CIFE Policy Papers 2026
Regulation of 'Foreign' Lobbying in the EU: Mission Impossible?, Doris Dialer
Abstract: Lobbying and foreign influence are normal, integrated activities in EU policy formulation and decision-making. Moreover, the EU’s openness towards lobbying is central to the legitimacy of its law-making. However, the EU is facing a rapidly changing international order that affects not only its global role but also the ways in which it interacts with the possible undue influence of third countries. As a consequence, the EU has been enhancing the transparency of foreign ‘influence’ by broadening the scope of the Transparency Register, a public EU lobby database jointly managed by the three law-making institutions. This paper aims to show that the tension between the functional need for openness to the lobbying of third states and the necessity for regulation is likely to become more important in the years to come.
Is the EU Governance Mechanism on Track to Achieve a Just Transition?, Rachel Guyet
Abstract: The EU's just transition framework, once heralded as pioneering, confronts a challenging reality at national level. Member States' failure to meet Social Climate Plan deadlines, superficial analysis of distributional impacts of the decarbonisation policies in their National Energy and Climate Plans, and opaque consultation processes reveal a disconnect between the European institutional architecture and the political will of national governments. The persistent gap between stated ambition and concrete action threatens social cohesion and risks undermining public acceptance of Europe's decarbonisation agenda.
CIFE Policy Papers 2025
Perspectives for EU-China Relations, George N. Tzogopoulos
Abstract: This essay sets out to analyse Sino-European relations. As it stands, the situation currently mirrors the upward trend witnessed after China’s re-opening after the Covid-19 lockdowns. Relations are therefore relatively stable, and certainly better in comparison to the problematic early-2020 to 2023 period. Although the war in Ukraine and economic disputes tend to dominate the agenda in discussions, the fact that the two sides need each other makes co-operation necessary/a necessity in a globalised world. The second Trump presidency may not contribute to the automatic improvement in Sino-European relations but it does put pressure on the EU to seriously think about its strategic autonomy concept. Intensified dialogue with China – despite differences – has become a sine qua non parameter in securing a mutually beneficial way forward.
Le casse-tête de la dette publique dans les pays riches, Laurent Baechler
Abstract: La dette publique des pays avancés atteint environ 110 % du PIB, proche de records historiques, posant un problème économique, social et politique. Elle augmente sous l’effet combiné de déficits persistants, du relèvement des taux d’intérêt et du ralentissement structurel de la croissance. Côté dépenses comme recettes, des éléments structurels rendront difficile le redressement de la situation à terme, créant un risque d’instabilité financière, et rendant attractifs les modes de gestion habituels de la dette publique, l’inflation ou la restructuration.
EU-Western Balkans Relations in Transition: Historical Legacies, Geopolitical Shifts and Future Outlooks, Labinot Greiçevci
Abstract: This policy paper scrutinises the relationship between the EU and the Western Balkans through historical developments, geopolitical changes, and future perspectives. In doing so, the following issues are addressed: (i) the breakup of Yugoslavia and the involvement of the EU and other international actors in this process; (ii) the growing geopolitical rivalry in the Western Balkans and the extent of existing interaction between the EU and the Western Balkan states; and (iii) the potential future prospects of the EU’s relations with the Western Balkans region. Ultimately, the light is shed on the current state and prospects of the EU-Western Balkans relationship, and on whether the EU can uphold its pivotal role in the region amid shifting regional and global geopolitical circumstances.
Trade, Power and Strategic Adjustment: The Shifting Landscape of China-EU Economic Relations, Junjie Ma
Abstract: This paper argues that China–EU economic relations have entered a phase of structural confrontation driven by deep institutional differences, China’s surplus-driven industrial expansion, and Europe’s turn toward defensive regulatory autonomy. Once anchored in trade complementarity and stabilising interdependence, the relationship has shifted toward managed competition as disputes over electric vehicles, steel, solar products, and agri-food items evolve into systemic clashes. Europe’s new regulatory arsenal—ranging from the Foreign Subsidies Regulation to the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism—reflects a long-term shift from market openness to strategic protection. China, facing slowing growth and domestic constraints, increasingly relies on state-led industrial policy and export-oriented overcapacity, heightening European perceptions of “structural dumping.” The United States’ intensifying rivalry with China further narrows Europe’s strategic space, pushing EU policy closer to Washington’s approach. The paper concludes that while tactical compromises may occur, structural friction will persist, and China–EU relations will remain defined by calibrated confrontation within a broader geopolitical realignment.
Super Chips and Supply Chains: Why Europe’s Chips Act Can’t Fix Chokepoint Weaponisation, Samuel Kerschbaumer
Abstract: This paper assesses the EU's Chips Act amidst the escalating geoeconomic weaponisation of semiconductor supply chains by the US and China. Structural vulnerabilities, including US export controls, reliance on Chinese-controlled rare earths and fragmented national implementation, are shown to prevent the Act from achieving its goal of strategic resilience. Despite Europe's strength in upstream equipment, its lack of coordinated policy and advanced fabrication capacity leaves it exposed to coercion. The forthcoming Chips Act 2.0 must centrally align financing and industrial strategy, moving beyond symbolic targets to secure Europe's technological base.
|