A volatile geopolitical environment, the loss of the US as a reliable partner, democratic backsliding in some member states, and declining economic competitiveness are just some of the challenges the EU will have to confront in 2025. How it addresses them will determine its future as a global actor.
MADRID – This year was always going to be important for the European Union, given the start of a new EU Commission mandate, a relatively new European Parliament, and a change at the helm of the European Council. But recent developments – including the collapse of the German government, the beginning of coalition negotiations led by the far right in Austria, the end of Russian gas flows to the EU via Ukraine, and Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election – have raised the stakes significantly.
MADRID – This year was always going to be important for the European Union, given the start of a new EU Commission mandate, a relatively new European Parliament, and a change at the helm of the European Council. But recent developments – including the collapse of the German government, the beginning of coalition negotiations led by the far right in Austria, the end of Russian gas flows to the EU via Ukraine, and Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election – have raised the stakes significantly.