Is 2024 Europe's hard power moment?

Europe’s Choice: Is 2024 Europe’s moment of reinvention?
The results of the European elections, and the subsequent French parliamentary election, are sending shockwaves across the continent. It comes on top of a series of geopolitical turbulences which have upended conventional wisdom across capitals on defence/security, trade, green tech, and enlargement. In this context, how can Europe retool to become a hard power in a world of deterrence and derisking? How can we best defend Ukraine, and stabilize the Middle East? How can we strategically manage interdependence, reduce risks, and forge new relationships with middle powers like those in Asia, Africa, and Latin America? Can we make 2024 the year of Europe’s reinvention? Will Europe’s fate be decided by Putin, Xi Jinping, or Trump, or can Europeans take their destiny into their own hands in 2024?
Coming together the week where France and the UK go to the polls, and between the EU’s top jobs being decided and NATO’s Washington summit, this year’s ECFR Annual Council Meeting will seek to set Europe’s new strategic course in 2024 and beyond.