EU Institute for Security Studies

Last week, at the #VoicesFestival in Zagreb, we had the opportunity to engage in a critical discussion on foreign interference and disinformation—a growing challenge to democratic resilience in the Western Balkans and beyond. During our Countering Foreign Interference workshop, we examined the evolving tactics used to exploit societal divisions, undermine trust in institutions and manipulate public discourse. Through case studies and expert insights, we explored the latest strategies for detecting, countering and building resilience against these threats. A huge thank you to our speakers: 🔹 Nad'a Kovalcikova, PhD. (Director of our EU-funded project Countering Foreign Interference) 🔹 Paolo Cesarini (European University Institute – School of Transnational Governance) 🔹 Bojana Zorić, PhD Zorić (EU Institute for Security Studies) 🔹 Dr Carolina Scarton (The University of Sheffield) 🔹 Vassilis Ntousas (German Marshall Fund of the United States) The Voices Festival serves as a platform for fostering #MediaLiteracy, journalistic integrity and informed public discourse. Bringing together over 70 speakers and a diverse audience of journalists, media professionals and engaged citizens, the event provided an invaluable space for knowledge-sharing and collaboration. As the media landscape continues to evolve, it is more important than ever to equip individuals and institutions with the tools to navigate and counter #disinformation and foreign interference. #FIMI #ForeignInterference #WesternBalkans

EU & India: a complex partnership in a changing world Top European Commission officials are in New Delhi today. Ursula von der Leyen called the EU & India “natural allies” with potential for a defining partnership. Our Chaillot Paper explores their differing worldviews, areas for convergence and steps for deeper cooperation: https://lnkd.in/ezeUBMZ7 By Amaia Sanchez Cacicedo, Kanti Prasad Bajpai, Olivier Blarel, Amit Garg, Rohan Mukherjee, Karthik Nachiappan, Jagannath Panda and Marta Torres Gunfaus. #EUIndia

🆕 #Digital issues are no longer a matter for transatlantic cooperation, but a means of leverage in a growing economic war. Trump's memorandum aimed at protecting the US technology sector from 'overseas extortion' confirms that cooperation with the US in the digital sector is becoming increasingly difficult. Clotilde Bomont, PhD highlights the urgent need for the EU to reduce its dependence on 🇺🇸 #BigTech and strengthen its digital sovereignty by: ✔️ not yielding to US pressure ✔️ strengthening its digital industrial capabilities ✔️ continuing to diversify its external partnerships and overcoming its internal divisions 🔗 Read the full analysis here: https://lnkd.in/dk5V-j28

🔋 Renewables: the key to secure, stable & affordable energy for Europe Today, the European Commission presented its #AffordableEnergy Action Plan, aimed to ensure that energy remains accessible for households and businesses across the EU. New Brief by Caspar Hobhouse makes the point that a renewables-based energy system is the key to secure, stable and affordable energy in Europe. ✅ 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐞: by shifting away from imported fossil fuels, Europe can enhance its energy independence and resilience against external shocks. ✅ 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞: a decentralised, interconnected grid powered by domestic renewables mitigates supply disruptions and strengthens system reliability. ✅ 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞: renewables are already cost-competitive with fossil fuels and offer long-term price stability, shielding consumers from global market volatility. Read the full brief to explore how a whole-of-system approach can unlock these benefits: https://lnkd.in/ePAkpSQg #EnergySecurity #AffordableEnergy #Renewables #EnergyTransition #EnergyResilience

🇺🇸 The recent actions of the new #Trump administration have raised concerns about potential US withdrawal from Europe and the reliability of the US as an ally. What could US disengagement look like in reality? In his latest brief, Giuseppe Spatafora, Ph.D. sketches out two scenarios for Europe based on two interpretations of US abandonment and analyses how Europe can best prepare for all possibilities. 🔗 Read the full analysis on our website: https://lnkd.in/e6ypVjJk #TransatlanticRelations #EUdefence #EUsecurity #NATO

Russia must not win the peace 3 years into the invasion, Russia is nowhere close to win the war. Some key points from Ondrej Ditrych's latest publications on how to #UnpowerRussia, what makes a good or bad ceasefire deal and what the EU should to to continue supporting Ukraine and make sure it can negotiate in a position of power. #StandWithUA

We are hiring! The EUISS is seeking a dynamic and proactive Project Officer to join our team in Brussels and contribute to our #CyberDiplomacy initiatives. This is your chance to support two EU-funded projects – EU Cyber Direct – EU Cyber Diplomacy Initiative, and the Cyber Programme of Action – driving international digital engagement, strengthening cyber resilience and shaping global cyber diplomacy efforts. What you’ll do: 🔹 Engage with EU institutions, partner countries, and global stakeholders 🔹 Organise high-profile events and outreach activities 🔹 Contribute to research on cyber diplomacy and multilateral engagement 🔹 Work in a multicultural and fast-paced environment 📅 Application deadline: 7 March 2025, 12:00 CET 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: https://lnkd.in/eDubxS3r 📍 Location: Brussels | 🗓️ Contract: 18 months (full-time) #EUJobs #ProjectOfficer #CareerOpportunity

Here to stay or bound to leave? US bases & forces in Europe 📸 👇 "𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘱, 𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘱" explains Giuseppe Spatafora, Ph.D. But whatever the scenario, Europe needs a strong deterrent force. The EU must back efforts to boost defence spending, build collective capabilities and ensure battle-ready forces. What could American abandonment of Europe look like? And how should Europe prepare? 📌 Read the full analysis: https://lnkd.in/e6ypVjJk #TransatlanticRelation #Trump #EUdefence

Resilience alone won’t cut it in Russia’s escalating hybrid war Russia is deploying its full playbook—𝐬𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞, 𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞, 𝐜𝐲𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 —while Europe largely focuses on strengthening resilience. It's not enough argues Director Steven Everts. 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞, 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬. If Russia disrupts GPS signals over the Baltic Sea, affecting air traffic, should Europe consider similar actions over Kaliningrad? When the Kremlin meddles in elections in Georgia, Moldova, and Romania through disinformation, should we counter with strategic campaigns? This raises a critical dilemma: 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧, 𝐥𝐚𝐰-𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬? And crucially, when—and under what limits—should we adopt tactics from a different era to protect ourselves? 📖 Read Steven Everts’ full opinion piece in NRC (in Dutch): https://lnkd.in/eEDEzHja #Russia, #HybridThreats #HybridWar

Reimagining European energy security For too long, Europe has been dependent on imported fossil fuels, leaving its energy system vulnerable to external powers, price volatility, and geopolitical risks. To restore energy supply security, the EU must remove these dependencies and shift toward a renewables-based energy system argues Caspar Hobhouse. "𝘈 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘧𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘸𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴-𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘺 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘜 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘺 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮" Read the full analysis below 👇 or head to our website. #EnergySecurity #Renewables #EnergyTransition