The European Union–United Kingdom summit on 19 May 2025 paves the way for renewed cooperation, particularly in defence and security, trade, with progress on the carbon market and agricultural product controls at borders. It represents a moment of clarification of bilateral ambitions after years of post-Brexit tensions. However, the UK's red lines and Brussels' reluctance to renegotiate existing agreements limit the room for manoeuvre, suggesting that targeted progress is possible but that a new chapter is being written.

On 9 May, France and Poland signed a friendship treaty in Nancy, while Warsaw holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union and plays a central role on the European stage, particularly due to its proximity to Ukraine, which has been at war since February 2022. In an interview, Ernest Wyciszkiewicz analyses Poland's current strategic position within the European Union, looks back at the evolution of transatlantic relations since the election of Donald Trump, and highlights the renewed importance of the Weimar Triangle in advancing defence and security issues in Europe.

Democracy as a political system has a long intellectual and institutional history, characterised by profound differences of interpretation and therefore of form, as to what is meant by 'power of the people'. A fundamental pillar of the European Union, democracy is under attack in many countries that have long since adopted it. While support for democracy has never been stronger, as evidenced by the latest Eurobarometer, it is incumbent upon the European community to consolidate the objectives of its international action in favour of democracy in order to (re)become a reservoir and laboratory for democratic experimentation.

The latest Eurobarometer survey shows historically high approval ratings for the European Union, even as nationalist and Eurosceptic parties continue to gain ground in the European Parliament and/or in Member States. What appears to be a paradox can be explained by a shift in rhetoric: even right-wing populists no longer question the European Union.

'In many respects, Europe has recently experienced a rude awakening, albeit a salutary one.' Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Europe has experienced its most serious energy supply crisis since the oil shocks of the 1970s. Electricity prices have been extremely volatile, further eroding household purchasing power and business competitiveness. However, there can be no question of abandoning the path to energy transition, as the current tensions confirm the necessity and legitimacy of this approach.

Agenda

The European Union–United Kingdom summit on 19 May 2025: a milestone in the long road to Brexit

"We need to find the 'coalition of the willing' capable of overcoming current differences."

The European Union and national sovereignty: a new democratic challenge?

Europe appears to be the solution, not the problem

The end of the energy price crisis must not mean the end of the energy transition