Articles

As the global order becomes increasingly multipolar, Africa has emerged as a key arena of geopolitical competition. Shifting power dynamics and the growing influence of China are pushing the European Union to rethink its engagement with the continent, while African countries seek more balanced and diversified partnerships on their own terms.

Given complex, uncertain and highly volatile global power shifts, the European Union (EU) holds an essential, though currently underutilized, role as a strategic partner for Cambodia, offering support for peace, stability, development and the defence of principle-based international relations. 

Montenegro stands at a crossroads: will it normalise exceptional, deal-driven investment practices, or set regional standards for transparent and rule-based development? The EU has a critical opportunity to guide this process.

As the year draws to a close and Brussels slows down for the holidays, we would like to take a moment to say thank you to our community. In our December 2025 newsletter, we share seasonal wishes alongside in-depth analysis of the European Green Party’s trajectory in 2025, a report on consumers’ rights in the context of international trade agreements, an interview reflecting on the G20 Summit, and our regular “Three Questions” on the outcomes of COP30, among other highlights.

Facing US pressure to deregulate, Latin America seeks new ESG partners. As China claims sustainability leadership, the EU, once a standard-setter, now prioritises competitiveness over people and planet, risking long-term consequences for short-term gains.  

Independent energy system operation is a live EU debate. The Commission may raise it in the Grids Package or White Paper. Institutional reform is slow and costly, but failing to deliver policy goals is far worse. We cannot wait to fail before acting.

The Belem climate summit fell short of the progress needed to keep warming below 1.5°C. The EU’s emissions reduction plans for 2035 also remain insufficient. The EU can begin to address this by developing a clear roadmap to phase out fossil fuels.

Did Africa’s first G20 presidency deliver on its promise of solidarity, equality and sustainability? Our Head of Programme for EU and International Politics, Dr. Katharina Emschermann, spoke with Paula Assubuji, Director of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung's office in Cape Town, about what the Johannesburg G20 and the AU-EU summit in Luanda reveal about power, inequality and the state of multilateral cooperation.

The COP30 in Belém unfolded against rising geopolitical tensions, intensifying climate impacts, and deepening divides between high-ambition countries and major fossil-fuel producers. In light of the absence of the US administration and the final outcome that is weakened on key issues such as the fossil fuel phase-out, we asked MEP Bas Eickhout, Co-Chair of the Greens/EFA in the European Parliament and member of the EP delegation to the COP30 UN Climate Summit, how he assesses the Belém Package and what role he sees for the European Union in future climate diplomacy.

2025 brought mixed fortunes for the European Green Party: record election results in Norway and Portugal, historic membership surges in Germany and the UK, and the election of the first Green mayor in Copenhagen and Riga. However, the loss of governmental power in Germany was a notable setback. Tobias Gerhard Schminke from Europe Elects has the data and details.