EU-Australia track 1.5 Strategic Dialogue

The first EU-Australia track 1.5 Strategic Dialogue was organised jointly by the EUISS and the Lowy Institute and held online on 8 December 2020. It gathered 45 senior officials and experts from both the European Union and Australia, to exchange perspectives, perceptions, and concerns on the Indo-Pacific concepts and strategies. The closed-door event also provided opportunities to share information and analysis on the impact of Covid-19 pandemic in the region, and recovery measures taken so far by both the EU and Australia. 

The EU-Australia track 1.5 strategic dialogue aims to further both mutual understanding of policy debates taking place in Australia and Europe and to act as a platform for policy-oriented collaborative research on a rapidly changing strategic environment. This edition provided a first opportunity to analyse common challenges and explore areas of cooperation. In light of the interest in the discussions and the number of challenges raised, as well as the need to continue to follow the geostrategic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, it was concluded that future editions of this dialogue would be organised in 2021.