Europe is more present in the Indo-Pacific than most people realise, and far less coordinated than it needs to be. A new dataset of 1,077 cooperation entries, spanning EU institutions and all 27 Member States, reveals that European security engagement in the region has accelerated sharply since 2021. But activity across defence industry, military deployments, and institutional frameworks remains fragmented, duplicated, and largely invisible at EU level. In this Böll EU Brief, Jacob Mardell maps the coordination deficit, and sets out six concrete steps to close it.
The majority of EU Member States do not have any formal China strategy papers. Some EU Member States and specific government ministries have adopted internal China strategies and guidelines that have not been officially released to the public. Commonly referred to as ‘China strategies’, these documents outline national positions on China, rather than concrete strategies for managing bilateral relations. Jacob Mardell mapped out the state of play of these strategies in EU27, UK and Switzerland.
The majority of EU Member States do not have any formal China strategy papers. Some EU Member States and specific government ministries have adopted internal China strategies and guidelines that have not been officially released to the public. Commonly referred to as ‘China strategies’, these documents outline national positions on China, rather than concrete strategies for managing bilateral relations. Jacob Mardell mapped out the state of play of these strategies in EU27, UK and Switzerland.
