Publications Archive

The train journey from Helsinki to Turku takes around two hours. Throughout the year, it regularly carries tourists to attractions such as the city’s castle and the Sibelius Museum. In the last week of August, however, it carries EU practitioners to Turku’s Europe Forum. This year marked the ninth annual event, which cep’s new Finnish network hub, cep Nordic Countries, was able to attend for the first time. The three-day programme took place at Turku City Theatre under the motto “Values, Innovation and Security as the Foundation for the EU’s Success”.

Following the launch of cep Nordic Countries in Helsinki in early August, the new network hub is now turning its attention west across the Baltic Sea: Not only is Sweden Finland’s closest Nordic partner in matters of security and competitiveness, but its parliamentary election on 13 September will also provide an early indication of how domestic political priorities can be aligned with the principles of a rules-based Europe. Swedish voters will go to the polls amid concerns over the cost of living, crime, immigration, security, and energy supply.

The unprecedented influx of migrants from Morocco to Ceuta at the end of July tested the ability of the Member States to implement effective, joint and coordinated initiatives for managing migrants in times of need. Between 30 and 31 July 2026, as many as 60,000 people – some sources even put the figure as high as 70,000 – swam several hundred metres and scaled the fences along the border of the Spanish exclave in order to enter Ceuta from Morocco. According to the latest reports, at least 80 people are believed to have died while attempting to cross and, with many still missing, the death toll could rise.

The European single market is over 30 years old and cracks are beginning to show. Whilst the US and China provide targeted support for their technology companies, Europe remains trapped in an incomplete single market and, in many key areas, in a patchwork of 27 national regulatory frameworks that cause significant friction. Former Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta knows this problem better than most, having produced a sensational report on the future of European integration in April 2024 on behalf of the European Commission. In conversation with Andrea De Petris, Scientific Director of the Centre for European Policy (CEP) in Rome, he does not stop at the diagnosis. He sets out concrete ways forward.

The Centres for European Policy Network (cep) has analysed the European policy plans of the parties for the Bundestag elections. The result: Europe hardly plays a role, even though the EU is currently facing its biggest existential crisis in decades and Germany's prosperity and security are directly affected. The think tank demands that the next German government must urgently put Europe centre stage.

Whether it is digitalisation, education, or the economy, the parties are increasingly focusing on the future in the run-up to the federal elections – but without concrete proposals or instruments. This is the result of an AI analysis of the election manifestos by the Centre for European Policy (cep) and the think tank Zukunft-Fabrik.2050.

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.