Europe is once again facing an energy shock driven by events beyond its borders. As war in the Middle East pushes up oil and gas prices, governments are scrambling to protect households and industry from another surge in costs. But the CER assessment highlights an uncomfortable reality: Europe’s room for manoeuvre is far smaller than it was during previous crises.

One of Europe’s greatest achievements is increasingly being treated as a security problem. Across the Schengen area, governments are reintroducing temporary border controls in response to migration pressures, security concerns and political demands. The Stratfor analysis warns that these measures may look temporary, but their economic consequences could become much harder to reverse.

The analysis takes stock of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s first hundred days and finds a government eager to signal strength but constrained by the same limits that trapped its predecessors. Rhetoric has sharpened, priorities look clearer, and ambition is back in Berlin. The problem is delivery.

The commentary dissects Emmanuel Macron’s latest defence spending commitments and finds a familiar French pattern – bold announcements masking hard questions left unanswered. Paris talks about resolve, leadership and strategic autonomy. The paper argues that behind the headline figures sit delivery risks, budget trade-offs and capability gaps that money alone will not fix.

The analysis takes aim at one of Europe’s proudest achievements and finds it stuck in a loop of constant tinkering with diminishing returns. The single market is endlessly “restarted,” updated and expanded on paper, yet its core problems remain stubbornly unresolved. The piece argues that Europe has mistaken perpetual reform for real integration, and the costs are piling up.

Emmanuel Macron went to Beijing talking about dialogue and reset. This commentary suggests the reality was far less impressive. France wants a fresh start with China, but arrives weakened, divided and short on leverage. The visit exposed ambition without clout and a strategy still stuck between commerce and caution.

Germany is tightening its belt, and Europe is about to feel it. This policy brief shows how Berlin’s medium-term fiscal plan prioritises domestic caution over continental leadership. The shift may please budget hawks at home, but it weakens Europe’s ability to invest, respond to shocks and act together when it matters.