Enhancing the EU’s Strategic Partnerships

As a foreign policy tool, the EU’s strategic partnerships are a legacy of the post-Cold War era. Although they have long underpinned the EU’s quest for effective multilateralism, the effectiveness, coherence and sustainability of strategic partnerships in today’s fraught global landscape in question in their current form. What constitutes an EU strategic partnership and what exactly is ‘strategic’ about it has become increasingly unclear. To enhance these partnerships, we suggest that the EU take a series of steps, which we outline below.

1. Rethink the EU’s strategic partnerships in a comprehensive manner

2. Prioritise strategic partnerships with like-minded states and international institutions, as well as other regional organisations

3. Harmonise the EU’s strategic objectives with those of its Member States