Mapping Hybrid Interference: Lessons from Moldova’s 2025 Parliamentary Elections
How Russian influence and hybrid interference shaped Moldova’s pivotal 2025 parliamentary election.
Programme
The Future of Europe
Publications in this programme
Understanding the Romanian Diaspora
Pioneering research initiative mapping the Romanian diaspora in the UK.
Europe and the people: Examining the EU’s democratic legitimacy
Examining concerns across Europe around the democratic legitimacy of the EU and its institutions.
Trouble in the Neighbourhood? The future of the EU’s Eastern Partnership
Examining the EU's Eastern Neighbourhood: Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Moldova, Belarus & Ukraine.
Renegotiation, Reform and Referendum: Does Britain have an EU future?
Renegotiation, Reform and Referendum: examines the UK debate over its EU membership.
Europe in the World: Can EU foreign policy make an impact?
Examining how Europe is seen internationally and the effectiveness of the External Action Service.
Single Market, Equal Rights? UK perspectives on EU employment and social law
A wide-ranging assessment of the UK debate over Europe’s role in employment and social rights.
Reconnecting the European Parliament and its people
It sets out a radical agenda for reforming the European Parliament’s relationship with the public.
Articles relating to this programme
Key Takeaways & Policy Recommendations: Lessons for the UK from a Transnational Influence Battlefield
The contextual and data-driven analyses tell a clear story: Moldova’s 2025 parliamentary election was not merely a consequential national democratic contest but a stress test for Europe’s wider resilience to…
Download PDF
Op-ed | A Symptom and a Catalyst: Orbán, Ukraine and the Institutional Remaking of the European Security Order
When Hungarians head to the polls on 12th April 2026, there will be more at stake than whether the country’s current Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, wins another term. The outcome…
Op-ed | Standing up to the Kremlin: Lessons from Moldova for Defeating Russian Election Interference
Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) has been high on the agenda of liberal democracies for years.[1] The European External Action Service has just published its fourth annual report on…
Op-ed | AI in Authoritarian States: Why Belarus’s AI Push Is a Human Rights Problem – and What International Actors Must Do
Authoritarian governments are racing to adopt artificial intelligence (AI). While they court international legitimacy by invoking “ethics,” “safety,” and “standards,” the real-world context is marked by systematic violations of human…
Op-ed | The Future of the OSCE and the UK’s Role
The 25th Winter Meeting of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly should be a moment of celebration and reflection on past successes in advancing the organisation’s broader goals of comprehensive and collective…
Long Read | The German Far-Right’s Subversive Foreign Policy
The German right-wing populist party AfD (Alternative für Deutschland) has been at the centre of countless controversies since its formation in 2013, not least regarding its foreign policy. From AfD…
Op-ed | The enduring relevance of the Far Right ahead of the Dutch National Election on 29th October
Alongside issues such as housing and health care, the key far-right theme of immigration continues to feature high on the political agenda ahead of the Dutch national election on 29th…
Expert Briefing: ‘Central Europe at a time of European and transatlantic challenges’
As war, political instability, and democratic erosion continue to reshape Europe’s trajectory, experts recently gathered in Westminster to examine where Central Europe stands and where it may be heading.…
Download PDF
Networks of Influence: Decoding foreign meddling in Romania’s elections
A collaborative investigation into disinformation campaigns and influence operations. Summary: Călin Georgescu defied all expectations when he emerged as the forerunner after the first round of voting in Romania’s…
Download PDF
An ambiguous future? Russia’s declining material presence and remaining soft power in Serbia
In Western media, Serbia is often presented as a pawn in Vladimir Putin’s confrontation with his US counterparts. However, the real situation is far more complex. While the Russian state…
Ten key takeaways from the European Parliament election for Germany and Europe
Some aspects of Sunday’s European Parliament election results were expected (a victory for the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), declining support for the Greens, some strengthening of the far right),…
Challenges Ahead: How the results of the European Parliamentary elections could shape Europe’s future
This year’s European elections are like no other. The political map of Europe is being redrawn with populist and authoritarian parties expected to gain ground in most member states. As…
Expert Briefing: Priorities for international support to Ukraine, as Russia’s war rages into its third year
In March 2024, the Foreign Policy Centre (FPC), together with the APPG on Ukraine, and with support from the University of Birmingham, convened an off-the-record roundtable meeting in Parliament to…
Download PDF
The challenges facing Malta’s chairpersonship of the OSCE
When Malta was confirmed as the OSCE’s Chairpersonship-in-Office (CiO) at the Skopje Ministerial Council in December 2023, the inter-governmental organisation’s prospects for survival increased.[1] After all, protracted negotiations over the…
Is a Russian veto on leadership about to provoke the downfall of the OSCE?
