The EU’s ties with China rank just behind its transatlantic ones in significance. With China being a major trading partner, the focus has long been on economic opportunities. In recent years, there has been a shift in how the EU frames its relationship with China. Yet, despite increasing emphasis on systemic rivalry and economic security, security risks remain underrepresented in EU China policy.
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The Black Sea region has gained renewed strategic importance for the European Union following Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. As an area of considerable economic and geopolitical significance, as well as a focal point for potential future EU enlargement, its stability is now an urgent concern for European policymakers. Russia’s sustained efforts to undermine security in the Black Sea necessitate a coherent EU vision, moving beyond the fragmented scope of earlier initiatives such as the Black Sea Synergy and aspects of the Eastern Partnership.
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Over the last decade, civilian drones have proven their worth as invaluable dual-use assets with both civilian and military capabilities. Officially known as UAVs, civilian use cases of drones include aerial photography, environmental monitoring, infrastructure inspection, product deliveries, and also police operations.
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In Estonian politics, there is a widespread agreement on the security and prosperity benefits of EU enlargement, particularly regarding Ukraine, but also for other candidate countries. However, nuances exist among different parties regarding the trade-off between the geopolitical argument for enlargement and the potential losses that Estonia might face.
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The Russian and western visions of European security have profoundly different ideational roots: balance of power embedded in realist geopolitics versus liberal rules-based order. Russia is a revisionist power aiming to re-establish a European security order based on the balance of power, including a recognition of its empire and sphere of influence. Russia’s aggressive pursuit of this vision has forced the West to defend the rules-based liberal order in Europe and beyond.
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Maksym Kononenko, extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador of Ukraine to the Republic of Estonia, sat down for his first interview in Estonia as Ukraine prepared to mark its 32 years since the restoration of its Independence – and 547 days since the full-scale Russian invasion – on 24 August 2023.
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Russia’s war in Ukraine has prompted Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania to accelerate the building of their armed forces.
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The intelligence disaster in the spring of 2022 was so big that Putin couldn’t ignore it. The repressions were anticipated and quick to follow. But then, something changed.
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A rising need to protect Ukrainian war refugees against organised crime networks, investigation of war crimes, combatting human trafficking and firearms smuggling, and enforcement of sanctions are the main concerns and cooperation priorities between the EU and Ukraine in the internal security domain.
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The year of Russian aggression against Ukraine changed the security configuration in Europe. What did not change was a perception of the enlargement by NATO itself – the self-restrains and myths cultivated for decades. Yet Finland and Sweden’s acceptance has started a tectonic shift.
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