The decision-making bodies of the EU are negotiating a revised EU-framework to prevent and counter the facilitation of unauthorised entry, transit and stay – a phenomenon commonly called smuggling of migrants. In this analysis, Gabriella Sanchez (Georgetown University) takes a critical look at the planned legislation. (2025:6epa)
Europe needs to carry out a rearmament amounting to several hundred billion euros in the coming years. Where will the money come from – and on what should they be spent? This will be discussed at a webinar on 2 April.
EU speeches and policy documents feature many political concepts, both recurrent and new ones. What do these concepts imply – and what is it that EU leaders and institutions want to achieve by using them? SIEPS has asked leading experts to take a critical look. (2025:1op)
Recent publications in English
EU speeches and policy documents feature many political concepts, both recurrent and new ones. What do these concepts imply – and what is it that EU leaders and institutions want to achieve by using them? SIEPS has asked leading experts to take a critical look. (2025:1op)
The stakes are high when Germany holds snap elections on 23 February 2025. For the EU, both domestic and European policies in the most populous country in the Union are of great importance. Valentin Kreilinger (SIEPS) analyses what the parties' positions, the possible coalitions and the upcoming policy decisions mean for Europe. (2025:3epa)
A long trend of increasing gender balance in the European Parliament was broken with the 2024 election results. Johanna Kantola, Professor at the University of Helsinki, analyses the state of gender equality in the European Parliament. (2025:4epa)
EU enlargement will have consequences for where foreign investment is made. Colin Wren (Newcastle University) examines past enlargements and draws conclusions about future ones: which countries will be most attractive to invest in as the EU grows? (2025:2epa)
European security
What efforts are required to build up both civilian and military defence structures within the EU? This question is discussed by Katarina Engberg, security expert and senior advisor at SIEPS. Her European Policy Analysis, which was published in January 2025, provides an overview of the efforts and includes a discussion on Europe’s responsibility for the security of Ukraine.
Read more on and download her publication Towards a European Total Defence Union? and other SIEPS analyses on related topics.
By the same author: A European Defence Union by 2025? Work in Progress, a policy overview published in January 2021.
Security and defence are high on the EU's agenda for the new political cycle. Katarina Engberg analyses the initiatives within the EU that point towards a total defence as well as the challenges and opportunities this brings. (2025:1epa)
A new SIEPS forum where experts from research, policy and think tanks present their thoughts on EU reform and enlargement in short texts.
May 2024 • Schwarzer Daniela
Enlargement policy has been re-discovered as the most powerful tool to stabilize the EU’s neighbourhood. Professor Daniela Schwarzer argues that enlargement will only be successful if the EU becomes more flexible in integrating new members and in its functioning, while enhancing legitimacy and protecting its basic principles more forcefully. (15 May)
April 2024 • Blockmans Steven
While new plans for the gradual integration of candidate countries may help to speed up their accession process in certain policy sectors and serve EU interests, Steven Blockmans argues that such advances should be firmly anchored in the formal framework of membership negotiations and checked against comprehensive reforms of the rule of law and public administration. (24 April)
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