This workshop brings together researchers from leading EU institutions to examine the evolving relationship between business and the state amid Europe’s geopolitical turning point (Zeitenwende). Against the backdrop of geoeconomic fragmentation, energy insecurity, and democratic strain, the EU is shifting from market liberalism towards state-coordinated strategic autonomy. Russia’s war against Ukraine has accelerated this process, turning EU enlargement — encompassing Ukraine, Moldova, and the Western Balkans — into a tool of geoeconomic statecraft. The workshop examines firms not as passive rule-takers but as strategic actors that actively shape regulation, supply chains, and public–private partnerships. Key themes include corporate agency, economic security governance, democratic resilience, and regional development. The outcomes will inform a special journal issue and policy briefs offering practical guidance for decision-makers navigating Europe’s new economic order.
Further information will follow shortly.