft, shares insights on maintaining trust and promoting competitiveness in a time of trade and geopolitical volatility.

Artificial Intelligence
Central Europe
Cybersecurity
Eastern Europe

Online Event
Tue, February 25, 2025 • 9:00 am ET

Debriefing Germany’s federal elections

Elections
European Union
Germany
Politics & Diplomacy

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The Europe Center promotes the transatlantic leadership and strategies required to ensure a strong Europe.

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Content

New Atlanticist

Oct 18, 2018

Quiz: Countdown to Brexit

By Atlantic Council

The United Kingdom has six months left in the European Union. Do you know the difference between “hard” and “soft” Brexit? Whether you’re Team Barnier or Team Raab, prove that you are the master of Brexit negotiations. Here are seven questions on Europe’s messy divorce.

United Kingdom

New Atlanticist

Oct 15, 2018

Bavaria election casts doubt on Merkel’s grand coalition

By Jörn Fleck and Alex Baker

With both Christian Democrats and Social Democrats suffering heavy losses, is this the beginning of the end for German Chancellor Angela Merkel's grand coalition?

Elections Germany

New Atlanticist

Oct 11, 2018

Europe’s liberal dream team looks more like a marriage of convenience

By Nick Ottens

Macron and Rutte are both relatively young (forty and fifty-one, respectively), ambitious (Rutte is believed to covet the European Council presidency, currently held by Donald Tusk), and in favor of reform of the European Union (EU).

European Union France

New Atlanticist

Oct 10, 2018

Here’s why Angela Merkel will be paying attention to Bavaria’s election (and you should too)

By Jörn Fleck and Alex Baker

The bigger question for German and perhaps European politics will be how the CSU reacts to a likely loss of an absolute majority at home.

Elections Germany

New Atlanticist

Oct 5, 2018

Brexit status report: breaking up is never easy

By David A. Wemer

Many of these issues boil down to a central question: how much power is the United Kingdom ready to cede to Brussels in return for access to the EU’s market?

European Union Eurozone

New Atlanticist

Oct 4, 2018

Western nations go on the offensive against Russian cyberattacks

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Western governments on October 4 unleashed a torrent of accusations against Russia saying its intelligence agency was responsible for cyberattacks on inquiries into Olympic doping, a former spy’s poisoning, and the downing of a commercial aircraft in 2014.

Cybersecurity Disinformation

New Atlanticist

Oct 2, 2018

Here’s how to fight disinformation

By David A. Wemer

In the case of the 2016 US election, Russian actors took advantage of a “massively fragmented media market” to promote fake news stories and disseminate stolen material, according to Atlantic Council Senior Fellow Laura Galante.

Disinformation English

New Atlanticist

Sep 25, 2018

Europe unlikely to avoid Trump’s Iran sanctions

By Samantha Sultoon

The establishment of a sanctions evasion tool would undermine the EU’s own sanctions enforcement by creating a domestic workaround that could to be applied to any other sanctions program now or in the future.

Economic Sanctions France

NATOSource

Sep 24, 2018

ANGRY TRIDENT

By August Cole

Editor’s note: This short story describes a hypothetical future war in northern Europe between Russian and NATO forces using advanced technology. RUSSIA-NORWAY BORDER Small mountains of bicycles marked the Norwegian-Russian border at the Storskog crossing, piled high like shimmering haystacks in the November moonlight. Alongside them on the Russian side were cars and buses dusted […]

Conflict Defense Technologies

New Atlanticist

Sep 12, 2018

Putin critic Litvinenko’s widow says Russia using disinformation to discredit Skripal poisoning

By David Wemer

Russian authorities are now “trying to use a case of Alexander Litvinenko to destroy the future case of Yulia and Sergei Skripal,” Marina Litvinenko said.

Disinformation Non-Traditional Threats