EUIP (2023) – European Foreign Policy Observatory

About EUIP (2023)

What role for Europe in the Indo-Pacific? Identifying regional policy responses towards the EU’s Indo-Pacific Strategy 2022-25 (EUIP)

Principal Investigator

Robert Kissack

Institution Institution Institut Barcelona d’Estudis Internacionals (IBEI)

Project funding European Commission - Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), Jean Monnet Network, Eurasmus+

Project duration From 03/01/2023 to 31/12/2025

Entities involved University of Canterbury, The Research Trust of Victoria University of Wellington, The Australian National University, Waseda University, Tsinghua University, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Zhejiang University, University of Kent, Uniwersytet Jagiellonski, Universiteit Leiden, Universitat fur Weiterbildung Krems, Chualongkorn University, Universidad de Castilla la Mancha, University of Limerick, Korea University, University College Dublin, Tallinna Tehnikaulikool, Jawaharlal Nehru University, National Taiwan University, Ruhr-Universitaet Bochum, Institut Barcelona d'Estudis Internacionals, Gadjah Mada University, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Fudan University, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Universita ta Malta, Kanagawa University

Project website

About this project:

The Indo-Pacific is critical to the EU’s goal of securing “a stronger Europe in the world”. In 2021, the EU released its Indo-Pacific strategy – an ambitious and wide ranging strategy with an overarching aim of “maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific for all while building strong and lasting partnerships”. However, the EU’s decision to attempt to solidify and consolidate its Indo-Pacific presence is occurring at a time of significant regional unrest and uncertainty caused by an ongoing deterioration in Sino-American relations. As demonstrated by the UK’s foray into geopolitics via its membership in the AUKUS trilateral security pact and release of its own Indo-Pacific strategy, the EU’s Indo-Pacific role faces complexities. While the EU has the potential to play a significant and independent role in the region, it is imperative that this envisioned role is also shared by the various countries that reside there – otherwise the EU runs the risk of losing relevance and effectivness. This Network – encompassing EU and Indo-Pacific partners – will assess the critical question of “what is the most effective role for the EU in the Indo-Pacific?” The EU’s effectiveness in the region will rely on accurate contemporary knowledge of the states of the Indo-Pacific. This Network will create a unique grouping of EU and Indo-Pacific expertise (involving a mixture of academics, think-tankers, and foreign policy officials from both the EU and third countries) to conduct interviews, engage in Delphi style policy debates, and “policy sandpits” in eight Indo-Pacific countries: Australia, China, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand. Early career researchers (especially post-docs and PhD students) from all the participating universities will be heavily involved in the project as well. The Network will provide high-level foreign policy analysis, forecasting, and outputs that will be of significant use for practitioners in the European External Actions.

Associated Observatori researchers:

Robert Kissack