Results, regrets and reinvention: Premier Wen’s last China-EU summit
Europe has been Chinese premier Wen Jiabao’s key foreign policy priority during his two terms and ten years in office. After he took over China’s premiership from Zhu Rongji in […]
Europe in the World
In a world that is largely driven by competition and rivalry (and partnership, yet) between great powers, understanding the Grand Strategy of each of these powers is crucial. So is developing a Grand Strategy for the EU itself. An EU that acts as one, as one pole of the multipolar world on a par with the other powers, is the only way to safeguard the way of life that the Member States of the EU have chosen, based on democracy, the free market, and equality.
Power cannot be divided: a global player must have political, economic, as well as military power. To that end, the Europe in the World Programme analyses the diplomacy and defence of the US, China, and Russia, and of the EU, NATO, and their members. We also focus on geoeconomics, researching Open Strategic Autonomy and the Global Gateway as key EU instruments, as well as the geoeconomic approaches of the other powers.
Defence policy is our third main axis of research, with a particular focus on European defence and its interaction with NATO, but also on nuclear deterrence and the deterrence of hybrid threats. Throughout all three research axis, we devote special attention to the role of Belgium, including notably the development of its own National Security Strategy and diplomatic and military capabilities.
Publications
The EU-South Africa strategic partnership: changing gear?
The fifth EU-South Africa summit held in Brussels on 18 September 2012 was marked by the partners’ recognition of their mutual difficulties: the enduring economic crisis in Europe and strong […]
EU counterterrorism policies and institutions after the Lisbon Treaty
This policy brief looks at the impact of the Lisbon Treaty on the EU’s counter-terrorism policy and institutions. It concludes by reflecting on the need to review the existing European […]
Studia Diplomatica
Vol. LXV, Issue 3 (2012)
– EU trade policy and the European Security Strategy. Speaking the same language in different worlds, Jan Orbie, Lotte Drieghe and Fabienne Bossuyt – A “force for good”? External images […]
The EU’s sanctions against Syria: conflict management by other means
Since May 2011, the EU has launched one of its most far reaching and sophisticated sanctions operations in support of the protests against the current regime in Syria. The present […]
Military capabilities: from pooling & sharing to a permanent and structured approach
In 2013 the European Council for the first time since long will deal with European defence. An excellent opportunity: to move key Pooling & Sharing projects to the implementation stage […]