Europe

Digital technology as a lever of soft power and international influence In just over three decades, Estonia has made its digital transformation far more than a mere administrative restructuring. The image of "e-Estonia," a global benchmark in e-government, digital identity, and cybersecurity, has become a tool for diplomacy, economic attractiveness, and international visibility. The Estonian case highlights how a small state has been able to convert its technological expertis

On January 1 , 2026, Spain celebrated the 40th anniversary of its official entry into the European Union. Long relegated to a secondary role compared to Germany, France, and the United Kingdom, it now plays a completely different part on the European stage. Amid the current proliferation of regional and interstate conflicts, Spain distinguishes itself through decisive diplomatic positions, often at odds with those of other European states . This resurgence is largely due to t

Every day, the digital jungle confronting the 21st-century citizen continues to expand. It spreads into ever more remote areas, while zones of so-called “digital deserts” are steadily shrinking. The programs and applications we use are increasingly embedded in our daily lives, and their protection, monitoring, and security have become central issues for national policies across the globe. As internet users grow ever more dependent on GAFAM, entrusting their lives to the discr

“Europe in June 2022 is very different from Europe in January 2022,” declared Emmanuel Macron on 1 July 2022, as the six months of the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union (PFUE) came to an end. This presidency, profoundly reshaped by the war in Ukraine—which highlighted the European Union’s dependence on Russian hydrocarbons—above all allowed President Macron to place the French vision of a sovereign, independent, and humane Europe at the forefront of the p

Diplomacy and religion in Russia In his speech of 27 February 2022, Vladimir Putin justified his “special operation” in Ukraine through his Orthodoxy. In other words, through the glory and justice it would bring—and was duty-bound to bring—to the Russian Church. Through a metaphysical theory, Patriarch Kirill, head of the Church, described this war as “an operation against the forces of evil,” advocating, like Vladimir Putin, for a Russian world freed from the Western threat.

On 23 September 2020, the European Commission presented the Pact on Migration and Asylum, aimed at profoundly reforming the system for receiving and managing asylum seekers and migrants arriving at the borders of the European Union. The Pact was presented as a tool capable of better managing the migratory pressure experienced by certain states, strengthening data collection, decriminalising sea rescues, and creating a European Union Agency for Asylum. Migrants largely cross t