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From education, energy security, immigration, and health care to information technology, justice, and security policy, Europe faces myriad challenges in the 21st century. RAND research has long tackled similar problems facing the United States, and for nearly 30 years, RAND Europe has applied its analytical expertise in these areas to public- and private-sector clients throughout Europe.

  • U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and Ukraine's Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov in a Ukraine Defence Contact group meeting in Brussels, Belgium, June 15, 2022, photo by Yves Herman/Pool/Reuters

    Report

    Potential Pathways to Russian Escalation Against NATO

    A Russia-NATO war is far from an inevitable outcome of the current conflict in Ukraine. U.S. and allied policymakers should be concerned with specific pathways and potential triggers, but they need not operate under the assumption that every action will entail acute escalation risks.

    Jul 26, 2022

  • european flags on poles

    Project

    RAND Europe Improves Policy and Decision Making in Europe and Around the World

    RAND Europe is a not-for-profit research institute dedicated to helping improve policy and decision making through research and analysis. With offices in the UK and Belgium, its research portfolio complements RAND's and also includes choice modeling, evaluation, workplace wellbeing, and much more.

    Jul 22, 2021

Explore Europe

  • RAND Weekly Recap

    Blog

    Taiwan, Putin's Holy War, Mining the Moon: RAND Weekly Recap

    This weekly recap focuses on why China likely won't attack Taiwan anytime soon, Vladimir Putin's “holy war” in Ukraine, why it's time to make rules for space-mining, and more.

    Nov 25, 2022

  • A Tupolev Tu-95 aircraft, photo by Fedor Leukhin

    Report

    Russian Military Strategy: Organizing Operations for the Initial Period of War

    The authors of this report identify and examine several factors to assess the orientation of Russian military strategy, including the balance of power, Russian diplomacy with China, views on future war, and trends in force readiness and mobilization.

    Nov 22, 2022

  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visits Kherson, Ukraine, November 14, 2022, photo by Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Reuters

    Commentary

    What's the Harm in Talking to Russia? A Lot, Actually

    Despite the way it is commonly portrayed, diplomacy is not intrinsically and always good, nor is it cost-free. In the Ukraine conflict, the problems with a push for diplomacy are especially apparent. The likely benefits of negotiations are minimal, and the prospective costs could be significant.

    Nov 22, 2022

  • People gather around remains of a military plane at the site where it crashed into a residential building in the city of Irkutsk, Russia, October 23, 2022, photo by Stringer/Reuters

    Commentary

    Russian Aircraft Keep Crashing. Could Sanctions Be the Cause?

    At least six fixed-wing Russian aircraft have crashed over Russian-controlled airspace since September. Sanctions placed on Russia by the West could well be affecting Russia's ability to manufacture and maintain parts needed to keep aircraft safe.

    Nov 22, 2022

  • RAND Weekly Recap

    Blog

    Dementia Rates, Deepfakes, Migrant Students: RAND Weekly Recap

    This weekly recap focuses on the decline of dementia rates among Americans, the dangers of deepfakes, data privacy after the reversal of Roe v. Wade, and more.

    Nov 18, 2022

  • An Orthodox priest conducts a service for Russian reservists during a ceremony of their departure for military bases, in Sevastopol, Crimea, September 27, 2022, photo by Alexey Pavlishak/Reuters

    Commentary

    How Russia's War in Ukraine Has Impacted Its Christian Image

    Over the past decade, the Russian government has taken pains to present itself as a bastion of Christianity and traditional values. Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, however, there have been noticeable cracks in the receptivity to this messaging strategy.

    Nov 16, 2022

  • Journal Article

    Journal Article

    Evaluation of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund: Baseline Report

    This is the final output of second phase of the ISCF evaluation, which is being carried out over three phases and is due to conclude in 2024.

    Nov 15, 2022

  • Journal Article

    Journal Article

    Evaluation of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund: Evaluation Framework Report

    This is the final output of first phase of the ISCF evaluation, the purpose of this report is to set out a detailed evaluation approach, which is being carried out over 3 phases and is due to conclude in 2024.

    Nov 15, 2022

  • Protesters attend a rally against Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Tokyo, Japan, February 24, 2022, photo by Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters

    Multimedia

    The Impact of the War in Ukraine on the Indo-Pacific Region

    Policymakers and scholars discuss the impact of the war in Ukraine on the Indo-Pacific. Presenters examined the conflict from the perspective of Japan and the United States as well as the possible impact it may have on the international order.

    Nov 10, 2022

  • Journal Article

    Journal Article

    Study to Support the Preparation of an Impact Assessment on EU Policy Initiatives Facilitating Cross-Border Law Enforcement Cooperation

    This study aims to provide non-binding, factual and not pre-emptive recommendations for possible additional EU measures in the area of intra-EU law enforcement cooperation and to assess and compare the impacts of identified policy options.

