First Glances
Lively short-form insights
First Glances provide quick, column-length reactions to new policy developments and announcements. In some cases, they distil the essence of a research paper published in parallel.
Recent First Glances
Jilted by Iceland – but Wider Europe is forming through new cooperation structures around the EU
Iceland’s rejection of EU membership talks should be seen against a backdrop of new methods of deeper collaboration, especially on security
China’s Arctic Silk Road is now a reality
While China flexes its economic muscle in partnership with Russia, the United States struggles to realise its own Arctic shipping options
The billionaire paradox
The EU should ask what it wants from globally influential tech magnates, not just how to curb them
Extending CBAM to downstream products risks undermining its credibility as a climate policy tool
The current proposals to extend CBAM's coverage are more about trade protection than stopping carbon leakage
How much has the Russian budget gained from Iran-war related higher oil prices?
Russia has gained some fiscal headroom from higher oil prices, though not enough to fully offset budgetary difficulties from the Ukraine war
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First glance items
First Glance
31 August 2026
Jilted by Iceland – but Wider Europe is forming through new cooperation structures around the EU
Iceland’s rejection of EU membership talks should be seen against a backdrop of new methods of deeper collaboration, especially on security
First Glance
24 August 2026
China’s Arctic Silk Road is now a reality
While China flexes its economic muscle in partnership with Russia, the United States struggles to realise its own Arctic shipping options
First Glance
20 August 2026
The billionaire paradox
The EU should ask what it wants from globally influential tech magnates, not just how to curb them
First Glance
17 July 2026
Extending CBAM to downstream products risks undermining its credibility as a climate policy tool
The current proposals to extend CBAM's coverage are more about trade protection than stopping carbon leakage
First Glance
08 July 2026
How much has the Russian budget gained from Iran-war related higher oil prices?
Russia has gained some fiscal headroom from higher oil prices, though not enough to fully offset budgetary difficulties from the Ukraine war
First Glance
07 July 2026
German pension reform: first steps along a difficult path
Despite agreement in principle on pension reform in Germany, the country still lags some EU countries in the big decisions on system sustainability
First Glance
06 July 2026
Europe’s rearmament problem is demand, not ‘help to buy’
A proposed bank to finance defence spending does not seem designed to fix more fundamental fragmentation problems, and may even reinforce them
First Glance
18 June 2026
Europe and its allies must plan to offset the AI dependency risk
A sudden suspension of Anthropic’s most powerful models for non-Americans previews a world in which access to AI can be abruptly cut
First Glance
16 June 2026
The energy shock for which there is no playbook
The US-Iran conflict may be ending but coping with its inflation and fiscal consequences will be challenging for months ahead
First Glance
15 June 2026
The UK is still not ready for real rapprochement with the European Union
The EU-UK relationship remains difficult and the idea of UK participation in the EU single market for goods shows the UK still wants to cherry pick
First Glance
11 June 2026
To achieve tech sovereignty, Europe must not mimic its rivals
To cut its dependence on US and Chinese tech, Europe is copying their protectionism: raising costs, inviting retaliation and missing the real fix
First Glance
09 June 2026
The European Commission’s recommitment to better regulation is yet to be proven
The latest plan from the Commission fails to instil confidence in its commitment to better regulation
First Glance
09 June 2026
Macron and Merz need to tackle the veto to really unlock EU enlargement
A Franco-German plan to ease EU candidates into the single market should be accompanied by a reduction in the veto rights of current members
First Glance
04 June 2026
How trade constraints and confusion imperil FDI
Trade restrictions and uncertainty hurt foreign direct investment more than previously thought, showing the value of predictability in trade policy
First Glance
03 June 2026
German rearmament under the spotlight
Germany’s rearmament effort is laying bare its structural weaknesses in strategic, technological and operational modernisation
First Glance
01 June 2026
Green bonds are easier to trade than often assumed
A quantitative analysis shows green bond markets are liquid and resilient; certification and project selection are big factors in their attractiveness