EU Global Strategy Expert Opinion No.26 – Giovanni Grevi

The degradation of the EU’s geopolitical environment is fuelling the fragmentation of European politics and raises serious questions about the future of Europe’s security, prosperity and integration. The refugee and migrant flows straining Europe’s cohesion are the most pressing dimension of a broader trend. Foreign affairs are ‘coming home’, whether in the form of financial turmoil or the threat of terrorist attacks, while the EU faces a more assertive Russia to the east. Foreign policy is therefore a central component of Europe’s political and economic resilience.

The process leading up to an EU Global Strategy (EUGS) should define what the EU stands for and aims to achieve in international affairs (purpose and priorities), set organising principles for external action and broad roadmaps to implement them.