Dunkirk embodies France's industrial revival: a strategic region where decarbonisation, reindustrialisation and public-private investment come together. This report by the Institut Montaigne identifies the conditions that have enabled this momentum and proposes 10 concrete recommendations to sustainably strengthen national and European industrial ambition.
The Chips Diplomacy Support Initiative (CHIPDIPLO) is an 18-month project led by the Institut Montaigne and co-funded by the European Commission. It aims to strengthen Europe's semiconductor strategy in the face of geopolitical tensions. Its objectives are to anticipate industrial risks, coordinate member states' policies and develop international partnerships. The consortium brings together experts, industrialists and researchers to analyze the challenges and provide recommendations to the EU. CHIPDIPLO supports the EU Chips Act and promotes Europe's attractiveness for innovation and investment.
Europe stands at a critical turning point in its clean-energy transition. Its dependence on Chinese-controlled value chains for batteries, solar, wind and other core technologies threatens long-term competitiveness and industrial sovereignty. This paper argues that market access should require strong local value chains through EU-majority joint ventures and tailored local content rules. It identifies gaps in the EU framework and presents concrete recommendations and a 2026–2035 roadmap to secure Europe’s technological autonomy.
Europe’s semiconductor supply chains face rising geopolitical risks, from Chinese pressure to U.S. export threats and East Asian conflict scenarios. This policy paper argues Europe must choose between autonomy and indispensability. Full autonomy is unrealistic; pure dependence is dangerous. The authors conclude that Europe’s best path is “Allied Autonomy, European Indispensability”: securing strategic choke points, embedding them in trusted partnerships, and strengthening resilience through targeted policy actions.
Russian drone incursions and cyber attacks in 2025 threaten Europe. This note analyses the risk of Russian escalation, the impact of American disengagement, and possible responses from NATO and the EU to secure the Baltic states.
Amid US-China rivalry and Russia’s war, Europe’s semiconductor sector faces uncertainty beyond Wassenaar. CHIPDIPLO outlines four scenarios to 2029, guiding EU strategies for tech transfer and competitiveness.
The EU is aiming for carbon neutrality by 2050, but remains dependent on critical materials dominated by China. This note explores the geopolitical challenges and the levers for sustainable European industrial sovereignty.
Faced with the US trade offensive, China is resisting by rapidly diversifying its markets and moving upmarket in key sectors. Its dependence on exports remains a risk, underlining the importance of a united and strengthened European response.
Faced with techno-nationalism and Sino-American rivalry, Europe must strengthen its economic autonomy. The Trade and Technology Council's achievements and limitations highlight the urgent need for a more coherent, autonomous and diversified European economic foreign policy.
A challenge for competitiveness and economic dynamism, both nationally and in Europe, discover our 2024 barometer of production taxes.
Despite India's robust economic growth—8.4% in the last quarter of 2023—the economic relationship between Europe and India remains underwhelming. How can France and Europe fully capitalize on the "Indian moment" that is shaping the 21st century?
Xi Jinping’s era is marked by centralized power and surveillance, with China aiming for “socialist modernization” by 2035. While pursuing tech self-sufficiency and national security, challenges like demographic decline and economic strain persist. Taiwan's "reunification" and a zero-sum trade approach drive tensions. Four scenarios for China’s future emerge: dominance with minimal foreign pushback, fragmented resistance preserving balance, a unified global challenge, or a major conflict over Taiwan reshaping global power dynamics. Global unity will be crucial to influence China’s trajectory by 2035.
2024 broke all previous records for the holding of elections worldwide. More than 60 countries were called to the polls, including the United States, France, Great Britain, Taiwan, India, Russia and Turkey. What is the state of democracy at the start of 2025? What initial conclusions can be drawn from the various polls? Could this, the most democratic year in recent history, also be the year of its great deconsolidation?
Extraterritoriality is on the increase, particularly in China. Under Xi Jinping, China uses this practice to defend itself against external interference, legitimise its foreign policy and extend its security agenda. Although it is exploring a more offensive approach, its use will depend on the strategic calculations of China's leaders, particularly in the face of international tensions. The European Union must be prepared to respond, in particular by using access to the European market as a deterrent.