European Policy Centre

Official account of the leading independent Brussels-based think tank. Fostering #European integration through evidence-based #policy analysis and #debate.

[European Policy Centre @epc_eu]

As @EU_Commission @MartaKos releases the EU’s long-awaited pre-enlargement reviews, @epc_eu analyses take a deep dive
@StratulatCorina on the EU’s 15-year safeguard https://t.co/SJrUMceQva
@JanisEmmanouilid on why Europe must be ready for enlargement
https://t.co/njekME92cC

[European Policy Centre @epc_eu]

@vonderleyen The Black Sea is becoming a gated sea. Europe needs persistent maritime surveillance, counter-drone defence and the industrial capacity to sustain both, now.
https://t.co/Uq5gWoz9ml

[European Policy Centre @epc_eu]

Safeguards don't make the EU enlargement-ready; if about reassuring voters, it's a domestic communications tool @ best. Enlargement credibility relies on EU's ability to change. No Trojan horses, fine, but the Union still has to get its own house in order.
https://t.co/IO3maAJSpp

[Rapporteur @rapporteur_news]

EU countries split over safeguards for future members as Brussels prepares its next enlargement push.

Also in today’s Rapporteur AM:

🇮🇱 Top Greens reject motion equating Zionism with racism
🇨🇳 France, Germany unite behind a tougher EU trade tool on China
https://t.co/UNB2ekJvbB

[European Policy Centre @epc_eu]

@clashreport Low-cost drones and minimally crewed systems are the right call. Drones stop an incursion; crewed forces hold ground. I hope SACEUR's Theory of Victory shows that balance, and how Europe will produce and replace these systems fast enough to be sustainable.
https://t.co/Uq5gWoz9ml

[European Policy Centre @epc_eu]

First drone strike in Bulgaria's EEZ, a day after a grain ship sank off Romania. The Black Sea is becoming a gated sea. Europe needs persistent maritime surveillance, counter-drone defence and the industrial capacity to sustain both, now.
https://t.co/Uq5gWoz9ml

[Georgi Gotev & EUalive @GeorgiGotev]

Drone strikes hit commercial ships in Bulgarian waters, triggering major Black Sea rescue https://t.co/dApj1ImUUy The first such attack inside Bulgaria’s EEZ leaves one vessel sunk and another ablaze; two crew members are confirmed dead as regional tensions rise

[European Policy Centre @epc_eu]

📢 We’re hiring!

The EPC is looking for an Operations Assistant to support our Brussels office – from reception and office management to IT support and the roll-out of AI tools.

Applications reviewed on a rolling basis 👇
https://t.co/VdXNHYsoUx

[European Policy Centre @epc_eu]

EU enlargement is changing.
Hard law for candidates. Softer commitments from the EU.
What does this mean for the credibility of enlargement and the rule of law?
@StratulatCorina examines the growing imbalance 👇
🔗 https://t.co/rbm8YCGjdj
#EUEnlargement #EU

[European Policy Centre @epc_eu]

Plus, read Almut Möller’s new Commentary on the upcoming EU Security Strategy 👇
https://t.co/V2639RvfKq

[European Policy Centre @epc_eu]

🎙️🇪🇺 Can Europe widen its security options without weakening NATO?

In the latest Language of Power, Paul Taylor, Almut Möller & @sbeverts discuss Europe’s ability to act in a more dangerous world.

Listen here 👇
https://t.co/QAkfYRD0Aq

[Declan Kelleher @DecKelleher]

Thoughtful and ahead of the curve analysis by @epc_eu on the importance of continued trade diversification by the EU in an increasingly contested geopolitical situation.

[European Policy Centre @epc_eu]

No country facing economic coercion has to face it alone. That's the real message behind the EU–Philippines trade deal: combine economic weight, reduce vulnerability, defend sovereignty together.
https://t.co/XfD4G09TXN

[Ursula von der Leyen @vonderleyen]

Spoke to President Marcos of the Philippines @bongbongmarcos.

We just agreed on a 🇪🇺🇵🇭 free trade deal!

This comes just 3 years after my visit to Manila to relaunch the negotiations.

I want to thank @MarosSefcovic for yet another trade success.

https://t.co/Z0MYsPUNXr

[European Policy Centre @epc_eu]

Coincidence?

In her SOTEU this month, @vonderleyen opened with Dickens.

Months earlier, Almut Möller opened her 2026 Outlook Paper the same way.

Both their arguments echo each other.

Read the piece that said it first →
https://t.co/o3t3xah37B

[European Policy Centre @epc_eu]

@kajakallas Kallas is right: impunity, not law, is the problem. But impunity has a head start: facts get contested along lines of power before accountability even begins. We need an independent body to weigh evidence transparently. It is a geopolitical necessity.
https://t.co/0ajSt3DevQ

[European Policy Centre @epc_eu]

@vonderleyen @bongbongmarcos @MarosSefcovic The EU's answer to tariff chaos isn't retaliation; it's diversification. Mercosur, India, now the Philippines: Brussels is betting on partners who value predictability over coercion. In a fracturing world, trade diversification is geopolitics.
https://t.co/XfD4G0arNl

[European Policy Centre @epc_eu]

Trump’s moment of truth on Russia sanctions.
The US House has passed a new sanctions bill. Now the question is whether Trump will turn new powers into real pressure on Moscow.
Read what’s at stake for Russia, Ukraine, Europe, China and India.https://t.co/5a7F46Uup7

[European Policy Centre @epc_eu]

@vonderleyen makes a big announcement in #SOTEU 2026 @Canada will be the first associate member of the @EU_Commission. Big win for @MarkJCarney, who is attending the speech. @FabianZuleeg called for this in his latest op-ed for the @guardian https://t.co/nd1BN52rW1

[European Policy Centre @epc_eu]

Or shift climate costs from polluters to households. But the bigger question is: what role should the EU itself play in insuring emerging climate risks?

[European Policy Centre @epc_eu]

In response to @vonderleyen's new proposals to address heatwaves, in her #SOTEU, she will need to close Europe’s climate insurance gap. This must work to avoid the pitfalls of insurance models that protect balance sheets without reducing physical risk.

[European Policy Centre @epc_eu]

@vonderleyen announces a new heatwave plan to better prepare Europe, protect water resources, and introduce new risk-management measures. Our experts @sipka_stefan and @kuiper_em raised these issues in their To The Point https://t.co/hFP7KZYADe

[European Policy Centre @epc_eu]

@vonderleyen makes a robust defence of democracy at #SOTEU 2026, calling out the far-right. Read our latest discussion paper by Carl Doloan on the role of disinformation. https://t.co/KLId361LUg