    Nov 10, 2022

  • Illustration of a world map, photos by Kanok-orn/Adobe Stock and j-mel/Adobe Stock

    Report

    Competing for the International System

    The United States should view emerging strategic rivalries with China and Russia in systemic terms. That means maintaining predominant influence over the international system and also taking actions designed to shape system outcomes rather than to achieve case-specific wins.

    Nov 10, 2022

  • Local residents look at parts of an unmanned aerial vehicle after a Russian drone strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, October 17, 2022, photo by Vladyslav Musiienko/Reuters

    Commentary

    'Wonder Weapons' Will Not Win Russia's War

    With its army increasingly in shambles, Russia has turned to attacking Ukraine's civilian infrastructure with Iranian-made drones in an effort to destroy Ukrainians' will to fight. These tactics will inflict pain on the Ukrainian population, but if history is any guide, they will not forestall a Russian defeat.

    Nov 10, 2022

  • Cannabis plants growing on a residential apartment balcony in Saint Julian's, Malta, September 20, 2022 , photo by Vadim Pacajev/Reuters

    Commentary

    Cannabis Legalization in Europe: Planning Ahead

    Since 2012, multiple jurisdictions have changed their laws to legalize the production, possession, and use of cannabis for nonmedical purposes. While most of these changes took place in the Americas, there are signs that the European legal landscape might be changing, too.

    Nov 9, 2022

  • Journal Article

    Journal Article

    Policymaking to Support Resilience in Democratic Countries: An Examination of Sweden, Israel, and Australia

    This article identifies measures that contribute to resilience in democracies. Policymakers in democratic countries should anticipate emerging trends and threats to enhance their resilience in a complex and dangerous security environment.

    Nov 8, 2022

  • Buildings equipped with photovoltaic panels, storage batteries, rainwater and wastewater recovery systems welcomed the first inhabitants in 2020, in Grenoble, France, photo by Joao Luiz Bulcao/Hans Lucas via Reuters

    Commentary

    Green Jobs and Skills Development for Disadvantaged Groups

    Many countries have plans to increase green job opportunities. To make sure that everyone can benefit from this promised green transition, it is important to understand how people with low qualifications, and other marginalised groups, might be able to access green jobs.

    Nov 8, 2022

  • RAND Weekly Recap

    Blog

    Lessons from the Pandemic, Diplomacy in Ukraine, Defending Taiwan: RAND Weekly Recap

    This week, we discuss lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, planning to end the war in Ukraine, reducing deaths in law enforcement custody, and more.

    Nov 4, 2022

  • Russian Army military vehicles drive along a street in Armyansk, Crimea, February 24, 2022, photo by Stringer/Reuters

    Commentary

    Ukraine's Crimea Conundrum

    Ukraine could be prudent to manage expectations about potential Crimea outcomes. Kyiv and its Western partners might benefit from a careful analysis of choices.

    Nov 4, 2022

  • Russian President Putin attends a conference of heads of security and intelligence agencies of the Commonwealth of Independent States member countries remotely in Moscow, Russia, September 29, 2022, photo by Gavriil Grigorov/Sputnik via Reuters

    Commentary

    Nuclear Weapons and Putin's 'Holy War'

    Russia's nuclear saber-rattling has shifted the stakes of the war in Ukraine. But enabling Russia's blackmail doesn't prevent the catastrophic costs of nuclear escalation. It merely shifts those costs away from Russia and into the future, inviting other nuclear states to pull the same move for their conquests.

    Nov 2, 2022

  • Firefighters work to put out a fire in a residential building destroyed by a Russian drone strike in Kyiv, October 17, 2022, photo by Gleb Garanich/Reuters

    Commentary

    Planning Now for a Negotiated Outcome in Ukraine

    The United States should consider keeping open lines of communication with Russia. While it may not lead to peace in Ukraine any time soon, it could help mitigate the risks of dramatic escalation and indefinite war.

    Oct 28, 2022

  • CM-11 tanks fire artillery during a live-fire drill, in Pingtung county, Taiwan, September 7, 2022, photo by Ceng Shou Yi/Reuters

    Commentary

    Ukraine's Dream Could Be Taiwan's Nightmare

    Defenders of territorial sovereignty and a peaceful world order may be cheered by Ukraine's success, but there is danger that success could decrease the urgency of efforts to strengthen Taiwan. China will seek to learn from the problems Russia has had in Ukraine. Will the U.S. and other supporters of Taiwan do the same?

    Oct 28, 2022

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