CSIS Launches Project on the Future of Europe

WASHINGTON, DC – January 31, 2024 – The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) today announced the Project on the Future of Europe. This initiative, led by the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program, will examine the rapidly growing role of the European Union in shaping the geopolitical landscape and implications for the United States and Europe across a broad range of policy areas.

Max Bergmann, director of the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program, will lead the initiative, building upon expertise gained from his tenure at the U.S. State Department, where he served in a number of different positions, including as a member of the secretary of state’s policy planning staff, special assistant to the undersecretary for arms control and international security, and senior adviser to the assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs. Bergmann is recognized as a leading voice on European security issues, U.S. national defense, and the European Union.

CSIS launches the Project on the Future of Europe at a crucial moment for U.S.-EU relations. The return of global geopolitical rivalry has thrust the European Union, long a geoeconomic colossus with its enormous single market, into an increasingly prominent geopolitical role. This trend is exemplified by the European Union’s robust responses to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the climate and energy crisis, and China’s increasingly aggressive economic posture. The United States and European Union together represent approximately 30 percent of global GDP, with a combined population of nearly 800 million. Building a new strategic partnership between the United States and European Union can thus drive the direction of the global economy and will be vital in an era of intensifying global competition.

To meet these challenges, the Project on the Future of Europe will pursue in-depth research on policy areas shaping Europe over the next decade, including EU foreign, climate, and technology policy; transatlantic trade; and EU fiscal integration, reform, and enlargement. The project will also convene European and U.S. leaders to exchange ideas on how to advance shared transatlantic interests.

“Despite predictions of its demise, the European project, and the effort to integrate Europe, have accelerated in response to a decade of crises. The European Union has strengthened, taken on greater powers, and is playing a growing role on the world stage,” said Max Bergmann. “This project will examine the future trajectory of the European Union, a topic that has scarcely been studied among think tanks in Washington, DC.”

Visit here to learn more about the Project on the Future of Europe.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is a bipartisan, nonprofit policy research organization dedicated to advancing practical ideas to address the world’s greatest challenges.