EU Council Conclusions on the Indo-Pacific Strategy
April 21, 2021
The European Union, by means of “Council conclusions” published on April 16, 2021, announced that it is undertaking an “EU Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.” It explains in the document that the EU should reinforce its strategic focus, presence, and actions in the Indo-Pacific “with the aim of contributing to the stability, security, prosperity and sustainable development of the region.” It further explains that the reason it needs a new strategy for the Indo-Pacific is that “geopolitical competition” and the challenge to human rights in the region “directly impact on the EU’s interests.”
The EU Council will work with the EU Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, to develop a Joint Communication, elaborating and formalizing the EU’s Indo-Pacific strategy by September 2021. The 10-page, April 16 Council conclusions already provide a fairly detailed blueprint of what the EU has in mind for its Indo-Pacific involvement.
Please see the report here: EU Indo-Pacific Council Conclusions