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1 week ago | 
cepa.org | Andrian Prokip |Aura Sabadus |Maciej Bukowski |Suriya Evans-Pritchard Jayanti
There is a lull, of sorts, in Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, though not the full ceasefire promised in March (and broken in April) by Vladimir Putin. Even so, the lessening of such strikes represents an important opportunity for Ukraine to prepare for the near and long-term future. The lower tempo of attacks mean Ukraine can quickly repair damaged facilities and prepare for new rounds of strikes should negotiations fail.
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1 week ago | 
cepa.org | Aura Sabadus |Maciej Bukowski |Suriya Evans-Pritchard Jayanti
The myth of “cheap Russian gas” persists due to expectations that Russian gas giant Gazprom will eventually resume exports to the EU, weakening interest in alternative solutions. In reality, Russian gas is more expensive when security costs are factored in, with Russia-dependent countries subject to blackmail, corruption, and attacks on gas infrastructure.
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2 weeks ago | 
cepa.org | Maciej Bukowski |Ronan Murphy |Suriya Evans-Pritchard Jayanti |Elena Davlikanova
Nuclear power is making a geopolitical comeback, fueled not least by the ever-growing demand from booming AI. Once sidelined by cost, safety, and proliferation concerns, nuclear is now being revived not just for decarbonization — but also as a strategic lever in a new era of great power rivalry. One telling indicator is Washington’s push to overturn the World Bank’s 1959 ban on nuclear lending — a move meant to allow US firms to compete with China as well as Russia.
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3 weeks ago | 
cepa.org | Alison Mutler |Anda Bologa |Maciej Bukowski |Francis Harris
Georgia approaches the final act. On March 27, the parliamentary leader of the ruling party, Georgian Dream, Mamuka Mdinaradze, announced the imminent tabling of legislation, referred to as the “successor parties law,” aimed at banning opposition groups that the ruling party deems “hostile”.
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4 weeks ago | 
cepa.org | Oona Lagercrantz |Ronan Murphy |Maciej Bukowski |Henrik Larsen
Stockholm recently hosted Techarena, bringing together 12,000 founders, investors, and policymakers under the theme “Becoming the Best in the World.” Contrary to the common narrative of Europe turning into a museum, having missed out on the digital revolution, Sweden offers a welcome counterpoint – while, in an era of transatlantic tensions, highlights the potential danger of depending on US tech.
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2 months ago | 
cepa.org | Timothy Garton Ash |Sergiy Makogon |Martin Vladimirov |Maciej Bukowski
Stalling by the European Central Bank (ECB) and some European treasury departments, which have starved Ukraine of the resources to win, might now result in Ukraine’s defeat. Combined with a cutoff or slowdown in US aid, this could result in catastrophic consequences for the European political economy and confidence in the euro. Think of multiple millions of millions of Ukrainians fleeing westward, straining European social, economic, and political systems to breaking point.
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2 months ago | 
cepa.org | Maciej Bukowski |Aura Sabadus |Wojciech Jakóbik |Alexander Kolyandr
As President Donald Trump rushes to kill clean energy projects, the new European Commission is racing ahead to reach its ambitious green goals. It’s an opportunity for Europe to take the lead. A good test will be its plans to promote green hydrogen. Upon moving into the White House, President Trump ended the Biden administration’s last-minute tax incentives for clean hydrogen investments.
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Dec 10, 2024 | 
cepa.org | Clara Riedenstein |Aura Sabadus |Sergiy Makogon |Maciej Bukowski
Billions of euros of data center investments are pouring into Ireland, home to European big tech headquarters. But the centers gobble up energy, straining the country’s electricity grid. Irish lawmakers have responded by placing a moratorium on new data center projects until the end of the decade. Both European and US governments and the leading cloud computing firms led by Google, Amazon and Microsoft, are struggling to keep data centers running without breaking their clean energy commitments.
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Dec 2, 2024 | 
cepa.org | Aura Sabadus |Sergiy Makogon |Maciej Bukowski |Benjamin Schmitt
Even as Moldova loudly denounced Kremlin meddling in its October elections, a handful of government officials were quietly working to buy Russian gas, an established tool for political interference. A leaked letter to Moldovan energy minister Victor Parlicov from the head of the Russian-controlled state company Moldovagaz in early October, suggests the Kremlin is keen to strike a deal.
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Nov 20, 2024 | 
cepa.org | Padraig Nolan |Christopher Cytera |Maciej Bukowski |Natalia Martinez
Startups are hot. The incoming European Commission promotes them. Giant industry events this month such as Lisbon’s Web Summit and Helsinki’s Slush celebrate them. According to a new report from venture capital firm Atomico, Europe’s tech talent pool is growing rapidly and on track to equal the US within the next five years. The continent currently has more than 3.5m skilled tech professionals.
