Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies

🚨 CALL FOR PAPERS 🚨

How does Christianity shape global politics today, and what can Christian democracy offer in response?

We're co-organising a conference in Utrecht (3-4 December 2026) with the Scientific Institute of the Dutch CDA party and Utrecht University, and we want your take on Christian democracy.

Submit a 300-500 word abstract by 20 August 2026. Selected papers may make it into an edited volume.

▶️ Details and submission here:
https://www.martenscentre.eu/event/call-for-papers-christian-and-christian-democratic-approaches-to-international-politics/

Tag someone who should apply.

Call for Papers – Christian and Christian Democratic Approaches to International Politics This is a call for paper submissions for a conference taking place on 3–4 December 2026, with a submission deadline of 20 August 2026. The conference invites contributions examining Christian and Christian democratic approaches to international politics in the context of an increasingly contes...

The Iran crisis has faded from the headlines.
What it revealed about Italy's foreign policy hasn't. ⛓️‍💥 👇

In this new analysis, Alessia Chiriatti unpacks how Rome is caught between three forces pulling in different directions:

▶️ Its transatlantic alliance with Washington,
▶️ Its energy dependence on the Gulf,
▶️ Its ambition to act as a bridge inside the EU.

Read the full analysis: https://www.martenscentre.eu/blog/the-iran-knot-how-the-war-exposed-italys-middle-power-dilemma/

What happens after the war doesn’t end on the battlefield. ⬇️

For thousands of Ukrainian veterans, the real fight continues, rebuilding their lives, processing trauma, and reintegrating into civilian society.

📅 On 1 July, we bring together voices from the front line, policy, and post-war reconciliation to unpack key questions:

What does healing actually look like, and what role can Europe play in making it possible?

We'll hear directly from a Ukrainian veteran officer, an expert in post-war reconciliation from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and European lawmakers working on security and defence.

🎤 Featuring:
▶️ Antonio López-Istúriz White, MEP, EPP,
▶️ Yan-Yevhen Fidria, Veteran Officer, Armed Forces of Ukraine,
▶️ Nedžad Novalić, Expert in Postwar Reconciliation, Centre for Non-Violent Action, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
▶️ Riho Terras, MEP, Vice-Chair, Security and Defence
Committee, EPP,
🎤 Moderated by Tomi Huhtanen, Executive Director, Martens Centre.

👉 Register here: https://martenscentre.typeform.com/to/ZeiWJPCi

Europe is spending more on defence again.
That still doesn’t mean it’s ready. 👇📈

Burkard Schmitt's new analysis breaks down the real challenge behind “Defence Readiness 2030”:

➡️ Budgets are rising, but capability gaps remain.
➡️ Industrial capacity can’t scale overnight.
➡️ Fragmentation still weakens Europe’s deterrence

After decades of underinvestment, the question is no longer how much we spend, but whether it actually delivers.

👉 Read the full piece: https://www.martenscentre.eu/blog/defence-readiness-2030-requires-more-than-higher-defence-spending/

"Take back control", but who’s really in control today? 🇬🇧💔

Ten years on from the Brexit vote, the UK has cycled through prime ministers faster than it can make sense of what happened. Today, that cycle claims another one.

This episode of Bridge the Channel, hosted by Angelos Chryssogelos, unpacks why Brexit remains the dark family secret of British democracy, and what it means for the liberal order we all share.

▶ Watch now: https://www.martenscentre.eu/multimedia/10-years-later-is-brexit-working-i-bridge-the-channel-ep-26/

A war in Iran is redrawing the map of Europe's connectivity, and the South Caucasus is at the centre of it. ⚡

Since February 2026, trade routes are being redrawn, air corridors are overflowing, and three small countriesn Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, are each navigating a radically different mix of opportunity and risk.

This new paper by Kornely Kakachia and Teona Lavrelashvili, PhD, maps what's actually happening on the ground, and what the EU must do to stay strategically relevant in a region it has too often treated as an afterthought.

The Middle Corridor is becoming the backbone of Europe's connectivity with Asia, and it runs straight through the South Caucasus.

Read the full paper: https://www.martenscentre.eu/publication/eu-connectivity-under-pressure-the-iran-war-and-the-geopolitical-reconfiguration-of-the-south-caucasus/

🌐 JOB ALERT: Communications Internship 🌐

We are looking for a Communications Intern to join our team in Brussels with a start date of September 2026. If you’re passionate about communications, social media, and European politics, this is your chance to make an impact!

Key Responsibilities:
✅ Assist in developing communications campaigns for research and events,
✅ Monitor traditional and social media impact and identify growth strategies,
✅ Help maintain and expand the Centre’s database of contacts.

What We’re Looking For:
🎓 University degree in Communications, PR, Political Science, Journalism, or related fields,
📱 Savviness and interest in social media tools and platforms,
🌍 Good knowledge of European and international politics.

How to Apply:
📩 Send your CV and cover letter to [email protected] by July 6th.

🔗 Learn more here: https://www.martenscentre.eu/vacancies/communications-internship/

Thank you to everyone who joined us for Europe’s New Security Architecture: Ukraine as a Strategic Pillar of the Continent’s Defence Future. 👇

Today’s discussion made clear that Europe’s security challenge is systemic, multidimensional, and inseparable from Ukraine’s role in the continent’s defence future.

A sincere thank you to our speakers and contributors,
Aliona Hlivco, Andrius Kubilius, Klaus Welle, Tomi Huhtanen.

📸 Photos from the event and 🎥 the full livestream replay are now available.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m4ZB8F76Jg&time_continue=0&source_ve_path=NzY3NTg&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.martenscentre.eu%2F

Can Europe afford to stay on the sidelines in the Taiwan Strait? 👇

After the Trump–Xi summit, stability may look reassuring, but beneath it, core tensions remain unresolved. Taiwan is still at the heart of US–China rivalry, and what happens next will shape global trade, security, and Europe’s interests.

In her latest analysis, Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy, PhD explains why:
▶️ US–China relations are being “managed”, not solved.
▶️ Taiwan remains a red line for Beijing.
▶️ Europe must deepen its engagement in the Indo-Pacific.

👉 What role should Europe play in preserving stability and protecting its strategic interests?

Read the full analysis: https://www.martenscentre.eu/blog/taiwan-trump-xi-and-europes-strategic-interests/

🎙 Young people are supposed to change the world.
So why do we keep getting in their way?

In this new episode of Thinking Talks, Peter Vesterbacka talks with host Théo Larue, and makes the case for easier company creation, better education, and an entrepreneurial mindset across Europe, especially in the age of AI.

From startup bureaucracy to education and role models, this conversation is a clear call for urgency, and confidence, in Europe’s future.

🎧 Watch now: https://www.martenscentre.eu/multimedia/why-europe-struggles-to-scale-startups-thinking-talks-ep-25-with-peter-vesterbacka/