Articles

The European Commission released its new EU Gender Equality Strategy 2026–2030, setting the course for EU gender policy over the next five years. While the previous strategy (2020–2025) brought progress in several areas, it struggled to effectively address the rise of anti-gender ideologies and integrate gender equality across broader EU policy frameworks. In recent years, the growth of far-right and anti-feminist movements across Europe has highlighted the urgent need for a more comprehensive and resilient approach to defending gender equality and democratic values. In this context, we discussed on 19 March 2026 the new EU Gender Equality Strategy and our newly published report 'Defending Equality in an Age of Democratic Decline – Reframing Europe’s Gender Equality Strategy for 2026–2030' with its author Rémy Bonny (Forbidden Colours) and MEP Alexandra Geese (Greens/EFA), moderated by Louise Mollenhauer (Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung EU | Global Dialogue).

In an attempt to diversify its global partnerships, Colombia has increased relations with China. While this has opened alternative sources of financing for major infrastructure projects, the ensuing debt with China involves risks in need of mitigation. EU Member States, as like-minded countries, can play a role in this balancing-act. 

At February’s Munich Security Conference, Merz, Macron, von der Leyen and Co. testified to Europe's strength and independence. But concrete, independent strategies are often lacking. Europe now has the opportunity to play to its own strengths, including in the area of energy independence and sustainability.

At the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the Fukushima catastrophe, we presented a new analysis by researchers from the Technical University of Berlin discussing open questions in view of the development of small modular reactors (SMRs) in the EU.The European Commission has given SMRs a prominent place in its 2025 Affordable Energy Action Plan. However, given the long road of SMRs towards potential technology readiness and the assumed high costs of electricity generation, experts question if these projects would ever supply any meaningful quantity of electricity to businesses and consumers. Speakers: Alexander James Wimmers (TU Berlin, co-author of the new Böll EU Brief on SMRs in the EU), Allison Macfarlane (Former Chair, US Nuclear Regulatory Commission) and Mareike Rüffer (Head of Department Nuclear Safety, Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management (BASE), Berlin).

NATO allies have pledged 1.5% of GDP to resilience – but good intentions aren't enough. A new paper by Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung EU | Global Dialogue and the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) warns that without clear rules, the money risks disappearing into bureaucracy. The authors show how smart investments in energy, mobility, and supply chains can serve security and climate goals at once – and why getting this right is essential for credible European defence.

The world around Europe is changing fast. Geopolitical shifts are challenging the international order, Russia’s war in Ukraine has upset the European security architecture. And old alliances are no longer as reliable. Faced with these challenges Europe needs to step up. But are EU decision-making mechanisms fit for purpose? The current modus operandi mostly requires consensus among the 27 Member States resulting in a slow response rate. Recent crises have thus revived calls for a “European Security Council”, an idea that has been prominently advanced by European Commissioner Kubilius. At the same time, MEP Sergey Lagodinsky has put forward a detailed institutional proposal outlining legal pathways, governance models, and safeguards for democratic legitimacy. Watch the recording of our panel discussion with EU Commissioner Andrius Kubilius, MEP Sergey Lagodinsky, Dr. Rosa Balfour (Carnegie Europe) and Dr. Katharina Emschermann (Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung EU | Global Dialogue).

Westminster woke up to what the BBC called a "seismic event." In the Gorton and Denton by-election, Green candidate Hannah Spencer didn't just edge ahead. She won decisively with over 40% of the vote, reshaping assumptions about the limits of Green politics in the UK. It marked the first ever Westminster by-election victory for the Greens, adding to their seats from the 2024 general election and bringing their total to five MPs. In a fragmented political landscape where Labour and Reform were expected to dominate the contest, voters chose a different path. What does this victory tell us about shifting political coalitions? Is this a protest vote or something more durable? And can the Greens translate a by-election breakthrough into sustained national momentum? Roderick Kefferpütz asked Natalie Bennett, Green Party peer in the House of Lords, and former leader of the Green Party of England and Wales (2012-2016), for her take.

Signs of a more assertive Europe emerge through flexible coalitions, enhanced cooperation, and renewed political confidence in Brussels. In our Böll EU Newsletter 02/2026 we look at at emerging “coalitions of the willing”, debates on pragmatic federalism, and proposals for a European Security Council, as well as our recent publications and upcoming events.

Geopolitical uncertainties and the recent US shifts on monetary and climate policy have created a rare opening for the euro. With the international monetary order shifting, the euro has the potential to strengthen international role. With strong green finance rules and the European Central Bank integrating climate risks, the EU can position the euro as the world's leading green currency. As ECB President Christine Lagarde put it: this is Europe's "global euro moment." But how can Europe seize this opportunity? And what are the concrete policy steps needed to make the euro the currency of choice for financing the green transition? Speakers: Agnieszka Smoleńska (London School of Economics), Jens van 't Klooster (Universtity of Amsterdam) and Heather Grabbe (Bruegel). Moderator: Katie Martin (Financial Times).