The survival of the world’s largest regional security organisation—the 57-member Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)—is under threat from Russian ambitions to upend the existing international order.[1] Whether,…
The UK & EU at the G20: What role is there, post Brexit, for the UK in the European community’s engagement with India?
The upcoming G20 meeting serves to highlight the ongoing lack of clarity around the UK’s policy coordination with the European Union (EU) block. The UK’s Integrated Review, published in 2021,…
Germany’s priorities going into the G20 Summit
Germany’s three party coalition of the SPD (the Social Democrats of Chancellor Olaf Scholz), Greens and the Liberal Free Democrats has had a pretty miserable 2023. A poll in mid-August…
Erdoğan’s priorities for Turkey at the G20 Summit
In recent years, Turkey has used G20 meetings as part of its ‘the World is Bigger than Five’ campaign launched by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to criticise the structure of…
How should the West engage with Turkey during Erdoğan’s third Presidential term?
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan won the second round of Turkey's presidential elections, extending his 21-year rule for another five years. Despite the two deadly earthquakes that hit Turkey in February and…
Turkey likely to face political instability post elections
Turkey’s strong man Recep Tayyip Erdoğan faces the biggest elections challenge for the first time over his two-decade rule. Whether Erdoğan wins or loses, Turkey is likely to face political…
Western focus on Navalny risks missing the bigger picture
Russian opposition activist Alexey Navalny’s return to Russia after his poisoning and subsequent jailing has elevated him in the eyes of the Western powers and he has become the number…
Looking ahead to the CDU conference: The changing face of Germany’s centre right
This Friday and Saturday will see the twice-delayed Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) party conference finally take place virtually. On the Saturday a leader to replace Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (colloquially…
Understanding the Romanian Diaspora: A Strategically Important Network
The Political Geography of In-betweenness There is often a complex relationship between Diasporas and their homelands. This issue was previously examined in the first paper of the ‘Understanding the Romanian…
Hungarian opposition takes a crucial step, but still a long way to go for the left
Gergely Karácsony defeated ruling party-backed incumbent István Tarlós in the Budapest mayoral election this Sunday. With 99% of votes counted, Karácsony gained 50.9% of the votes against the 44.1% for…
FPC Briefing: Rethinking ‘Wider Europe’ in Times of Liberal Crisis
Introduction During much of the preceding decade wider Europe’s strategic landscape, from the Atlantic-to-the-Urals, has been marked by two interrelated phenomena. On the one hand, the continent has seen a…
Associate EU Citizenship: A Brief Assessment
Is Brexit just a choice between the Chequers deal or a ‘hard Brexit’? Supporters of ‘associate citizenship’ believe there is not. The proposed associate citizenship would allow individuals to enjoy…
How UK foreign policy benefits from EU membership, and the pitfalls of Brexit
As the UK faces the uncertainty of Brexit, this article examines how its policies towards third countries including enlargement, trade, migration, development and energy policies have been mediated through the…
What Brexiting Britain can learn from Bern
At first sight, EU relations with Switzerland might seem a ‘niche’ topic for a British observer. But in fact current developments are rather important in understanding potential models for the…
FPC Briefing – Assessing successes and shortcomings in the EU’s approach to conflict resolution in the Eastern Partnership region
The next Geneva International Discussions (GID) meeting focused on conflict in Georgia is due to take place on 19-20th June 2018, the 44th round in a process running since 2008…
FPC Briefing-Election Observation in the European Space: The Role of the OSCE/ODIHR, the Council of Europe and EU
As the history of structured and methodologically-based election observation is nearing its twenty-fifth anniversary, it seems that the time is ripe to take stock of the current state of play…
Closing the Door: Executive summary
The expert contributors to this essay collection describe an extremely challenging situation for political and NGO activists, along with other at-risk people from the former Soviet Union (FSU) who are…
Institutionally Blind: The next steps in reforming the Council of Europe and the OSCE
The Council of Europe (CoE) and Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) are two regional bodies that bring together European, post-Soviet (and in the case of the OSCE)…
FPC Briefing: How Investment Treaties have a chilling effect on Human Rights
In this FPC Briefing Sam Fowles argues that human rights are the ultimate arbiter of the relationship between the state and the individual, yet a new generation of trade and…
Download PDF
The Information Battle : Executive Summary
The information battle examines the ways in which the governments of former Soviet Union (FSU) look to shape international narratives about themselves by using media, social media, advertising and supportive…
Europe and the people: After Brexit: Can we build a new democratic foundation for UK-EU relations? panel video
From the FPC's Europe and the people: Examining the EU's democratic legitimacy London Conference on October 26th 2016 the After Brexit: Can we build a new democratic foundation for UK-EU…
FPC Briefing: The EU on human rights- Turning words into action
In this new FPC Briefing by Senior Research Associate Jacqueline Hale examines the EU’s record on promoting human rights, democracy, the rule of law and international justice through its external…
Download PDF
Events in this programme
The Future UK-EU Internal Security Cooperation: will the UK go from a security leader to a norm-taker?
