Wat Europa te doen staat, nu Trump ons twee dreunen heeft uitgedeeld: de strategische verlating, en de ideologische aanval. “Nog geen EU-regeringsleider heeft een geloofwaardig tegenverhaal dat Europa’s zelfvertrouwen en handelingsvermogen versterkt”, schrijft @luukvmiddelaar.bsky.social

Really looking forward to Monday, 6pm! With @luukvmiddelaar.bsky.social of @bigeurope.bsky.social Oliver Rentschler @diplo.de Katharina Neckel @dihk.bsky.social & Filip Medunic @dgap.org

The Trump regime is seeking "regime change in Europe" former Chatham House director Robin Niblet tells the New York Times. This American-led global far right movement is turning into the Comintern of our times, warns Dutch historian @luukvmiddelaar.bsky.social. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/20/w...

📺 On Nieuwsuur, BIG director Luuk van Middelaar discusses the current turning point in US-European relations with Francis Fukuyama. From the Normandy landings and the fall of the Berlin Wall to today’s world of Trump 2.0 @luukvmiddelaar.bsky.social @frankfukuyama.bsky.social youtu.be/iXgvZ9pYNIA

Face à Poutine et Trump, Friedrich Merz change de cap — une décision clé pour l’Europe, explique @luukvmiddelaar.bsky.social, directeur du BIG sur @france24.com avec Caroline de Camaret. www.france24.com/fr/%C3%A9mis...

“Europe has to get ready for a rougher world order where we have to be able to defend ourselves” Director @luukvmiddelaar.bsky.social talks to @france24.com about Europe’s place in a world of increasing geopolitical rivalries. www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/...

The EU is issuing burner phones to US-bound staff over spying fears. BIG's @luukvmiddelaar.bsky.social talking to @financialtimes.com, says “Washington is not Beijing or Moscow but an adversary prone to using extra-legal methods to further its interests & power.” www.ft.com/content/20d0...

The Trump supernova that Europe didn’t see coming. My editorial for @bigeurope.bsky.social on how Europe was blindsided to structural shifts in US domestic and foreign policy – in the making since long before this MAGA-inspired conflagration. big-europe.eu/publications...

Last week, I had the pleasure of moderating this excellent high-level exchange on energy and climate diplomacy. Grateful to participants for having brought deep insights and a strategic mindset to the table. I hope it will provide impetus ahead of COP30 in Belem, Brazil.

💬 'There is a consciousness that it's a new time for Europe' 🔊 Listen to Bruno Maçães talking at our event ‘Tech Sovereignty – What does it mean?’ explaining that the time has come for Europe to pick a new path of independence.

💬 'Who thought that our stock markets would be doing better than the American stock market?’ 🔊 Listen to Bruno Maçães talking at our event ‘Tech Sovereignty – What does it mean?’ reminding us that bold decisions made on Europe’s new path of independence can lead to rewards @brunomacaes.bsky.social

Delighted to host a stellar panel on AI and geopolitics at the Brussels Institute for Geopolitics last week. Brimming with ideas, a real intellectual feast! Tks Bruno Maçães, Ophélie Coelho and Daniel Mügge @opheliecoelho.bsky.social @dmugge.bsky.social @bigeurope.bsky.social

Luuk van Middelaar’s editorial on finding Europe’s historical footing @luukvmiddelaar.bsky.social big-europe.eu/publications...

"In crisisdagen zoals deze werken verbijstering en angst verlammend. Daarom dunkt me de kracht ons mentaal een pad naar de toekomst te banen zeker zo onmisbaar als het vermogen ons militair tegen nieuwe dreigingen te verdedigen." Mijn afscheidsessay @nrcnl.bsky.social www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2025/...

„In crisisdagen zoals deze werken verbijstering en angst verlammend. Daarom lijkt mij de kracht ons mentaal een pad naar de toekomst te banen zeker zo onmisbaar als het vermogen ons militair tegen nieuwe dreigingen te verdedigen“, stelt @luukvmiddelaar.bsky.social

France calls a second emergency Paris Summit on Ukraine today with EU leaders, Norway and Canada. Can these spontaneous summits help Europe find its voice in a time of crisis? 🤔 📖 Read our op-ed by @vestertborger.bsky.social & @luukvmiddelaar.bsky.social ⤵️ big-europe.eu/publications...

Leaving Munich after an intense weekend at #MSC25, I was struck by Ukrainian President Zelenskyy being the only European leader without any illusions about Trump's America. The others still have the luxury of hope.

"The Transatlantic era was a golden period for (Western) Europe. It was always going to end one day. [...] Europe needs to consider the transition to a new relationship not as an unwelcome change but as an opportunity to control its own destiny." @luukvmiddelaar.bsky.social #MSC2025

Three key points from my insightful conversation with Claude-France Arnould, former head of @EUDefenceAgency, on Europe–US defence relations and the armaments industry.

Thanks Prague House for the invitation to bid farewell to Czech Amb. Edita Hrdá, an early supporter of @bigeurope.bsky.social Great too to meet her successor Vladimír Bärtl, Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský, and others for this occasion. Looking forward to ongoing collaboration! 🇨🇿 🤝

Delighted about the news below and very much looking forward to working with the Spanish authorities on a strategy for Europe in the age of Trump, Putin and Xi.

Are European leaders ready to follow tech CEOs and join the queue as supplicants at Mar-a-Lago? Should they have to? In this op-ed, BIG’s Hans Kribbe explores Europe’s strategic options in Ukraine and beyond in an era of tough geopolitical choices. big-europe.eu/publications...

"Nothing about Europe’s security should be decided without Europeans," writes @elieperot.bsky.social in this BIG op-ed on securing Ukraine after the war. As Trump’s enters the White House, Europe must act or risk exclusion from critical peace talks. 💡 big-europe.eu/publications...

20 January: as the Wheel of Fortune starts spinning faster, it's time to re-engage with history as a scholarly discipline. My essay for @bigeurope.bsky.social big-europe.eu/publications...

Bruegel's 20th anniversary an excellent opportunity to reexamine "new rules for a new world". Thanks for initiating this timely conversation. @bruegel.bsky.social @pisaniferry.bsky.social @gpapak.bsky.social

Defence a priority for Europe and @eucopresident. Delighted to offer strategic recommendations with esteemed colleagues ahead of 3 Feb retreat of European leaders, plus the UK and NATO sec gen.

What do we mean by the Return of History to the Present? 🤔 Our Director, @luukvmiddelaar.bsky.social breaks it down in this fascinating piece looking at how Europe can regain its sense of history from three perspectives and anchor itself in this new geopolitical era. big-europe.eu/publications...

What a year! Some reading highlights below from the Brussels Institute for Geopolitics. Looking forward to much more to come in 2025!

Enjoyed talking with @angelaskujins on Polish television @TVPWorld_com about the priorities for the upcoming EU Council presidency starting 1 Jan 2025 and other political challenges for Poland and Europe on the horizon. m.youtube.com/watch?v=u3jA...

Dealing with the Don. 💭What can Europe learn from Coppola’s iconic film The Godfather about its dealings with the US? We break it down in @bigeurope.bsky.social latest editorial. big-europe.eu/publications...