Final Conference/ From Ukraine to the Middle East: How Crisis-Proof is European Foreign Policy?
The rapid succession of major security crises in theatres geographically or strategically close to Europe has drawn public attention to the EU’s crisis response capacities. The bar for what should constitute a “geopolitical” European foreign policy has been raised by several conflicts and crises, including the ongoing war in Ukraine, recent escalations in the Middle East involving Israel, Gaza, the Red Sea, and Iran, increasing instability in the Sahel, and tensions in the South China Sea.
During the Public Event of JOINT Final Conference, Riccardo Alcaro (Research Coordinator and Head of the Global Actors Program, IAI) presented JOINT project’s results. Nathalie Tocci (Director, IAI), Henry Foy (Brussels Bureau Chief, Financial Times), Lisa Musiol (Head of EU Affairs, International Crisis Group) and Alexandros Yannis (Head of Policy Planning, European External Action Service) discussed what the EU’s response to these, and other conflicts and crises reveal about the bloc’s ability to influence an increasingly complex and demanding global policy-making environment. The interactive discussion featured the key findings of JOINT, an EC-funded research project that has assessed Europe’s response to conflicts and crises across the globe over the past three years.