Mitarbeiter sonstige

Introduction to: The European Union’s global role in a changing world: challenges and opportunities for the new leadership

Hackenesch, Christine / Niels Keijzer / Svea Koch
Mitarbeiter sonstige (2024)

in: Christine Hackenesch / Niels Keijzer / Svea Koch (eds.), The European Union’s global role in a changing world: challenges and opportunities for the new leadership, Bonn: German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS), 1-4

DOI: https://doi.org/10.23661/idp11.2024.0
Open access

In response to a host of crises including Covid-19, escalating intra- and inter-state conflicts, a changing climate, the threatening loss of biodiversity, and amidst heated geopolitical competition, the European Union (EU)’s understanding and expectations to its global role underwent significant changes during Ursula von der Leyen’s first term as Commission President. This has brought major changes to key EU policy areas including foreign affairs, migration, trade, climate action as well as its development policy. After two decades of being a self-standing policy area, EU development policy today plays a more facilitating role by being explicitly motivated and positioned to contribute to furthering the “external dimensions” of other EU policy areas including security, trade, energy and migration. The EU’s development policy is expected to promote the EU’s interests and visibility, as well as its strategic autonomy and resilience within the new geopolitical context. It also seeks to support the EU in becoming more autonomous regarding security and defence matters by contributing to diversifying its foreign supply chains.