While all eyes are on wars to the east and south of Europe’s borders, all hands are on deck to strengthen the EU’s economic foreign policy in a competitive landscape.
The Global Gateway strategy is one among a dizzying number of initiatives from von der Leyen’s previous term, all set to carve a more muscular foreign policy role for the EU. In this same period, resources and public debates dedicated to fragile and conflict-affected areas around the world have dwindled away, with a high risk of damage to the EU’s reputation and interests.
In this new cycle, Global Gateway needs to fulfil a complex promise: the delivery of quality projects that strike an optimal balance between the EU’s pursuit of strategic autonomy and the interests of a crowd of international partners, all while promoting the Union’s fundamental values. Whilst already challenging in the context of global strategic competition, in the face of global instability and persistent conflicts it becomes mission impossible – that is, unless Global Gateway and conflict resolution efforts are better aligned.
If the EU’s foreign policy trajectory for the next five years is a puzzle, Global Gateway implementation and the fate of protracted conflicts are strategic pieces. This event aims to sketch out their place in the puzzle and highlight their interdependence. Through expert panel discussions, insights from the CEPS’ Task Force ‘Disentangling Global Gateway: from Team Europe to the World’ and GPPi’s Stabilization Lab will be featured. The latter is funded and working closely with the German Federal Foreign Office.
The event is followed by a members-only lunch from 13:00-14:00. If you are part of a member organisation and would like to join, please email keziah.edgoose@ceps.eu
