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.
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.
This essay revisits liberalism, between heritage and criticism, to defend its relevance today. Faced with democratic crises, it calls for a French-style renewal, reconciling liberty, equality, and fraternity in a spirit of responsibility and pluralism.
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.
Digital infrastructures are crucial to French sovereignty and competitiveness, in the face of American and Chinese domination. Institut Montaigne proposes 9 strategic recommendations for structuring cloud, 5G and data processing, focusing on energy, talent and targeted funding.
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 will transform American industrial policy. In this paper, Georgina Wright analyzes the impact on Europe in terms of reindustrialization and competitiveness and lays out some possible evolutions of the IRA framework under the second Trump administration, and offers ideas for Europe.
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.