Country Reports

A renewed dynamic in Central Asia-EU relations

Samarkand Summit

The first joint summit of the EU leadership with the heads of state and government from five Central Asian countries on 3 and 4 April in Samarkand (Uzbekistan) sent a strong political signal to enhance relations between both sides. The high-level meeting was the culmination of increased efforts by the EU in the past years and months to re-engage with the region. The joint declaration is an example of the more pragmatic and (primarily economic) interest-based approach of the EU in its partnership policy following the start of the new European Commission end of 2024.

Lessons from China’s Belt and Road Initiative: Strategic Pathways for the EU’s Global Gateway

by Jacob Mardell

Over a decade since its launch, China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) remains widely misunderstood. This report cuts through the noise: the BRI is less a grand strategy, more a decentralised, narrative-driven vehicle for advancing Chinese interests. The report asks what the EU can learn—and what it should avoid—as it shapes its own Global Gateway.

The EU and its global partners in a new legislative period

Leveraging its power or struggling to deliver?

When it comes to the relations with its global partners, the re-elected Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has formulated high ambitions: the goal is to “leverage” the EU’s “power and partnerships”. When in 2019 she dubbed her first commission as a “geopolitical” one, this appeared as a bold and – for some – controversial choice of words. With two major conflicts in the EU’s immediate neighborhood and an increasingly fragile global environment, strengthening ties with global partners seems no longer to be a choice, but a vital necessity of the EU. While the EU is only at the very beginning of the new legislative period, policy guidelines, hearings, interviews and not least the new setup of Commission, Parliament and Council allow an idea about the future priorities and strategies from Brussels towards the world. While a complete turnaround of the EU’s strategy with its global partners seems unlikely, some shifts are to be expected: more (interest-driven) pragmatism, more prioritization and an attempt to forge more equal partnerships.

Geopolitics and Connectivity Take the Center Stage at the First EU-GCC Summit

The first ever EU-GCC Summit on 16 October 2024 served as a pivotal moment for both the European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), emphasiz-ing mutual interests in economic growth, security, and energy cooperation. Two areas dominated the discussion: on the one hand finding common ground on pragmatic cooperation, particularly in the field of energy and connectivity, on the other hand finding common language on a number of current regional conflicts. While the number of concrete deliverables of the meeting has been limited (which was to be expected) and much work still lies ahead, the summit as such is remarkable signal. Both sides decided to meet every two years at heads of state level, the next meeting is to take place in Saudi-Arabia in 2026.

Fostering Security: NATO’s Reflection on the Southern Neighbourhood

In its 75th anniversary year, NATO is gearing up for its next Summit in Washington D.C this July, gathering leaders from all 32 Allies alongside presumably a large contingent of dignitaries from partner countries. The agenda promises a diverse array of discussions, with an expected significant focus on Russia’s aggressive war in Ukraine. However, beyond these pressing matters, other crucial issues will also be addressed. At the previous Vilnius Summit, held last summer, NATO Allies initiated a process to launch a comprehensive reflection process of the Alliance's relationship with the ‘Southern Neighbourhood.’ This reflection process aims to produce tangible proposals in time for the upcoming Summit. The reflection pro-cess is partly consistent of an external report written by experts that have been appointed by the Secretary General. However, this report is merely a part of the larger reflection process taking place internally.

Between Aspiration and Reality: European Diplomacy towards the Indo-Pacific

Ministerial Meeting of EU-ASEAN and EU-Indo-Pacific Forum in Brussels

While the public was captivated by the Special European Council on 1st February, important meetings between representatives of the Indo-Pacific and the EU took place almost simultaneously: Following a 'Pacific Day' in the European Parliament, representatives of the 27 EU member states met with their counterparts from the region on the morning of 2nd February as part of the ministerial meeting of the EU-Indo-Pacific Forum. Approximately 70 delegations from the eastern and southern coasts of Africa, across the Arabian Peninsula and Asia, to the island states of the Pacific Ocean participated in the negotiations.

"Global Gateway" slowly gathers momentum

The Global Gateway Forum on October 25 and 26 in Brussels brought together high-level representatives from over 40 countries.

The meeting gave the EU the opportunity to publicly promote the Global Gateway infrastructure strategy, which was launched at the end of 2021, and to announce concrete project completions.

Wettbewerb belebt das Geschäft: Ergebnisse des EU-AU-Gipfels in Brüssel

Der EU-AU-Gipfel Mitte Februar in Brüssel sollte die Partnerschaft der beiden Nachbarn erneuern. Im Resümee können beide Seiten zufrieden sein. Zu den wichtigen Signalen des Gipfels zählen die Verabschiedung eines massiven Investitionspaketes, ein starkes Bekenntnis zur multilateralen Zusammenarbeit und konkrete Kooperationszusagen in den Bereichen Gesundheit und Pandemiebekämpfung, Sicherheit, sowie Klima und Nachhaltigkeit. Die Aspekte Demokratie und Menschenrechte führten dagegen eher ein Schattendasein. Zudem bleibt die Finanzierung der Energiewende in Afrika ein ungelöstes Thema über den Gipfel hinaus. Allgemein muss die EU im globalen Systemwettbewerb weiter daran arbeiten, die Attraktivität ihres eigenen Angebots auszubauen und Schnittmengen bei den Interessen in der Partnerschaft mit Afrika zu verdeutlichen.

Ein Gipfel für die Demokratie - Motor oder Spaltkeil?

Joe Biden verbindet beim Summit for Democracy den Kampf für die Demokratie im eigenen Land mit Bemühungen der Demokratieförderung in der Welt

Am 9. und 10. Dezember 2021 fand der erste Gipfel für die Demokratie des US Präsidenten Joe Biden statt. An diesem pandemiebedingt virtuell durchgeführten Treffen nahmen über 100 Staaten teil, repräsentiert zum Teil auf höchster Ebene durch ihre Staatspräsidenten oder Premierminister. Am Gipfel und in den thematischen Diskussionsrunden, die sich neben den Kernthemen vor allem auch der Medienfreiheit und den Auswirkungen der Digitalisierung und künstlicher Intelligenz auf die Resilienz von Demokratien widmeten, wirkten auch Vertreter der Zivilgesellschaft, des Privatsektor, Repräsentanten lokaler Regierungsebenen wie auch ehemalige Leiter von demokratierelevanten Institutionen wie Wahlkommissionen mit.

Freihandelsabkommen EU-MERCOSUR - „Südbrücke“ im Atlantik

Lange nichts, und auf einmal schienen es alle eilig zu haben: Zwanzig Jahre nach Verhandlungsstart, pünktlich zum diesjährigen G20-Treffen und wenige Wochen vor dem Ende der „Juncker-Kommission“, erzielten die Verhandlungsführer, drei EU-Kommissare und vier südamerikanische Minister, am 28. Juni den Durchbruch in Brüssel: die Einigung auf ein Freihandelsabkommen zwischen der EU und dem Handelsbündnis MERCOSUR (Zusammenschluss von Argentinien, Brasilien, Paraguay und Uruguay).