The need for the EU’s ‘strategic autonomy’ – the Union’s ability to decide and act for itself in international affairs […]
The need for the EU’s ‘strategic autonomy’ – the Union’s ability to decide and act for itself in international affairs – became a major concern for Europe in 2016 after the Trump election. Despite the transition to a new US administration, European concerns intensified after recent developments in Afghanistan and Southeast Asia (i.e., AUKUS). Brussels and many European capitals are realising, first, that they cannot always depend on US power, and second, that strategic autonomy is not an abstract concept, but needs proper institutional mechanisms to produce it, industrial policies to support it, and clear strategic objectives to guide it.
Therefore, the EU’s quest for strategic autonomy is linked to key industrial sectors that can boost Europe’s technological sovereignty. Straddled between the USA and China, EU policies on 5G rollout and governance, rare minerals supply chain, and semiconductor manufacturing will be crucial to its future autonomy. Autonomy does not mean rejecting international cooperation; alliances with like-minded democracies such as Taiwan will be vital not only for safeguarding supply chains, but for technological progress more broadly.
This panel will discuss recent developments and EU initiatives on these sectors, the dynamics between EU members states, and the objectives of a strategically autonomous EU in the context of an intensifying confrontation between the US and China.
Event Schedule
13:25 Participants connect to the Zoom event
13:30 Welcome Remarks
Antonios Nestoras, PhD, Policy and Research Coordinator, European Liberal Forum
Moderator: Antoaneta Asenova-Bihlmayer, President, European Liberal Youth (LYMEC)
13:35 First Intervention
Ming-Yen Tsai, Ambassador of the Taipei Representative Office in the EU and Belgium
13:40 Second Intervention
Dita Charanzová, Member of the European Parliament, Renew Europe Group & Vice-President of the European Parliament
13:45 Third Intervention
Henrik Bach Mortensen, Vice President of the ALDE Party & Chair of the ALDE Party Working Group on China
13:50 Moderated discussion
14:15 End of the event