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The institutional development of the European Union and its geographical expansion exert major influence upon the architecture of international organisations in Europe. The EU has irrevocably changed Europe. Strategic reflection about Europe's institutional architecture should not seek radical moves but rather a well-thought-out reform. Discussions about the Council of Europe and the CSCE should give Brussels food for thought about how far its activity as a strategic and global actor can incorporate the European output in the field of legal (Council of Europe) and politically-binding (CSCE) standards and actions. The most daunting challenge for the EU now is doubtless posed by Russia and its current political tack. But neither the Union nor any other pan-European structure has managed to take up the 'Russian challenge' effectively