A more assertive EU foreign policy to defend its interests

Conte and Merkel

Rom [ENA] The global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic is a game changer in the international environment and a catalyst of change in the global order. There was a lack of global leadership and coordinated international response in the initial phases of the COVID-19 crisis, as well as tendencies to opt for isolationist solutions, the withholding of critical information, the rise of authoritarian nationalism,

state-sponsored disinformation campaigns and the promotion of false narratives which create distrust and undermine international cooperation. A geopolitical competition and tensions followed the COVID-19 outbreak. The European Union still has to position itself in the new world order in which, alongside the EU, the US, China and Russia play a leading role. The decision of the US to withdraw funding from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the general tendency of its administration to withdraw the US from the multilateral organisations that were created to establish a rules-based world order seemed out of place.

There is the need to find a new method of cooperation between the European Union and US, based on mutual respect and a joint agenda to defend multilateralism, the rule of law and human rights. On the other side, the strengthening of the People’s Republic of China’s worldwide diplomatic efforts following the COVID-19 outbreak positioned it as a dominant global player. Emergency contributions provided by People’s Republic of China to fight the virus have to be recognized. However, there was a clear geopolitical and geo-economic dimension, boosted by ‘virus and wolf warrior diplomacy’ and the politicisation of humanitarian assistance.

The lack of transparency related to the Chinese reaction to the global outbreak, involving the withholding of information, censorship, the suppression of whistle-blowers and human rights activists, and the projection of power in the region have created concerns. The European Union urged the Chinese regime to fully cooperate with an independent investigation into the origins of COVID-19 and called on the Member States to present a united front towards a rising China, which is leading a crackdown on the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong and has threatened to annex Taiwan. Further EU called on the Member States to advocate Taiwan’s membership of the WHO.

EU is obliged to create an atmosphere of dialogue, engagement and genuine cooperation, based on a new, more assertive strategy in which the EU pushes back when necessary to defend European values. As part of this new strategy, the EU should seek closer collaboration with countries in the region and other democracies. European Union continues to express concern over the structural attempts of the Russian Federation to undermine EU unity by the intensification of disinformation campaigns. Global security, socio-economic and political risks that could be caused by the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the fact that the EU’s main international counterparts were prepared to use the crisis to unravel the rules-based world order

underpinned by multilateral organisations are further areas of uneasiness. The multilateral rules-based world order is vital for global peace, the rule of law and democracy. A geopolitical EU must play a firmer role in defending it and seek ways to de-escalate tensions between powers. Only a more united EU, backed up by sufficient and credible military capacities, will be able to conduct a strong foreign policy. The end of the unanimity rule on foreign policy would help the EU to conduct a foreign policy that is more effective and more proactive. The expansion and modernisation of EU communication strategies so that EU action is sufficiently visible both within and beyond the EU is vital.

The European External Action Service (EEAS) must be further strengthened in its capacities to counter disinformation, including the creation of a dedicated far-East StratCom Task Force focused on the disinformation emanating from China, and imposing costs on countries that deliberately spread disinformation to divide and harm the EU and its Member States. The biggest global consumer market of almost 500 million people gives the EU leverage on the world stage, and a geopolitical Commission should use this leverage when other countries are not prepared to comply with the rule of law or international treaties.