Centre for European Reform

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Can Orbán lose the elections? Even before Trump's arrival on the political scene, Orban's Hungary was already an example of the rise of populist illiberalism and a new far-right movement. Those who ...

Even before Trump arrived on the political scene, Orban's #Hungary was already an example of the rise of populist illiberalism and a new far-right movement writes @zecsaky.bsky.social of @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social

📅 JOIN US – 18/3/26 - Brussels conference 'Can Europe be a global player?'

The @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social Brussels conference will explore how the EU can use its powers to set the agenda and drive positive change in an increasingly fractured world.

Email: brussels@cer.eu for further info

Following a wave of takeovers of European semiconductor companies, Europe strengthened its investment screening mechanisms. Now, Europe must tackle new challenges. 🇨🇳 🇪🇺

New @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social insight by @sandertordoir.bsky.social & @james-r-green.bsky.social.
Read here: buff.ly/JTsL3yP

According to @cerianbond.bsky.social, co-operation between London & Brussels should focus particularly on shared economic and security interests, including strengthening European strategic autonomy.

buff.ly/bBu3Y5M

The Brexit Reset That Isn’t Resetting Ten years after Brexit, mounting geopolitical pressures are driving calls for the UK and EU to deepen cooperation and accelerate their stalled reset.

“In turbulent times, both the EU and the UK would benefit from overcoming the lack of trust that the Brexit process created.”

buff.ly/RoTYYsh

Trump Finds He Needs Europe Now That He’s Waging War in Iran For years, Europe has endured President Donald Trump’s complaints that it is a complacent continent hiding under America’s security umbrella. Now, as he launches the first open-ended military…

“It's becoming harder for Europe to say 'Yes' to Trump,” @cergrant.bsky.social, director at the @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social, told @bloomberg.com

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

From nearly €100 bn in the 2010s to roughly €10 bn today, Chinese investment in Europe has plummeted. Yet challenges around greenfield investments, national enforcement and smaller deals remain.

New CER insight by @james-r-green.bsky.social & @sandertordoir.bsky.social
Read here: buff.ly/JTsL3yP

"Asia is more dependent on this region's LNG supply than Europe as a whole, but if Europe won't feel the impact in terms of immediate gas shortage, we are heading into storage refilling season, so high prices will raise the cost of those operations."

Iran war revives spectre of energy crisis in Europe The European Union is staring down the prospect of a new energy crisis as the United States and Israel wage war on Iran, rattling gas markets. #EuropeNews

"The closure of Qatari LNG facilities and disruption in the Strait of Hormuz are affecting a large chunk of global LNG supply," said @elisabettaco.bsky.social, assistant director at the @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social.

www.euronews.com/my-europe/20...

Read the paper in full here: buff.ly/bBu3Y5M

EU UK Reset Efforts Urged to Accelerate in 2026 MEPs call for EU UK reset efforts to be decisively accelerated in 2026 as Brexit marks ten years and geopolitical pressures reshape European priorities.

A recent paper by @cerianbond.bsky.social asks: “EU-UK relations: Will 2026 be the year to reset the reset?”

It concludes by saying the EU and UK need a “fundamental rethink of how they can enhance their security and prosperity.” buff.ly/AbQe64g

Applications are now open for the 13th Clara Marina O’Donnell fellowship, full details below.
Start date: October 2026 for six months
Pay: London Living Wage
Applications in by: 09/04/26
@centreeuropeanref.bsky.social @brookings.edu @kingscollegelondon.bsky.social

buff.ly/3vV64SZ

The 2010s were a European garage sale of high-tech firms to China, but that era is ending. Chinese factories in Europe now pose harder economic security challenges, write @sandertordoir.bsky.social & @james-r-green.bsky.social. 🇨🇳 🇪🇺

New @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social insight buff.ly/JTsL3yP

Europe's door to Chinese tech investment is still ajar - PubAffairs Bruxelles Europe has learned to block Chinese acquisitions of strategic assets. Chinese factories in Europe now pose harder economic security challenges. Europe has become more alert to the risks posed by Chine...

