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Writer: Sir Julian King

Insights

15 Jun, 2026

Caught in the middle: Europe faces a high-stakes sequence of summits 

Europe enters a dense sequence of summits over the next few weeks, including the G7, European Council, NATO summit and potentially an EU-UK summit, against a backdrop of mounting geopolitical and economic pressure. Managing relations with an increasingly embattled President Trump will be a recurring theme as tensions continue to simmer over Ukraine, Iran, trade, […]
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16 Jun, 2025

High-risk international summits ahead

Political backdrop Several key themes form the backdrop to this intense diplomatic sequence. On Ukraine, the focus has shifted decisively back to the military track following the unsuccessful US attempt at negotiating a ceasefire. Tensions remain high in the Middle East. An Iran-Israel escalation is a major risk following Israel’s unprecedented strikes against Iran’s nuclear […]
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19 May, 2023

G7 summit: the challenges to Western unity 

The G7 Leaders’ Summit is taking place on 19 – 21 May in Hiroshima, Japan. Economic security and combating economic coercion will be the dominant themes, driven by the US as they push allies to curb dependencies on China.   Opposition to Russia and support for Ukraine will be the other main theme. Leaders will discuss a […]
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16 Feb, 2023

Flint Briefing Call: What does 2023 hold for Ukraine?

Managing Partner Simon Fraser is joined by guest speaker Sir Lawrence Freedman (Emeritus Professor of War Studies, King's College London) alongside Flint Specialist Partner Sir Julian King (UK EU Commissioner 2016-19) and Partner Sam Lowe (expert in UK and EU trade policy) to take stock of where things stand and discuss how the conflict in Ukraine may evolve in its second year. You […]
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27 Jan, 2023

Geopolitics in 2023: a transition year 

2023 looks set to be a transition year for geopolitics. Developments this year will shape the political debate ahead of major electoral events in 2024: the US, Russia, Ukraine and Taiwan will face presidential elections, the UK will in all likelihood hold a General Election, and the EU will hold the European parliament elections. 2023 […]
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10 May, 2022

Beyond the Northern Ireland Assembly elections

The Irish nationalist party Sinn Fein emerged as the largest party, while the DUP came second on their anti-Protocol platform. However, there is no majority for either Irish unification nor for scrapping the Northern Irish Protocol. Following confirmation of their position as the largest party after the Northern Irish elections last week, Sinn Fein have […]
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26 Feb, 2022

The Flint Podcast - Ukraine: war and sanctions - the implications for business

 Our latest podcast is out! The situation in Ukraine is unfolding rapidly. Listen to Simon Fraser, Julian King, Gregor Kreuzhuber and Sam Lowe discuss what the implications of the war and sanctions will be for business: The Flint Podcast.
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22 Feb, 2022

EU Chips Act: can it work? 

The global chip shortage is disrupting a wide range of business sectors and has raised concerns about Europe’s dependency on a few manufacturing sites located outside the EU’s borders, mostly in Asia. The European Chips Act, unveiled by the European Commission earlier in February, aims to mitigate such geopolitical risk and secure the EU’s technological […]
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11 Feb, 2022

The Flint Podcast - A fracturing world? Geopolitics in 2022

We enter 2022 amid great international uncertainty. Covid may be in retreat in the developed world, but not across the globe. High debt and inflation will make delivering on climate promises hard. Serious political and military tension has flared between Russia and the West over Ukraine. The China/US standoff persists. America is divided and Biden […]
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08 Feb, 2022

Flint Opinions: The challenges for UK business in 2022

2022 is already bringing new challenges for the UK– acute political and economic uncertainty at home and abroad, turbulence in government, inflation and tax rises, Covid and its aftermath, disrupted supply chains and new regulatory frameworks.   We asked Flint’s Specialist Partners to give us their take, from their different perspectives, on what the year has […]
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02 Jul, 2021

Will Macron Recover?

Less than a year before the Presidential elections in April and May 2022, French people decided in votes on 20 and 27 June who will run their Regions and Departments. Although the Departments (the equivalent of English counties) lost most of their powers in 2014 reforms, the Regions (12 in mainland France, plus Corsica and […]
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12 Feb, 2021

EU Strategic Autonomy: what is it, and why should we care?

There’s been a good deal of talk lately about EU Strategic Autonomy, in trade, tech, data and, indeed, vaccines. If anything, Biden’s arrival raised new questions. What is all the fuss about?  Strategic Autonomy isn’t a new idea; the EU has been talking about it for seven or eight years. Initially, the focus was on security and defence: how could the EU become a better partner through developing […]
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News and media

21 Mar, 2025

Sir Julian King, published a article for the Centre for European Reform

Flint Specialist Partner and former EU Commissioner for Security, Sir Julian King, has published a new piece for the Centre for European Reform arguing in favour of deepening EU-UK ties on trade, defence and security.
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06 Mar, 2023

Julian King appears on Politico's EU Confidential podcast

Specialist Partner Julian King joined Politico's EU Confidential podcast to discuss the latest on Brexit and where to next for the EU-UK relationship.
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27 Apr, 2022

