What foreign policy for Germany after the end of the Merkel era?
One cannot help but wonder about Germany’s future foreign policy when one considers both the weight of the Federal Republic and the many crises we face internationally.
European Economic Governance: Past Errors and Future Promises
The eurozone crisis marked a real failure of European Union (EU) policy, which led to mediocre economic performance and the erosion of its political legitimacy among the populations of member states.
Macron-Scholz meeting - Insights from Éric-André Martin on BBC World
The first meeting between French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz occurred on Friday, December 10, 2021, in Paris. An important visit for both Germany and France and an opportunity to relaunch the Franco-German couple since Angela Merkel’s departure from the German chancellery.
Strengthening Sovereignty in the Era of Global Value Chains
How to reduce the vulnerabilities induced by these global value chains to be more independent, while taking into account the reality of these productive processes which precisely generate interdependencies?
Franco-German Civil Society: Object and Actor of Bilateral Relations. Balance and Perspectives after the Signing of the Treaty of Aachen
The treaty signed by France and Germany in Aachen on January 22, 2019 highlights the role of civil society in bilateral cooperation and aims to contribute to "bringing societies [and citizens in both countries] closer together".
The Direction of France’s Foreign Policy over the Next Thirty Years
A foreign policy points to a united society that manages its relationships with its surroundings while defending its own interests.
Preparing for 2050: From “Foresight” to “Grand Strategy”
China and the United States both have a “grand strategy”: Beijing aspires to be the world’s leading power in 2049, while Washington plans to remain primus inter pares.
European Defense: Acting in Time
This seems like a fitting moment to strengthen European cooperation on defense.
France welcomes Germany’s new ‘pro-European’ coalition agreement
The coalition deal struck between three parties that will form Germany’s next government is very much in line with France’s own ambitions and priorities, including its vision of a more federal EU.
Video replay - Space and Quantum Technologies: What Strategies and Industrial Models for Europe?
Watch the video replay of the conference organized by Ifri's Geopolitics of Technology program on November 18, 2021.
Revolutionary by Design: The US National Security State and Commercialization in the US Space Sector
The US space sector, comprised of its government organizations and its commercial industry, is leading the revolution in space, often called "new space".
COVID-19 Reveals Europe’s Strategic Loneliness
The COVID-19 crisis has not only revealed a world that has moved into an age of interdependence and competition, it has also laid bare Europe’s strategic loneliness and vulnerability.
French public opinion on China in the age of COVID-19: Political distrust trumps economic opportunities
This report is a result of a wide-scale study of public opinion on China in 13 European countries,1 conducted in September and October 2020, on the research sample representative with respect to gender, age, level of education, country region, and settlement density. Here, we focus on the French portion of the polling, building on the previously published report comparing the results across the 13 countries.
European public opinion on China in the age of COVID-19: Differences and common ground across the continent
In September and October 2020, the Sinophone Borderlands project at Palacký University Olomouc conducted a wide-scale survey of public opinion on China in 13 European countries. The polled countries include: Czechia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Here, we present the basic findings of the survey, which are a result of a joint analysis of the survey data by the Central European Institute of Asian Studies (CEIAS) and Sinophone Borderlands.
The Karlsruhe Court Judgment: A Thunderclap from a Clear Sky?
In its judgment of 5 May 2020, the German Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe questioned the conditions under which the European Central Bank (ECB) had adopted a Public Sector Purchase Programme (PSPP), thus contradicting the position taken by the Court of Justice of the European Union in the same case.
The American Elections and Beyond
The next few years will be tumultuous ones in the United States. The dependency of foreign policy on domestic policy is unlikely to diminish. Whether in the rivalry with China or the predominance of Israeli interests in Middle East policy, for example, it is hard to imagine Biden taking a big step backward. Many Europeans want to believe that a victory by Obama’s former vice president will signal a return to the good old days of transatlantic consultation and multilateralism.
Technology Strategies in China and the United States, and the Challenges for European Companies
As international relations are increasingly reorganized around the US-China rivalry, the tensions between these two great powers are shaping a growing number of sectors, and the exchange of sensitive technologies in particular. This is a critical issue for European companies today.
The Renovation Wave: A Make or Break for the European Green Deal
European buildings are old and too often inefficient, past policies have not delivered and the amount of investment into energy efficiency must be scaled up dramatically to meet the 2030 targets and ultimately, the carbon neutrality objective.
Thirty Years after its Reunification, Germany's “European Moment”?
On October 3, 1990, after forty years of division, Germany once again became one state. Less than a year after the fall of the Berlin Wall, on November 9, 1989, the territories of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) became part of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) under Article 23 of its Basic Law.
Europe beyond COVID-19
The recovery plan agreed upon by European Union leaders in July 2020 is unprecedented: for the first time, it creates a common debt that will help revive the economies impacted by the pandemic.
Support independent French research
Ifri, a foundation recognized as being of public utility, relies largely on private donors – companies and individuals – to guarantee its sustainability and intellectual independence. Through their funding, donors help maintain the Institute's position among the world's leading think tanks. By benefiting from an internationally recognized network and expertise, donors refine their understanding of geopolitical risk and its consequences on global politics and the economy. In 2026, Ifri partners with over 90 French and international companies and organizations.
