Strategic autonomy for European choices: The key to Europe’s shaping power. EPC Discussion Paper 19 July 2019

Grevi, Giovanni (2019) Strategic autonomy for European choices: The key to Europe’s shaping power. EPC Discussion Paper 19 July 2019. [Discussion Paper]

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Abstract

Calling for Europe’s strategic autonomy at a time when the European Union (EU) is rife with political divisions on issues such as migration, the future of eurozone governance or the rule of law may seem paradoxical or distracting. However, strategic autonomy is not just a foreign policy issue but a critical requirement for sustaining and fostering European integration. The legitimacy and resilience of the EU will depend on unchaining Europe’s untapped power and enabling European citizens and member states to choose their future, as opposed to being the takers of the decisions of others in a very competitive international context. After the crisis of long-held assumptions about the inevitable spread of the liberal international order on the heels of globalisation, the emerging consensus is that great power rivalry is the new norm. In particular, the standoff between the US and China risks becoming a defining feature of international affairs. If many factors and trends point to a more contested and volatile world, however, the future is not predefined: the EU will play a major role in the development of the international order, whether through its absence or its engagement.

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