This RUSI commentary argues the Franco-German partnership has a tiny window to save Europe from slipping into irrelevance – and that window is closing fast. With war in Ukraine, a potentially tougher US administration and Europe falling behind economically, Paris and Berlin are supposed to lead. Instead, they are weighed down by conflicting priorities, slow decision-making and national self-interest. The message is blunt: without a serious new Franco-German “covenant”, Europe risks drifting, divided and weak.

This HCSS “Draghi Report Revisited” piece delivers a blunt reality check on European artificial intelligence. Brussels talks up innovation, “trustworthy AI” and digital sovereignty – but Europe is losing the race to the US and China, and it is not even close. The EU has talent and research, yet it lacks what matters most in AI: scale, capital, compute, and companies that can dominate globally. Europe’s AI problem is not hype – it’s structural weakness, and it is getting worse.

This HCSS “Draghi Report Revisited” piece takes a hard look at Europe’s semiconductor ambitions one year after Mario Draghi’s warning on Europe’s economic future – and the findings are uncomfortable. The EU has laws, slogans and “coalitions”, but it still lacks what matters: speed, money, and industrial scale. Instead of landing big wins, Europe is watching major chip projects collapse or freeze, exposing how fragile the EU’s semiconductor strategy really is.

This HCSS “Draghi Report Revisited” piece delivers a blunt warning: Europe’s green and industrial ambitions are built on shaky ground because the EU does not control the critical raw materials it desperately needs. Brussels talks about resilience, strategic autonomy and supply security – but Europe remains dangerously dependent on imports, exposed to geopolitical pressure, and painfully slow at building its own mining, processing and recycling capacity.