All Publications
Briefs, papers, field notes and magazine articles from across the EPIS network.
Champions, Competition and the New EU Merger Rules
On 30 April 2026, the European Commission published Draft Merger Guidelines that will reshape EU merger control. This paper examines what the reform changes for companies, from the new theory of benefit and the Innovation Shield to the role of scale and resilience. It argues that the draft gives …
Mecca Joint Defence Agreement and the New Middle East
Mecca Joint Defence Agreement between Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan reflects profound shifts in regional power balances.
How US Platform Dominance Shapes the Competitiveness of Europe’s Creative Industries?
This paper examines how the dominance of US digital platforms shapes the competitiveness of Europe’s creative industries. It explores how platformisation creates opportunities for market expansion and innovation while also generating challenges related to dependency, value capture, and the scalin…
Your Data, Their Jurisdiction: The EU’s E-Evidence Revolution
This article examines whether the EU’s e-evidence package has finally solved the cross-border evidence problem or relocated it from diplomatic exchange to corporate compliance, with fundamental rights caught in between.
Why America’s Data Centres are Becoming Defence Infrastructure
As modern warfare increasingly targets dual-use digital and energy infrastructure—exemplified by recent strikes on Amazon Web Services data centres in the Middle East—the intersection of commercial artificial intelligence and national security faces unprecedented challenges. This brief examines h…
From Resource Wealth to Political Power: Kazakhstan’s Authoritarian Resilience
The case of Kazakhstan illustrates that resource wealth may contribute to the persistence of authoritarian governance without being a sufficient cause of it. Oil revenues strengthened the economic position of the state and ruling elites, while facilitating rent-seeking and patronage. However, the…
Buy Together, Build Together, Defend Alone? The Reality of EU Defence
Despite EU targets for joint defence procrument, only 18% of spennding is collaborative, and three-quarters goes outside the Union.
Unanimity Rule: A Tool for EU Equity or a Recipe for Policy Paralysis?
In light of recent events, the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia has shed light on cracks within EU foreign and security policy, posing decisional and strategic implementation challenges, each of which determines the EU’s long-term goals. One such challenge is the “EU unanimity rule.”
When Foreign Peacekeeping Contests Sovereignty: Cambodia and UNTAC
Despite the positive intention of UNTAC, its extensive range of authorisation can also be interpreted as an international interference over Cambodia’s domestic affairs under the Westphalia understanding of sovereignty.
Two roads to power: comparing China’s and India’s Defence Policies
Examining how political ideology and statecraft shape military preparedness, this brief compares the defence-industrial policies of China and India in the Indo-Pacific. It analyzes how China’s state-directed Military-Civil Fusion contrasts with India’s pursuit of “strategic autonomy” and indigeno…
The World Cup, the Institution and the Ghosts of Blanqueamiento
Following high-profile incidents of racism during the 2026 World Cup and the state-level dissolution of anti-discrimination protections under Javier Milei, this briefing explores the deep ties between everyday xenophobia and institutional retrenchment in Argentina. It argues that both registers r…
The Strategic Folly of Seoul’s Nuclear Hedging Strategy
Amid growing domestic debate and high public support for nuclear armament, this brief examines why an independent nuclear weapons program is a dangerous miscalculation for South Korea. It analyzes how the U.S.–ROK Nuclear Consultative Group provides robust extended deterrence, while demonstrating…
The Fight to Inherit Yugoslavia: State Succession and Continuity
“A state cannot simply declare itself the continuation of its predecessor and expect the world to agree.”
The Digital Markets Act and the impact on Small and Medium Enterprises
The Digital Markets Act aims to make digital markets fairer and more contestable. This report analyses its impact on the European SMEs’ ecosystem, showing its double-edged effect: new opportunities for competition and autonomy, but also higher compliance costs and efficiency losses.
Sanctions Without Borders? EU Anti-Circumvention and Liability
Analyzing Articles 8a, 12g, and 12gb of EU Regulation 833/2014, this brief examines how the European Union enforces anti-circumvention measures on operators without exceeding its jurisdictional limits. It explores the doctrinal tensions between EU obligations and third-country independence, legal…
One Year of TRIPP: Geopolitical and Strategic Implications
Marking one year since the historic Washington summit, this brief examines the progress and strategic implications of the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP). It analyzes how the project connects Armenian-Azerbaijani normalization with broader Eurasian connectivity, while w…
Navigating the Green Transition as a Multifaceted Arena
The green transition is frequently framed as a singular environmental challenge, yet it operates as a deeply multifaceted arena where economic restructuring, geopolitical competition, and social equity intersect. This brief examines how climate action is complicated by competing national interest…
In Hot Water: Europe’s Droughts Threaten Energy and Trade
Amid severe European heatwaves and record-low river levels in summer 2026, critical energy infrastructure—including nuclear plants in Romania and Hungary—has been forced to slash production or shut down entirely. This brief examines how water scarcity poses an urgent, cross-sectoral threat to Eur…
FSR Investigative Powers and Procedural Rights: Lessons from Nuctech
Examines whether the Nuctech order gives foreign undertakings adequate procedural safeguards under the EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation, or instead prioritises Commission investigative discretion.
Counterterrorism in the SCO and the emergence of a Central Asian Security complex
Examining counterterrorism cooperation within the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), this brief evaluates whether Central Asia has transitioned from a Russian-dominated subcomplex into an autonomous Regional Security Complex (RSC). It argues that shared internal security challenges and regi…