Böll EU Brief 05/2025 | Phalanx of defence pacts? Mapping bilateral defence partnerships in Europe

Europe’s defence map is being redrawn. Our new Böll EU Brief by Roderick Kefferpütz and Anika Bruck tracks over 160 defence partnerships signed since 2014 among EU countries, the UK and Ukraine – most of them after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Bilateralism boosts trust, interoperability and procurement speed, but also risks duplication and fragmentation. To turn this patchwork into strategy, the EU and NATO should map and integrate these deals into joint planning, strengthen the European Defence Agency’s role, and use bilaterals to offset declining US support.

We need a European defence union – now!

Friedrich Merz and Emmanuel Macron have repeatedly announced their intention to prioritize European security and to take a more decisive stance against Russian aggression. Yet they have failed to follow through on these pledges. Europe now needs a defence union that is worthy of the name. Column by our President Jan Philipp Albrecht.

3 Questions on the political crisis in France to Marc Berthold

After weeks of confusion and controversy around Sébastien Lecornu’s appointment as Prime Minister, President Macron faces mounting pressure at home and growing doubts abroad. Joan Lanfranco asked Marc Berthold, Director of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Paris office, what this means for Macron, France’s role in the EU, and the wider impact on Europe.

Böll·Europe Podcast - 2025 parliamentary election in Czechia 🇨🇿

On 3-4 October, Czechia voted for change – but what kind? Andrej Babiš makes a comeback, the Greens return to parliament, and populism takes a new shape. Joan Lanfranco and Adéla Jurečková, Director of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Prague office, breaks down the results and what they mean for Czech democracy and the EU. 

Handbook | Housing for the common good: Rooting European efforts in local approaches

Across Europe, cities are grappling with an intensifying housing crisis that affects a wide spectrum of urban residents, from the most vulnerable to essential workers and middle-income earners. Increasing numbers of residents face eviction, leading to higher rates of homelessness in urban centres. This handbook by Eurocities presents a wide range of practical approaches in 10 European cities (Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bonn, Ghent, Gothenburg, Lyon Metropole, Milan, Rome, Vienna, Vilnius) addressing key housing challenges, highlighting strategies that combine affordability, social inclusion, and sustainability.

COP30: UN Climate Change Conference in Belém, Brazil

The 30th UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) will take place in Belém, Brazil, from November 10 to 21, 2025. This dossier by the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung contains analyses and comments on the most important negotiating points.

Online discussion on 5 November: Böll.Global | COP30 Climate Conference Without the US - What Can We Expect?

Factsheet | Implementation of the EUDR in Argentina: reduction of deforestation or greenwashing?

Argentina is lobbying the EU to be labelled “low risk” under the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) – despite continuing forest loss in the Chaco region, one of the world’s deforestation hotspots. A new analysis by the Argentine Chaco Agroforestry Network (REDAF) warns that the country’s Monitoring, Reporting and Verification system, steered by powerful agribusiness interests, could underestimate deforestation in native forests, overstate soy and beef compliance, and obscure widespread human rights violations. With limited participation of local communities and mounting pressure to ease trade with Europe, the current approach risks masking the true environmental and social costs of Argentina’s agricultural expansion.

Agrivoltaics: double the farming on a global scale

As the world looks for ways to produce more with less, agrivoltaics offers a fresh approach: combining solar panels and agriculture on the same land. By generating renewable energy while supporting crops and livestock, this dual-use system can boost farm productivity, strengthen local economies, and make agriculture more resilient to a changing climate. Discover how agrivoltaics is redefining what it means to “farm the sun” in this article by Lisa Sandtner.

Webinar | Northern EU enlargement in sight? Seizing momentum in uncertain times
6.11.2025, 12:45-13:45 CET

Recent geopolitical shifts are reopening the debate on northern EU enlargement. In Iceland, a referendum on EU membership is now promised by 2027. In Norway, polls show the gap between supporters and opponents narrowing. In Greenland, 60% would vote for EU membership today, while its strategic role in the Arctic and for critical minerals is increasingly under the spotlight. This raises key questions: What opportunities and risks does northern EU enlargement create for Europe’s future and what role should the Danish EU Presidency play? How does this connect with the EU’s Arctic, environmental and sustainability strategies? What role do Greenland and the Arctic play in securing Europe’s access to critical raw materials? And in the end, is it still all about the fish?

Join the discussion on 6 November!

Discussion | Boosting citizen participation in the EU energy transition
12.12025, 9:30-12:40 CET

The EU is making significant progress in its energy transition. Yet many citizens still struggle with their energy bills. How can households better benefit from renewables roll out and energy savings? Over the past 18 months, the Green European Foundation and the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung EU have worked with experts in energy and social policy to identify key areas where the EU could act to ensure that citizens and households are able to fully experience the benefits of the energy transition, in their homes, communities and pockets. This launch event will serve as a platform to discuss the main findings with policymakers from the European Parliament and the European Commission, as well as experts in energy and social policy, and give the floor to testimonials from energy transition practitioners sharing on-the-ground experience.