Past Event: Workshop on the EU’s Engagement in the Indo-Pacific

On 20 March 2024 EIAS organised a workshop on the EU’s engagement in the Indo-Pacific for a group of students of BSH Tübingen on the occasion of their study excursion to Brussels from 18-20 March 2024. The group consisted of 20 participants and included Bachelor and Master students from a variety of majors eager to find out more about EU foreign and security policy and the EU’s relations with the Indo-Pacific.

BSH Tübingen is the association chapter at the University of Tübingen, Germany, and part of the wider Bundesverband Sicherheitspolitik an Hochschulen (Academic Association for Security Studies and Foreign Policy). The BSH is an association of university groups in Germany that offers students the opportunity to engage with security and foreign policy and enter into dialogue with various security and foreign policy related actors and agents within an academic context. You can refer to their website here for more information.

The workshop offered a platform for discussion on contemporary global challenges, enhanced understanding of the EU’s external relations and valuable insights into the dynamics of contemporary international diplomacy. Given the growing significance and importance of the region, the workshop focused on the EU’s foreign and security relations with Asia and the Indo Pacific. Indeed, the Indo-Pacific area is an important strategic partner for Europe, while the EU’s cooperation with key players in the Indo-Pacific region demonstrates its commitment to promoting regional stability and development. The EU’s Indo-Pacific Strategy prioritises major topics such as ocean governance for conservation and sustainable usage, connectivity through infrastructure development, and enhancing security and defense, notably through naval exercises.

The EU’s Indo-Pacific strategy seeks to promote and open up a rules-based regional security architecture, with important EU countries like France, Germany, and the Netherlands, as well as the Czech Republic and Lithuania actively participating in the formulation of their individual Member States’ Indo-Pacific strategic plans.