2 research outputs found
Enhancing Europeâs global power: a scenario exercise with eight proposals
In the present context of intensifying competition between the major trading economies and potentially game-changing technological developments, the European Union is generally seen as the weaker party. Lacking the âhard powerâ derived from military capabilities, it has laid claim to a âsoft powerâ of normative influence externally, yet even that is only partially utilised. Nor has Europe been able to exercise the power to coerce â âsharp powerâ â commensurate with its economic weight as a trading bloc equivalent in size and reach to the US or China, its most prominent global competitors. How can Europe strengthen its position, and in what fields? Through a scenario exercise, we develop eight policy proposals aimed at countering EuropeÂŽs vulnerabilities and enabling it to assert its sharp and soft power more effectively. Specifically, we consider the feasibility, means and scope for their realisation. Together, they provide a transformative agenda for the EUâs position in the world