Global Europe

Decades of globalisation have eroded borders, and today’s digital and climate challenges only emphasise an increasingly borderless global environment in which multilateralism and cooperation are paramount to the positive development of Europe and the world. Friends of Europe prides itself on its ability to look ahead of the trends and address key issues ahead of the curve. In line with this, our former Asia programme will be expanded and transformed into a new and improved Global Europe programme in 2023.

After two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and an apparent slowdown in the functioning of multilateralism alongside growing unpredictability, conditionality and rivalry have come to characterise the global stage. Simultaneously, a renewed emphasis has been put on the need to align digitalisation with a global green transition, particularly by the European Union. It is, therefore, more important than ever to take a step back, recalibrate and reinvigorate global cooperation. 2023 is the opportune time to fundamentally alter the makeup of our previous Asia programme and push it in a fresh direction. Considering Friends of Europe’s other areas of expertise – Peace, Security & Defence; Climate, Energy & Sustainability; Health; and Digital & Data Governance – the new Global Europe programme’s focus will be on strengthening multilateralism, new localism and multi-level, region-to-region cooperation between the EU and its partners. It will represent a programme-based approach to Friends of Europe’s strategic goal of reframing Europe’s role in the world. Crucially, it will look at what Europe can learn from its partners, more so than what it believes it can teach them. Key areas of focus will be the role, opportunities and impact of cooperation at all levels – from multinational to regional initiatives, from global initiatives to the importance of small and scalable solutions – taking into account the experiences of public and private actors, international NGOs, development agencies and other institutions.

The former Asia programme’s flagship event, the Europe-China Forum, will be adjusted accordingly, and will form the morning sessions of the new Global Europe Summit. The afternoon sessions will, this year, focus on EU-Latin America relations. This programmatic reorientation will, very importantly, also allow us to create more events designed to engage with less-discussed regions of the world, expanding the programme’s purview to include not only Asia, but also the Pacific Islands, Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa and the Arctic.

This new programme better supports Friends of Europe in achieving its strategic goals. Firstly, by looking at Europe from a truly global perspective, this programme actively contributes to reshaping Europe’s role in the world and enhancing its capacity to act as an effective and equal partner. Secondly, an active focus on international development and innovative forms of cooperation supports the building of multi-level trust between citizens and policymakers within Europe and without, in line with Friends of Europe’s aim to advance a new European localism. And, thirdly, this new programme will promote multi-level solutions to challenges on the path to a global green transformation by highlighting new digital solutions and global approaches to current crises.