Publications Archive

• Despite a significant expansion of social policy in the EU since 2010, the share of the vote won by populist parties has risen from around 12 per cent to almost 30 per cent.
• In the face of growing external threats, the EU’s legitimacy is based primarily on its protective role. It is therefore essential to significantly strengthen the EU’s capacity to act.
• Against this backdrop, the cep is calling for greater investment in energy security, digital infrastructure, defence and innovation in Europe.

The EU has significantly expanded its social policy since 2010. Nevertheless, populist and Eurosceptic parties continue to gain support. The Centre for European Policy (cep) considers social policy programmes alone to be insufficient to restore trust in the European Union.

• The EU still lacks a coordinated strategy to protect itself against economic coercion by countries such as China or the US.
• To increase the deterrent effect, a clearly defined framework of countermeasures is needed, focusing on the economic vulnerabilities of the opponents.
• In the future, countermeasures should be coordinated with close trading partners to increase their effectiveness.

The EU aims to reduce its vulnerability to economic coercion through the Anti-Coercion Instrument. The Centre for European Policy (cep) has assessed the instrument’s effectiveness to date and recommends clearer guidelines for economic countermeasures as well as close cooperation with trade partners.

Demographic change poses major challenges for the German pay-as-you-go pension system. To ensure an adequate standard of living in old age, an expansion of asset-backed pensions is required. The Centre for European Policy (cep) shows how Sweden and the United Kingdom have expanded asset-backed pensions and what Germany can learn from this.

With the Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA), the European Commission aims to prepare European industry for a climate-neutral future whilst simultaneously increasing its share of the EU economy. In an analysis of the legislative proposal, the Centre for European Policy (cep) criticises the contradictions it contains and calls for a consistent modernisation of European industry.

With the Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA), the European Commission aims to increase demand for low-emission technologies and products manufactured in Europe. In a study, the Centre for European Policy (cep) assesses the potential and risks of the "Buy European" requirements proposed by the Commission.

The so-called Brussels Effect is generally believed to be a strategic advantage for the EU because it means that strict EU rules are often adopted as global standards. However, a new survey by the Centre for European Policy (cep) paints a more nuanced picture. For many companies, the Brussels Effect is primarily a cost factor.

• The cep EU Strategic Autonomy Radar reveals Europe's geopolitical weakness  
• Europe no longer occupies leading positions in the supply chains of any critical technology field
• China has been successful in its long-term strategy to become a global technology leader
• The results highlight the strategic economic deficits of the US, which it now wants to compensate for geopolitically

Greenland dispute, Chinese resources and structural change: The geopolitical situation is forcing the EU to diversify its supply chains to avoid laying itself open to political blackmail. In a new "Strategic Autonomy Radar", the Centrum für Europäische Politik compares global trade flows in areas that are key for future technologies. Conclusion: Europe's supply chains must become more resilient and reliable.

Loss of political and economic significance: the EU is in danger of falling behind in the Middle East. The Centre for European Policy (cep) analyses the current situation and puts forward proposals on how the EU can position itself as a geopolitically relevant player in the region.

With the EU Space Act, the European Commission aims to establish common rules for security and resilience in outer space. The Centre for European Policy (cep) considers this initiative necessary but warns against overregulation and a lack of innovation.

Europe's energy transition is under pressure: rising financing costs and geopolitical risks are jeopardising the necessary investments of almost 500 billion euros per year. The Centre for European Policy (cep) warns of an investment backlog and calls for the Green Deal to be governed by new a risk management approach in order to make the green transformation competitive and financially viable.