August 25, 2025 The European Union’s development strategy is at a crossroads, facing a global “polycrisis” that demands a new approach. Our latest policy brief argues for a fundamental overhaul, drawing on rich discussions from the ETTG-PISM dialogue on resilience held earlier this year in Warsaw to explore how incorporating
It stands at the forefront of this evolving strategy, representing a key tool in reshaping the EU’s global influence.
The EU’s Global Gateway initiative, launched in 2021, has taken on renewed significance in the current political climate and the mission letter sent by President von der Leyen to the designated Commissioner for International Partnerships. The Global Gateway aims to mobilise up to €300 billion in investments between 2021 and 2027. The stated goals of this ambitious program are to
The report builds on the result of the European Think Tanks Group (ETTG) and the Elcano Royal Institute cooperation, with the support of the Spanish State Secretariat for International Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation.
The present situation of protracted crises – climate, biodiversity, the pandemic and the war in Ukraine – and their repercussions on human wellbeing appear overwhelming. With the Green Deal, Team Europe and Global Gateway the EU has presented several ambitious initiatives to address these crises but has neglected the dialogue with its partners. Europe was under considerable (geo)political pressure to provide these responses, yet the internal discussions leading to their adoption and the time pressure meant that the dialogue with its international partners was limited in both scope and depth. This not only contradicts its aim to move away from so-called ‘donor-recipient relations’ but also jeopardises the effectiveness and sustainability of its initiatives.