United Kingdom

Belgium

Economics

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Politics

European Council President Antonio Costa announced that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer would host European Union leaders at a summit in the United Kingdom on May 19 to discuss plans to build closer U.K.-EU post-Brexit relations, Politico reported Feb. 4. 

U.K.: Starmer Moves to Reset U.K.-EU Ties with New Summit Amid Domestic Constraints

Belgium's center-right, separatist New Flemish Alliance party leader Bart De Wever was appointed prime minister after securing a broad coalition deal on Jan. 31 with four other parties to form an 81-seat majority in the 150-seat Parliament following nearly eight months of negotiations, Reuters reported on Feb. 3. 

Belgium: After Eight Months of Negotiations, Belgium Finally Has a New Government

China

The European Union and China reported "technical progress" after a week of talks in Beijing aimed at reducing or reversing EU tariffs on imports of Chinese-made electric vehicles (EVs), with both the European Commission and China's Ministry of Commerce affirming the positive outcome in separate statements, Bloomberg reported Nov. 8.

EU, China: Brussels and Beijing Report Progress in Negotiations to Resolve EV Tariffs Dispute

Luxembourg

Germany

Denmark

France

Netherlands

Military & Security

Berlin announced that the country will extend border controls with France, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark for at least another six months to ''further restrict irregular immigration'', reported the Financial Times on Sept. 9.

Germany: Berlin Extends Temporary Immigration Controls to All Land Borders

The European Commission announced it would slightly lower its proposed tariffs on China-made electric vehicles (EVs) as part of its ongoing investigation of alleged Chinese subsidies considered unfair against EU-based competitors, Bloomberg reported Aug. 20. 

EU, China: European Commission Lowers Tariffs on Chinese-Made EVs

Canada

Australia

Greece

Sweden

Poland

Norway

Austria

Switzerland

Italy

Afghanistan

The Afghan Taliban's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it would not honor documents, including passports and visas, issued by diplomats linked to the former Western-backed Islamic Republic of Afghanistan at several missions in Europe and other Western countries, AP reported on July 30. 

Afghanistan: Taliban Disavows Some Afghan Diplomatic Missions in Europe and Other Western Countries

Russia

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

European Union member states approved the bloc's 14th package of sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, including a ban on the transshipment of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) from EU ports to third countries, sanctions targeting new LNG projects in Russia, a clause allowing EU members Sweden and Finland to cancel LNG contracts with Russia and sanctions on Russia's so-called shadow fleet of tankers, Reuters reported June 20.

EU, Russia: EU Approves 14th Sanctions Package Against Russia, Including First-Ever Restrictions on LNG

Spain

European Union leaders failed to agree on top appointments for the bloc during their first informal meeting in Brussels since the June 6-9 European Parliament elections, delaying a decision until the European Council summit on June 27-28, Reuters reported June 17. 

EU: Von der Leyen Likely to be Confirmed as European Commission President Despite Delayed Decision

Assessments

Portugal

Romania

A photo taken on Jan. 20, 2024, shows cars driving by campaign billboard posters in Sao Pedro do Estoril, Portugal, ahead of the country's March 10 parliamentary elections. 

Social Issues

Of the various European countries holding elections this year, Portugal, Belgium, Austria, Romania and the U.K.'s votes have the potential to yield the most drastic leadership and policy changes.

Previewing Europe's 2024 National Elections

Ethiopia

South Africa

Brazil

Egypt

Iran

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates

Taiwan

India

Leaders at the closing day of the BRICS Summit on Aug. 24, 2023, in Johannesburg. On Jan. 1, BRICS will admit Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia after agreeing at an August summit to expand its membership.

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Taiwan's Election Media Blackout, BRICS Expansion

Snapshots

United States

Lithuania

Malta

Finland

Latvia

Czech Republic

Estonia

Bulgaria

Croatia

Cyprus

Slovakia

Slovenia

Ireland

Hungary

Members of the European Parliament take part in voting on the Artificial Intelligence Act during a plenary session at the European Parliament.

Cyber

The EU's recently negotiated Artificial Intelligence Act will bolster the European Union's dominance as a regulatory heavyweight in emerging technologies, yet anticipated enforcement challenges and stringent stipulations with the Act risk impeding AI innovation within the bloc.

EU Lawmakers Clinch Agreement on Artificial Intelligence Act 

Columns

On Geopolitics

Europe

Demonstrators hold Spanish flags during a protest called by the country’s far-right Vox party in Madrid, Spain, on Nov. 12, 2023. 

Far-right parties are expected to perform strongly in sub-national, national and EU elections next year, portending significant shifts in governance and policies.

In Europe, Far-Right Parties Are Again on the Rise

Israel

Palestinian Territories

Ukraine

Israeli and EU Flags

Israel-Hamas Conflict

A lack of a unified EU response to the Israel-Hamas War highlights divisions among member states' foreign policies, complicating the bloc's plans to play a meaningful role in the conflict, as well as efforts to maintain unified support for Ukraine.

