EU institutions & treaties
The Commission: More power demands more accountability
30 May 2023
As the European Commission becomes more political, it will need to embrace both the Spitzenkandidaten process and reform.
The EU's future or everything von der Leyen did not say
24 September 2021
To gauge what the EU's next big political fights will be, look at what Ursula Von der Leyen did not say in her annual speech to the European Parliament.
Hurrah for the conference on the future of Europe!
01 June 2021
If done right, the conference on the future of Europe can help bring about meaningful reform in the EU – even if that means changing the treaties.
The EU's troubled leadership: You get what you pay for
25 February 2021
Recent gaffes by Ursula von der Leyen and Josep Borrell, over COVID-19 vaccination roll-out and Russia policy respectively, have irritated member-states.
Can Europe learn to play power politics?
28 November 2019
The EU's liberal model of shared sovereignty is under threat. Europe cannot afford to remain a pure soft power. It has to reform and learn how to play power politics.
Can Josep Borrell get EU foreign policy off the ground?
30 September 2019
The EU’s new foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, may struggle to co-ordinate the Union’s external activities in the face of rival European commissioners and unruly member-states.
Von der Leyen's bumpy road to becoming Commission president
01 August 2019
The European Parliament has narrowly elected Ursula von der Leyen as the first female Commission president. Now she faces the difficult task of assembling a team of commissioners to deliver her priorities.