Researching the issues shaping transatlantic affairs

MATA is an academic and policy community spanning the College of Europe and The Fletcher School at Tufts University.

Faculty, students and alumni contribute to debates on diplomacy, security, trade, political economy, technology, climate, energy, democracy and relations between Europe, the United States and the wider world. Their work includes academic publications, policy analysis, conference papers, podcasts and practitioner-oriented research.

Explore recent work from the MATA community below.

Faculty Research & Publications

MATA faculty combine academic research with experience in policymaking, diplomacy, international organisations, think tanks and the private sector. Their publications examine both long-term developments in transatlantic relations and emerging policy challenges.

_{(Photo) MATA Director Michele Chang presenting her research at the EU Council Library.}

Selected faculty publications and activities:

Michele Chang	Antonio Tintoré Vicent	Antonia Wunnerlich
Might bigger be better? How European Union  competition policy became geopolitical. Journal of European Public Policy 33(8), 2284-2308	Spain’s China Bet: Engagement in Search of a European Framework Trustee China Hand, Center for Strategic and International Studies, 7 May 2026	Trade Explainer: EU–CPTPP Cooperation and the Search for New Coalitions German Marshall Fund of the United States, 8 April 2026

_{(Photo) Marie Ketterlin presenting her research at the European Consortium for Political Research’s biennial conference in Catania}

2026 publications

Michele Chang

• Might bigger be better? How European Union competition policy became geopolitical. Journal of European Public Policy 33(8), 2284-2308 [Read the publication]

Ian Lesser

• Beyond Burden-Sharing: What the Atlantic Alliance is Really Arguing About. Policy Podcast, eu!radio. [Listen]

2025 publications

Michele Chang

• “Global Europe, Global Euro: Why Europe Needs a Safe Asset,” in What Future for Europe’s Partnership with the United States?, European Council Experts’ Debrief XV, July 2025. [Read the publication]
• "The Letta and Draghi Reports: Economic Efficiency Versus Political Exigency." JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies 63(1): 131-137. [Read the publication]       

Marie Ketterlin

• “The EU’s Middle East Policy and the Transatlantic Cooperation Limbo,” in What Future for Europe’s Partnership with the United States? European Council Experts’ Debrief XV, July 2025. [Read the publication ]

Marie Ketterlin and Ian Lesser

• “Navigating Inertia: A Transatlantic Perspective on the EU’s Response to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, 2022–2025.” Paper prepared for the European Union Studies Association biennial conference, Philadelphia, May 2025. 

Ian Lesser

• "Far From Disengagement: The U.S. and the Mediterranean Today" Policy Center for the New South [Read the publication]

2024 publications

Ian Lesser

• "The Renaissance of Economic Warfare" Policy Center for the New South [Read the publication]

2023 publications

Benedetta Berti

• From cooperation to competition: Localization, militarization and rebel co-governance arrangements in Syria, Studies in Conflict & Terrorism 46 (2), 209-227 [Read the publication]

Michele Chang

• "Reindustrialising Europe: synergies of the Single Market." Elcano Royal Institute ARI 66/2023(17 July). [Read the publication]

Publications by MATA Students & Alumni

From MATA to public debate

MATA students and alumni publish analysis through leading think tanks, foundations and policy organisations on both sides of the Atlantic.

The publications below reflect the authors’ individual work and viewpoints. Inclusion does not imply endorsement by the College of Europe, The Fletcher School or the MATA programme.

Some publications were produced during a MATA internship or subsequent professional role; others reflect independent academic or policy work.

2026 publications

Pau Alvarez Aragones, MATA 2024

• Soberanía tecnológica europea en tiempos de fricción transatlántica. Spain Public Policy Network, 6 February 2026 [Read the publication] 

Nicolas Fernandez de Bobadilla Albert

• Associated in Adversity: the challenges of Canada’s EU membership. Agenda publica, &! September [Read the publication] 

Julia Salabert, MATA 2025

• The UK Faces a Dilemma over Potential Troop Deployments to Ukraine. France Can Help.  With Jason C. Moyer.  Atlantic Council, 15 May 2026. [Read the publication] 
• Dispatch from Vilnius: Warfare Is Evolving Rapidly. Here’s How NATO Can Keep Up With David Julazadeh. Atlantic Council, 10 April 2026.  [Read the publication]

• NATO Defense Spending Tracker: How Are Allies Contributing to Collective Defense? With Kristen Taylor and Zak Schneider. Atlantic Council. Last updated April 9, 2026. [Read the publication]

• Europe Needs a 21st-Century Containment Strategy toward Russia With Vytautas Leškevičius. Atlantic Council, 30 March 2026. [Read the publication]

• To Adapt to Today’s Security Threats, NATO Should Prioritize the Basics of Defense Innovation. With Kristen Taylor. Atlantic Council, 21 January 2026. [Read the publication] 

Antonio Tintoré Vicent, MATA 2026

• Spain’s China Bet: Engagement in Search of a European Framework, Trustee China Hand, Center for Strategic and International Studies, 7 May 2026. [Read the publication] 
• Industrial Policy Without Illusions: What China’s EV Boom and Aviation Struggles Really Tell Us, Trustee China Hand, Center for Strategic and International Studies, 11 March 2026. [Read the publication]