Israel-Hamas War Highlights Divisions Among EU Member States

Rail cars loaded with steel sit at the ThyssenKrupp Schwelgern steel plant on May 30, 2018 in Duisburg, Germany. 

The European Union and the United States will increase efforts to deconflict their trade and climate policies ahead of the upcoming U.S. presidential and EU parliamentary elections, but lingering disagreements will not allow for a complete respite of Trump-era tariffs on EU steel and aluminum.

EU-U.S. Steel and Aluminum Negotiations Make Limited Headway

On Security

Ecuador

Mexico

Venezuela

Syria

North Korea

Seized marijuana bricks are incinerated in Guadalajara, Mexico.

While narco-states exist on a spectrum of severity, they can all have dramatic geopolitical, operational and tactical impacts that raise a wide variety of risks.

What Is a Narco-State, and Why Does It Matter?

Japan

International Monetary Fund (IMF) Chief Economist Pierre Olivier Gourinchas speaks during a media interview at the IMF headquarters in Washington D.C. on July 26, 2022, after the institution downgraded its outlook for the global economy this year and next. 

As the effects of post-COVID reopenings wane, rising interest rates and slower economic growth may prove particularly problematic for highly indebted countries like Italy.

After a Brief Reprieve, Debt Levels in Many Advanced Economies Are Set to Rise

Supporters of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) protest in Glasgow, Scotland, on July 27, 2022, as part of a nationwide strike among U.K. rail workers. 

European countries could see a wave of disruptive protests in the coming months as workers demand wage increases to keep up with the rising cost of living. 

Europe's Inflation Crisis Raises the Risk of Social and Labor Unrest

Turkey

Pakistan

Nurses demand better wages and to be paid in dollars amid inflation and economic crisis on Nov. 19, 2019, in Caracas, Venezuela. History is replete with examples of inflation -- and, in the most extreme cases, hyperinflation -- generating social unrest.

Even if the world probably won't be engulfed by violence, persistent inflation-linked protests can be expected some places, with periodic episodes of more serious unrest.

What Unrest Provoked by Inflation Could Look Like in 2022

Guidance

Mozambique

The Tianwen-1 probe is successfully launched on July 23, 2020, in Wenchang, Hainan, China.

COVID-19

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended Stratfor articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Cypriot Sovereignty Talks and a Chinese Space Launch

British fine china company Wedgwood on Oct. 14, 2020, in Stoke-on-Trent Staffordshire, England. Founder Josiah Wedgwood incorporated some details of Chinese porcelain assembly lines into his own production process.

History has shown that economic espionage has been most successful at boosting domestic industries rather than destroying targeted industries.

Understanding Economic Espionage: The Past

<p>Belgium&#39;s history has been shaped by its location at the crossroads between Latin and Germanic Europe. Belgium is surrounded by France, the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg and the North Sea. It is home to a Flemish community in the north, which is mostly Dutch-speaking, and a Walloon population in the south, which mostly speaks French. Belgium&#39;s location also has made it a land of invasion, as it was for centuries disputed by larger powers such as Spain, France and Austria. Belgium gained independence in the 1830s, which was followed by a process of heavy industrialization and colonial expansion, particularly in Africa. Belgium is a mostly flat country, with a coastal plain full of polders in the northwest, a plateau with numerous waterways and fertile lands in the center, and thick forests and hills in the south. Belgium&#39;s core is in the so-called Flemish Diamond, an area that includes Brussels, Belgium&#39;s capital; Antwerp, which is home to one of the busiest ports in the world; and Ghent and Leuven, two important cultural and industrial centers. Almost half of Belgium&#39;s 11 million people live within this area. Belgium is also home to some of the most important institutions of the European Union, making Brussels the bloc&#39;s unofficial capital. Belgium&#39;s politics are defined by its linguistic and economic divides. A series of reforms between the 1970s and the 1990s made Belgium a federal state, in which Flanders and Wallonia were given some degree of self-government. But this was not enough to appease autonomist and secessionist sentiments, especially in Flanders, which is more economically developed than Wallonia. Belgium&#39;s federal government also has to include political parties from the two communities, which many voters see as inefficient. Belgium&#39;s main geopolitical challenge, therefore, is to remain united as a country. Domestic politics will play a role in this, but so will the evolution of the European Union, to which Belgium is deeply intertwined.</p>

SITUATION REPORTS

U.K.: Starmer Moves to Reset U.K.-EU Ties with New Summit Amid Domestic Constraints

Belgium: After Eight Months of Negotiations, Belgium Finally Has a New Government

EU, China: Brussels and Beijing Report Progress in Negotiations to Resolve EV Tariffs Dispute

Germany: Berlin Extends Temporary Immigration Controls to All Land Borders

EU, China: European Commission Lowers Tariffs on Chinese-Made EVs

Afghanistan: Taliban Disavows Some Afghan Diplomatic Missions in Europe and Other Western Countries

EU, Russia: EU Approves 14th Sanctions Package Against Russia, Including First-Ever Restrictions on LNG

EU: Von der Leyen Likely to be Confirmed as European Commission President Despite Delayed Decision

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