Written by Isabelle Gaudeul-Ehrhart.
Introducing a high-level panel of expert speakers to a fully-packed auditorium, Sarah Sheil, Director of the Members’ Research Service, underlined the need not just to watch, but to act and to protect Europe’s autonomy and security.
EP Vice-President Victor Negrescu welcomed the audience, drawing their attention to the moral and ethical crisis going on in the world. Values as core to our European societies as truth and democracy are no more a given. He announced that he will be coordinating the reflection group on the future of the institution that Parliament’s Bureau recently decided to set up.
MEP David McAllister, Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs – and rapporteur for the 2025 annual report on the implementation of the common foreign and security policy, scheduled for Parliament’s January 2026 plenary – walked the audience through a broad panorama, calling successively at: the price of peace – Russia and the European security order, China – the long game, the transatlantic relationship under pressure, global trade in a fragmented world (“signing new trade agreements is not optional, it is a strategic imperative”), and the new frontier: technology – who controls Europe’s growingly technological future? He concluded with a question: with these developments being more than the sum of their parts, how do we respond as the EU?
Judith Arnal (Centre for European Policy Studies – CEPS and Elcano Royal Institute) explained that in 2026, she will pay special attention to independent authorities’ credibility, transatlantic sanctions over digital regulation, and how the EU’s trade defence instruments deliver.
Rosa Balfour (Carnegie Europe) announced that she would be very direct: to her, 2026 may be the hardest year for the EU. The EU strategy should be to combine short-term tactics with long-term strategy, and make sure that these issues reach citizens – here the European Parliament has a specific role and responsibility.
Joris Teer (EU Institute for Security Studies – EUISS) focused on China’s role in global trade and industry as well as security issues, and explained why more attention should be given to this key actor.
The roundtable was followed by a question-and-answer session and drew an online audience of more than 150 viewers.
Watch the event here.
Read the complete in-depth analysis on ‘Ten issues to watch in 2026‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament. The publication is available in English, French, German, Italian, Polish and Spanish
Comments are closed for this post.