The Aston Centre for Europe and the Foreign Policy Centre are pleased to invite you to their forthcoming policy and outreach seminar on UK-EU internal security cooperation on 19 April. As the United Kingdom prepares to leave the European Union, it is now faced with having to develop new forms of cooperation with its European neighbours to fight ever more transnational security threats. As a country with a key role ...
More info
Speakers
Dr Anita Lavorgna, Lecturer in Criminology, University of Southampton
Dr Camino Mortera-Martinez, Research Fellow, Centre for European Reform
Prof Christian Kaunert, Professor of Policing and Security, University of South Wales
Prof Elaine Fahey, Professor of Law, City University London
Chair: Lord Jay of Ewelme
When
April 19, 2018
6pm- 7.30pm
Where
Lecture Hall, British Academy, 10-11 Carlton House Terrace, St. James, London, SW1Y 5AH
In Defence of Multilateralism
Britain’s place in the world, and its future role internationally are the subject to both great uncertainty and increased scrutiny in the context of the Brexit Debate. Britain’s political class are divided over whether it will further erode and diminish our global influence or whether it will spark a new ‘Global Britain’ approach, enhancing our international prestige and renewing our relationships. It is a debate taking place against the backdrop ...
More info
Speakers
Helen Goodman MP, Shadow Minister for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
Lord Peter Ricketts, Former UK National Security Advisor and Former Permanent Under Secretary at the FCO
Dr Marina Prentoulis, Senior Lecturer at the UEA, National Committee for Another Europe is Possible and FPC Research Fellow
Chair: Steve Bloomfield, Deputy Editor of Prospect Magazine
When
July 9, 2019
6pm-7.30pm
Where
Grimond Room, Portcullis House, London, SW1A 2JR
EU Elections 2024: Expert Debrief and Q&A
The results of the June 2024 European Parliament elections may have far-reaching impacts upon the EU, its neighbourhood and globally, as the Parliament will shape EU policies on topics from the economy and climate to defence. They are also an important barometer of public opinion, with the performance of right-wing, populist parties in particular being closely watched. This webinar, co-organised by the Foreign Policy Centre and Aston University, provided ...
More info
Speakers
Dr Johannes Lindner, Co-Director of the Jacques Delors Centre
Professor Sofia Vasilopoulou, Professor of European Politics at King’s College London
David Harley, Former Deputy Secretary-General of the European Parliament and a Member of FPC’s Advisory Council
Chair: Dr Ed Turner, Aston University and FPC Senior Research Fellow
When
June 20, 2024
13:00-14:00 UK Time | 14:00-15:00 CET
Where
Online discussion.
How to keep Europe safe: Co-operation between the UK, Germany and beyond
This timely event, organised jointly by the Foreign Policy Centre and the Aston Centre for Europe, will bring together three key speakers to consider the security challenges facing the UK and Europe in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the potential opportunities for, and obstacles to, co-operation between the UK, Germany and more widely to address them. Speakers: – Rt Hon John Healey MP: John Healey is Shadow ...
More info
Speakers
Rt Hon John Healey MP
Baroness Catherine Ashton GCMG, PC
Nils Schmid MdB
Moderated by Dr. Ed Turner
When
December 7, 2022
6:00pm-7:30pm (UK time)
Where
Portcullis House, London, SW1A 2JR
Media Under Attack: Transnational repression on the rise in the UK and Europe
As part of World Press Freedom Day 2026, the Foreign Policy Centre (FPC), the Centre for Freedom of the Media (CFOM) at the University of Sheffield, and the Centre for Journalism and Democracy at City St George’s, University of London, with the support of Wiggin, invite you to join the second webinar of the ‘Media Freedom Under Threat’ series. This series brings together leading experts to examine the most ...
More info
Speakers
Basma Mostafa, Egyptian human rights defender living in exile. Director of Programs, Law and Democracy Support Foundation; Co‑Spokesperson, Coalition Against Transnational Repression in Germany.
Emily Patterson, Co-Executive Director of the State Capture Accountability Project.
Siena Anstis, Senior Legal Adviser at The Citizen Lab.
Chaired by Dr Lucia Ardovini, Director of The Richardson Institute, Lancaster University, and FPC Research Fellow.
When
June 22, 2026
12:30 - 13:30 BST