An EU foreign policy for a world in disarray

The document argues that the post-WWII multilateral order is fragmenting, leaving Europe vulnerable to the influence of China and Russia and the unpredictability of US policy. The author proposes a 'networked foreign policy' and 'European strategic sovereignty' to reduce dependencies and preserve EU values. This approach emphasizes the need for Europe to act as a unified geopolitical player, investing in its own technological capabilities (such as 5G and semiconductors) and safeguarding public goods like health and climate protection. The author specifically calls for the EU to reduce reliance on foreign medical supplies and to resist the dominance of US and Chinese tech giants through stronger regulation and a pro-European anti-trust policy.

• The post-Cold War era of US unipolarity has ended, replaced by a geopolitical landscape where authoritarian states like China and Russia seek to reshape the world order through military incursions and the creation of alternative power structures, such as China's Belt and Silk Road Initiative.
• Modern geopolitical competition has shifted from traditional military force to 'geo-economics,' where interdependence is weaponized through currency wars, technological dependence, and control over financial markets and digital networks.
• Germany's current policies increase its vulnerability by maintaining dependencies on Russian energy via the Nord Stream 2 project and allowing Chinese Huawei equipment in its 5G network, which the author argues threatens long-term security and sovereignty.
• European strategic sovereignty is defined not as autarky, but as the 'ability to act' and maintain geopolitical resilience by building networks and setting global standards in technological, economic, financial, and environmental domains.
• To achieve resilience, the EU must secure critical public goods and services, including the capacity to rapidly ramp up the production of key medical products and active ingredients within Europe to avoid long-term dependency costs.
• The EU should use its regulatory power and the internal market to protect European tech players, specifically by supporting a European 5G consortium of Nokia and Ericsson and breaking up US big tech firms like Facebook and Google.
• Europe must rethink its role in the transatlantic alliance and NATO, moving toward a model where it integrates military capabilities to act independently when necessary while remaining linked to the United States.

APA

Brantner, F. (2020). An EU foreign policy for a world in disarray. Green European Journal. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/an-eu-foreign-policy-for-a-world-in-disarray/

Chicago

Brantner, Franziska. An EU foreign policy for a world in disarray. Green European Journal, 2020. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/an-eu-foreign-policy-for-a-world-in-disarray/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Brantner |first1=Franziska |title=An EU foreign policy for a world in disarray |publisher=Green European Journal |date=23 July 2020 |url=https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/an-eu-foreign-policy-for-a-world-in-disarray/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{brantner2020foreign, author = {Brantner, Franziska}, title = {{An EU foreign policy for a world in disarray}}, publisher = {Green European Journal}, year = {2020}, month = jul, url = {https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/an-eu-foreign-policy-for-a-world-in-disarray/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }