Research
The European Union now regards the Indo-Pacific as being at the centre of contemporary geopolitical and security challenges. This has led to an increasing European presence in the region aimed, amongst others, at the protection of trade and the maintenance of international law. With a focus on naval strategy, this paper outlines how the EU’s policies towards the Indo-Pacific are an instance of foreign policy signalling. The EU’s three naval operations as well as the Coordinated Maritime Presence have so far signalled the bloc’s objective to be a global maritime security provider. For this to be effective, the EU must ensure the credibility of its activities.
The paper analyses how this can be achieved, including in the Eastern part of the Indo-Pacific. It ends with policy recommendations for more effective signalling.
Guest Authors: Nicolas Blarel (Assistant Professor of International Relations at the Institute of Political Science at Leiden University) and Niels van Willigen (associate professor of international relations in the Institute of Political Science at Leiden University).
This brief is part of a series titled “What the Indo-Pacific means to Europe,” edited by HCSS analysts Paul van Hooft and Benedetta Girardi, with contributions from Alisa Hoenig.
The series ties back to previous reports from the HCSS Europe in the Indo-Pacific Hub:
- Getting Them On Board: Partners and Avenues for European Engagement in Indo-Pacific Maritime Security
- What the Indo-Pacific means to Europe: trade value, chokepoints, and security risks
The research for and production of this report has been conducted within the PROGRESS research framework agreement. Responsibility for the contents and for the opinions expressed, rests solely with the authors and does not constitute, nor should be construed as, an endorsement by the Netherlands Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defence.
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