ECIPE Webinar: Europe’s Frontier Countries as the EU’s Geopolitical Test

Europe’s frontier regions are no longer a buffer but a real-time stress-test of the EU’s ability to translate geopolitical ambition into credible action. The EU’s direct neighbourhood is a place where power is contested, deterrence is measured, and Europe’s ability to act under pressure is exposed.

This webinar will present the main findings of the new ECIPE Policy Brief titled Europe’s Frontier Countries: The EU’s Geopolitical Test. The discussion will examine how developments from Ukraine to the Western Balkans and the Black Sea form a connected strategic space, and what this reveals about the EU’s geopolitical posture in a rapidly changing environment. Europe’s frontier regions should be understood as one strategic continuum, rather than separate policy challenges.

Where does the EU’s current approach fall short, including fragmentation, slow response and the gap between ambition and operational readiness? What is the role of recent external shocks, including the war involving Iran and the resulting instability across the Gulf? And what does this mean for Europe’s preparedness to respond to crises beyond its immediate neighbourhood?