Antonia Wunnerlich, MATA 2025

• Cybersecurity Explainer: US and EU Strategy and Policy With Julia Tréhu. German Marshall Fund of the United States, 16 June 2026. [Read the publication] 
• The Evolving Arctic Economy With Penny Naas. German Marshall Fund of the United States, 29 April 2026. [Read the publication]

• Trade Explainer: EU–CPTPP Cooperation and the Search for New Coalitions German Marshall Fund of the United States, 8 April 2026. [Read the publication]

• The EU’s Industrial Accelerator Act Puts Pedal to the Metal With Eamon Drumm. German Marshall Fund of the United States, 19 March 2026. [Read the publication]

• The EU’s Anti-Coercion Instrument With Georgina Wright. German Marshall Fund of the United States, 3 February 2026. [Read the publication]

2025 publications

Pau Alvarez Aragones, MATA 2024

• Exclusividad estratégica: el auge del plurilateralismo en un orden económico fragmentado. CIDOB, November 2025 [Read the publication]
• DPI as a Path Forward for Multilateralism and Public Value Plurall cc, 28 May 2025 [Read the publication]

Julia Salabert, MATA 2025

• “The 5% Defense Spending Pledge: Towards a Shift in Transatlantic Power Dynamics.” Opérationnels, 4 November 2025 [Read the publication]
• Space Security: Is the Golden Dome Fit for Earth’s Strategic Stability? Astropolitics, Bertelsmann Foundation North America, 24 July 2025. [Read the publication]
• Striking A(I) Balance With Chloe Ladd. Bertelsmann Foundation North America, 24 March 2025. [Read the publication]

Antonio Tintoré Vicent, MATA 2026

• Reforming the International Order: An Opportunity for Europe CIDOB—Barcelona Centre for International Affairs, October 2025. [Read the publication]

Antonia Wunnerlich, MATA 2025

• Trade Explainer: EU–CPTPP Cooperation and the Search for New Coalitions German Marshall Fund of the United States, 8 April 2026. [Read the publication]

• The EU’s Industrial Accelerator Act Puts Pedal to the Metal With Eamon Drumm. German Marshall Fund of the United States, 19 March 2026. [Read the publication]

• The EU’s Anti-Coercion Instrument With Georgina Wright. German Marshall Fund of the United States, 3 February 2026. [Read the publication]

2024 Publications

Pau Alvarez Aragones, MATA 2024

• The New Arms Race in Dual-Use Technologies IE University Insights, 2 September [Read the publication]
• NATO and Economic Security: A Political Oxymoron or Inevitability? With Emily Benson, CSIS, 15 May 2024 [Read the publication]

• Evaluating Chip Overcapacity and the Transatlantic Trade Tool Kit With Emily Benson and Catharine Mouradian, CSIS, 5 April 2024 [Read the publication]

•  Previewing the Italian G7 Presidency With Emily Benson and Catharine Mouradian, CSIS, 20 February 2024 [Read the publication]

• The European Union’s Economic Security Strategy Update With Emily Benson and Federico Steinberg. CSIS, 26 January 2024 [Read the publication]

2023 Publications

Pau Alvarez Aragones, MATA 2024

• The geopolitics of Generative AI: international implications and the role of the European Union With Raquel Jorge Ricart, Royal Institute Elcano, 27 November 2023 [Read the publication]

Navigating the Atlantic

Navigating the Atlantic brings together researchers and practitioners to discuss the political, economic and security questions shaping relations across the Atlantic. The series is produced in partnership with eu!radio. 

[Listen to Navigating the Atlantic]

• Autonomie stratégique européenne : où en est-on vraiment ? Tara Varma, directrice de la prospective stratégique au German Marshall Fund of the United States, 13 juillet 2026, 21 minutes. This Euradio podcast episode evaluates the current state of European strategic autonomy, which aims to reduce reliance on U.S. military and industrial decisions. It explores the history, financial barriers, and internal divisions regarding the development of a stronger European pillar within NATO. [Listen to this podcast episode of Navigating the Atlantic]
   

• Trump, Russia, Poland : How Central Europe really sees the Transatlantic Partnership. Sławomir Dębski, associate Professor at the College of Europe, Natolin, 2 July 2026, 19 minutes. This Euradio podcast episode features an interview with Professor Sławomir Dębski regarding Central and Eastern Europe's perspective on the Transatlantic Partnership amidst recent tensions with the United States. It highlights a growing consensus that Russia poses a primary threat to European peace, emphasizing that European nations must increase their own defense spending rather than relying solely on American taxpayers. [Listen to this podcast episode of Navigating the Atlantic]
   

• Beyond burden-sharing : What the Atlantic Alliance is really arguing about. Ian Lesser, MATA Chair in Transatlantic Trade and Economy. 28 May 2026, 17 minutes. This Euradio podcast episode features an interview with Ian Lesser exploring the severe crisis of trust within NATO during Donald Trump’s second term. The discussion analyzes geopolitical friction points, including a U.S.-enforced 5% GDP defense spending target, unilateral American military actions in Iran, and whether the 1945 transatlantic partnership is permanently fracturing. [Listen to this podcast episode of Navigating the Atlantic]

MATA Chair in Transatlantic Trade and Economy

The MATA Chair supports research, public discussion and engagement on trade, economic policy and the wider transatlantic relationship.

Its activities bring students, faculty and practitioners together around subjects affecting cooperation between Europe and North America.

MATA research connects academic depth with public debate—bringing European and American perspectives to the challenges shaping the transatlantic relationship.