Annual Conference of The Study Committe on Franco-German Relations (Cerfa) ─ Faced with a profoundly disrupted strategic and economic environment, Franco-German cooperation is more than ever the central pillar of Europe's future. The war in Ukraine, energy and technological dependence, and uncertainty about the strength of the transatlantic ties require urgent deepening of European sovereignty, both in terms of defence and economic and industrial competitiveness.

European energy policy sits at the fault line of geopolitical conflict, climate obligations, and transatlantic bargaining. While Hungary, Slovakia and others remain heavily reliant on Russian gas, the EU has sought to harden its stance through sanctions -most recently with Ursula von der Leyen’s announcement of a ban on Russian LNG imports in the 19th package.

From the growing size and diversification of the North Korean nuclear arsenal, and an open rhetoric in favor of nuclear proliferation in the South because of the loss of credibility of U.S. extended deterrence, the Peninsula is facing raising nuclear tensions.