EU’s Indo-Pacific Strategy: The Challenges Ahead

The article explores the European Union’s strategy for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, initially presented in a joint communication on September 16, 2021, by the European Commission and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. This document represents a significant attempt by the EU to develop a strategy in a region whose economic and political weight is crucial for influencing the global order. The article analyzes the key components of the EU’s new Indo-Pacific strategy and the decision-making process that led to its adoption, with particular attention to the positions of France and Germany, the two most active member states in developing the strategy. These two countries exemplify the debate within the EU: they express different positions on issues such as the geographical definition of the Indo-Pacific region, the objectives that the country sets in the area, the privileged policy areas of intervention, the relations with China, and the approach to negotiations. The article concludes with a brief assessment of the strategy itself and the main challenges the EU will face in exerting an effective position in the region.