As the EU and its member states enter 2026, they face a period of profound strategic choices. Shifting geopolitical realities, growing internal fragmentation, and mounting economic and security pressures are forcing EUrope to reassess not only its policies, but the foundations of the integration project itself. This EPC Update will examine the key challenges shaping EU politics in the year ahead – and the choices that will define EUrope’s role in an increasingly contested world. 

Central to the debate is the Union’s long-term approach to Ukraine. Can the EU27 achieve and sustain political unity, financial support and security commitments over time, and how will these choices shape Europe’s credibility as a geopolitical actor? In a transformed transatlantic landscape and following recent events in Venezuela, how should Europeans recalibrate relations with the United States while strengthening their own capacity to act on defence and security? 

On enlargement, can the EU balance the geopolitical imperative of welcoming new members with the internal reforms needed to ensure a larger Union functions effectively? Internally, can it bridge deepening structural disagreements among the EU27, or are these divisions becoming a lasting feature of EU politics? And as economic security moves to the centre of policymaking, can the EU reconcile openness with resilience and forge a shared approach to strategic dependencies, industrial policy and competitiveness? 

This event welcomes the participation of EPC member organisations, EU institutions and media.

For media enquiries, please contact media@epc.eu. 

For other queries, please contact events@epc.eu.