[Featured] #GloballEurope: #Europe's door to #Chinese tech investment is still ajar, by @james-r-green.bsky.social & @sandertordoir.bsky.social | @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social
www.pubaffairsbruxelles.eu/opinion-anal...

Europe has made real progress in protecting its technological base from Chinese takeovers.

The risk is that China will now invest in EU countries with weak oversight like Hungary, argue @sandertordoir.bsky.social and @james-r-green.bsky.social

Read here: buff.ly/JTsL3yP

“The current ECF proposal advanced by the European Commission lacks institutional safeguards and robust governance mechanisms,” they concluded in another recent report - read here: buff.ly/d98qH4b “Instead, the design principle appears to be to maximise flexibility.”

Analysts at the @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social have even suggested that the ECF is designed to allow the Commission to spend the money however it sees fit.

www.euractiv.com/news/budget-...

European leaders must stop pretending, to themselves and their voters, that peace is around the corner. 🇺🇦 🇪🇺

New @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social insight by @cerianbond.bsky.social

Read here: buff.ly/6RWmjER

📅 JOIN US – 18/3/26 - Brussels conference 'Can Europe be a global player?'

Panel 1: Asserting Europe's power as an electrostate with @adrianhiel.bsky.social, Lukasz Kolinski (invited), @tpellerincarlin.bsky.social and Frauke Thies

Email: brussels@cer.eu for further info

Las apuestas de las elecciones no podrían ser más altas: si Orbán gana, Hungría continuará su deriva hacia el autoritarismo en el plano interno y seguirá bloqueando la acción conjunta a nivel de la UE.

Orbán usa a Ucrania y Bruselas como armas ante el riesgo de perder las elecciones en Hungría A menos de 45 días de las elecciones en Hungría, el primer ministro Orbán busca su quinta reelección convirtiendo las elecciones en un plebiscito donde señala a Ucrania y la UE como los enemigos del…

La posibilidad de cambio en Hungría es real. @zecsaky.bsky.social, investigadora del @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social, añade que “después de más de 15 años, será la primera vez que el primer ministro Orbán enfrente a un oponente fuerte y pueda perder el poder.

buff.ly/XK9Gec2

Read @cerianbond.bsky.social's recent insight here: buff.ly/6RWmjER

Four years on, what should Britain do to expedite a Ukrainian victory? The Big Ask | No. 08.2026

Britain and its allies and partners must treat Ukraine’s security as their own: if Ukraine loses, Putin will target another state, perhaps a NATO ally wrote @cerianbond.bsky.social for Britain's World.

buff.ly/qZmjpY1

Centre for European Reform: CER Podcast: Unpacking Europe: Four years of war in Ukraine On this week’s Unpacking Europe podcast, the CER’s deputy director Ian Bond sat down with Andy Hunder, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine, and Victoria Vdovychenko, the jo...

🎙️“Is the defence industrial sector optimistic that they can innovate their way through the problems of this war?” @cerianbond.bsky.social asked in the latest #CERpodcast.🎙️ 🇺🇦 🇪🇺

Listen here: buff.ly/9p8ud82

European leaders should learn whatever they can from #Ukraine’s battlefield and defence industrial experience and, where feasible, integrate European and Ukrainian forces. 🇺🇦 🇪🇺

New @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social insight by @cerianbond.bsky.social

Read here: buff.ly/6RWmjER

If you would like to receive all our publications directly to your inbox as soon as they are published, you can sign up to our mailing list here: buff.ly/9tFCSxR

“It is more driven by domestic politics right now because Hungary will have elections in two months and Fidesz is not doing well at all.”

“He [Orban] has always played this game, using his veto as a kind of threat, essentially as a bargaining chip,” said @zecsaky.bsky.social, a senior research fellow at the @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social in Brussels.

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/27/w...

📅 JOIN US – 18/3/26 - Brussels conference 'Can Europe be a global player?'

The @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social Brussels conference will explore how the EU can use its powers to set the agenda and drive positive change in an increasingly fractured world.

Email: brussels@cer.eu for further info