Julian King on BBC Today

Discussing the French election result and what this means for the European Union and the relationship between France and the UK.
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27 Apr, 2022

Julian King on LBC's Tonight with Andrew Marr

Discussing the Ukraine crisis and the results of the French presedential elections.
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15 Mar, 2022

Julian King and Thomas Matussek on BBCRadio 4

Listen to Specialist Partner Julian King and Senior Adviser Thomas Matussek discussing European and German security/defence policy. @BBCr4today
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14 May, 2021

Sir Julian King shares his views on joining Flint and the experience he brings to the role as a Flint Senior Adviser

Sir Julian King was the UK’s EU Commissioner 2016-19, responsible for EU policy on security, cyber and important aspects of tech and data. He was previously UK Ambassador to Paris and Dublin, headed the Northern Ireland Office, and has 30 years of experience working on international and multilateral issues in the UK, the US and […]
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Podcast

22 Jan, 2026

Greenland, the US and the EU: What to expect from 2026

The EU enters 2026 under sustained external and internal strain. As it readies its response to Donald Trump’s latest tariff threats, growing US pressure over Greenland risks escalating into the deepest transatlantic crisis in decades. One year into Ursula von der Leyen’s second term, the EU will also need to calibrate its increasing focus on […]
25 Feb, 2025

The German election

In this podcast, our experts assess the results of the German federal elections held on Sunday, 23 February. The new government faces considerable domestic headwinds, with a challenging economic outlook, waning international competitiveness, and significant investment needed to stimulate growth. Our experts discuss how the new government might tackle these challenges and the outlook for the business […]
19 Sep, 2024

The new European Commission

In this podcast, Flint experts explore the structure and policy direction of the new European Commission unveiled by President Ursula von der Leyen.  Our experts discuss what the new allocation of portfolios reveals about the EU’s balance of power, internal dynamics and political priorities for the upcoming mandate, in the wake of Mario Draghi’s recently published […]
18 Jul, 2024

The French election results: Implications for France, the EU and business

The second round of the French snap parliamentary elections took place over the weekend with surprising results. Over the coming days, the final count will probably raise more questions than answers. French politics will now likely change dramatically, with implications well beyond France’s borders.    In the Flint podcast, our experts explore these implications and […]
28 May, 2024

Can the EU meet its new geopolitical ambitions?

As part of our coverage of the EU’s 2024 transition, this episode will discuss the EU’s external actions in an increasingly fragmented geopolitical environment. In recent years, the war in Ukraine, global supply chain disruptions and growing trade tensions with both China and the US have profoundly shaken the EU’s belief in a multilateral, rules-based international […]
23 May, 2024

Ukraine – a further deterioration?

Russian forces are on the offensive again. Putin has made significant changes to his defence and security team and is strengthening Russia’s relationship with China.   In the West, US support has resumed after months of delays, but upcoming US and EU elections mean that long-term support will remain a challenge. Switzerland will host a […]
25 Apr, 2024

EU 2024 series: EU and UK Energy policy - elections, priorities and challenges

As part of our coverage of the EU’s 2024 transition, our latest episode features Flint experts discussing energy priorities and challenges, in the context of the upcoming elections in the EU and the UK.   The European single market withstood an unprecedented energy crisis after Russia invaded Ukraine. While some parts of the Green Deal have […]
01 Mar, 2024

Are we losing in Ukraine?

In this podcast, our experts discuss the prospects ahead in 2024 as the military position of Ukraine worsens and the challenges to European security grow starker.  We examine the situation on the ground, the military and political drivers of the conflict in 2024, how Western support will be affected by the US and EU elections […]
26 Jan, 2024

EU 2024 series: what are the main political scenarios?

The second episode of the EU 2024 series, sheds light on the political and policy dynamics that shape the EU’s political transition ahead of the election. Our experts discuss the main scenarios that can be anticipated for the next European Parliament, Commission and Council – and how these could impact business. Listen to the first […]
14 Jul, 2023

#1: The NATO Summit and the Future of European Security

In our first episode, we discuss the outcomes of the NATO summit that was held on 11 and 12 July in Vilnius, Lithuania. Flint Director and former French diplomat Francois-Joseph Schichan hosts the discussion between this month’s guests: 
29 Jun, 2023

Russia/Ukraine - what next after Prigozhin’s rebellion

In this podcast, Partner Kiran Horwich is joined by Flint experts Specialist Partner Sir Julian King (former British EU Commissioner and Ambassador to France), Senior Adviser Bruno Maçães (former Portuguese minister for European affairs) and Partner Alex White (Head of Flint’s Markets and Investors practice) to examine the situation in Russia following the events of the past few days. They […]
16 Feb, 2023

What does 2023 hold for Ukraine?

Managing Partner Simon Fraser is joined by guest speaker Sir Lawrence Freedman (Emeritus Professor of War Studies, King's College London) alongside Flint Specialist Partner Sir Julian King (UK EU Commissioner 2016-19) and Partner Sam Lowe (expert in UK and EU trade policy) to take stock of where things stand and discuss how the conflict in Ukraine may evolve in its second year. You […]
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