The Evian G7 summit will take place in just a few days - some thoughts about what's at stake, what to expect and what's next for G7 economies (yes, BRICS are rising, but the G7 is far from irrelevant) 👇 [🧵 A thread with graphs - 1/9]
Agathe Demarais
Second, although they continue to back Ukraine, Europeans do not believe the EU’s eastward enlargement would be a good idea in the current context. They are also reluctant to send their own troops to keep the peace in a post-war Ukraine.
A new way of European #defence should build the capabilities, command structures and political arrangements that allow it to act if Washington will not—while keeping the US engaged wherever possible.
Read how to make defence European again 👇 @ecfrpower.bsky.social #NATO
https://bit.ly/43TmF7r
ECFR
ECFR
Being left home alone might be scary-but it can also give us a space to grow more independent & self-confident about our abilities.
Enjoyed working w/ @pawelzerka.bsky.social on this @ecfr.eu report & discovering how Europeans are often ahead of their own leaders. @ecfreuropeansec.bsky.social
Jana Kobzova
A major ECFR poll finds that Europeans are finding the experience of being Home Alone is breaking some old taboos and ways of thinking. Europeans’ new-found realism manifests itself in three notable areas:
Within that popular realism, however, dwells a challenge to Europe’s leaders: to adapt to voters’ sense of the possible and, with several major European elections looming in 2027, to use its opportunities while they can.
First, European trust in the US has crashed to new lows. Europeans do not expect America under Donald Trump to protect them, and they recognise the need for more autonomous security (even funded by common debt).
The public opinion poll finds Europe’s publics internalising the geopolitical shifts of recent years, recognising the finite limits of the continent’s current power to change them, but also supporting bold and pragmatic action.
Third, Europeans have learned the lessons of depending on Russian oil and gas. Even as a new energy crunch bears down on living standards, they are resolute in opposing purchases of fossil fuels from Russia—with majorities across the continent for prioritising European renewable energy.
✍️New public opinion polling
Like little Kevin in the film, European citizens have woken up to an uncomfortable truth: they've been left Home Alone - by an America on whom many thought they could depend, write bsky.app/profile/jkob... & @pawelzerka.bsky.social
ecfr.eu/publication/...
