Our third newsletter, covering activities from September 2024 to June 2025, is now live! This edition marks a pivotal phase in the project, with major strides in research, team growth, and global outreach.

1. Scientific output

• First Forecasting Report
  Authored by Alberto Tagliapietra (GMF) and released in February 2025, NAVIGATOR’s first forecasting report explores possible futures for the multilateral system and their implications for the EU. The report outlines three plausible global scenarios by 2030: institutional reform and renewed consensus, increasing bilateral tensions within a fragmented order, and the collapse of multilateralism. In all cases, it stresses the urgency of EU strategic foresight and adaptability.
• Seven Thematic Working Papers
  Also in February 2025, NAVIGATOR published seven working papers analyzing the EU’s engagement across multilateral governance fields, covering security, migration, health, digitalisation, climate action, finance and regional perspectives. These papers offer targeted insights for researchers and policymakers navigating today’s complex governance arenas.
• Launch of the NAVIGATOR Podcast
  

  NAVIGATOR joined Making Sense of EU, the podcast series from the Institute for European Studies at ULB. The series brings cutting-edge research to wider audiences through engaging expert conversations. Released themes so far include: introduction of the project, the methodology, climate diplomacy and the end of international cooperation?.

2. Expanding the team

• NAVIGATOR continues to grow, welcoming three new members who bring fresh expertise and perspectives. Johan Ekstedt (ULB): Postdoctoral fellow specializing in EU asylum policy, third-country resettlement, and return migration; Cristiana Maglia (NUPI): Senior research fellow with a focus on global governance and international organizations, also involved in the ADHOCISM project; and Katrine Westgaard (ECFR): Programme assistant with experience in transatlantic relations and Nordic-Baltic security.

3. Events

• Second Expert Groups Meeting – Berlin
  On 25 March 2025, NAVIGATOR convened its second expert groups meeting, hosted by ECFR under the theme “Europe’s Approach to International Cooperation in a Trumpian World.”
  The event brought together senior experts, academics, and policymakers to discuss the EU’s position in an increasingly transactional world order. The day included a keynote by former German State Secretary Dr. Franziska Brantner and a panel on emerging governance formats.
• Scenario Exercise – Berlin
  The following day, NAVIGATOR ran a scenario-building workshop to explore strategic EU responses to three distinct futures: cooperative, transactional, and fragmented global orders.
  Participants engaged in discussions on how the EU could preserve legitimacy and leadership by embracing flexibility, coalition-building, and informal cooperation.
• Regional Workshop – Johannesburg
  On 5 May 2025, NAVIGATOR held a regional workshop at the University of the Witwatersrand. The event brought forward African perspectives on multilateral reform. Sessions addressed African agency, migration governance, and the future of the G20 and UN Security Council, with a strong emphasis on decolonial and solidarity-based approaches.

Looking ahead, NAVIGATOR will continue its global engagement with two new regional workshops planned in Ottawa (September 2025) and Tokyo (November 2025). Work is also underway on the NAVIGATOR Handbook and a special journal issue.

And mark your calendars! In May 2026, NAVIGATOR will host a conference at the GMF offices in Brussels, gathering consortium partners and external experts to reflect on our findings and chart the way forward.

Stay tuned! And thank you for being part of the NAVIGATOR journey!