Trade, geopolitics, and the EU's global role in an era of uncertainty

 

As economic coercion, geopolitical volatility and protectionism increasingly shape the dynamics of the world trade, recalibrating EU trade policy has become imperative. Despite an unfavourable environment for ambitious trade initiatives, the EU must step up its bets on trade as a pillar of shared prosperity, while adapting its approach to meet current geo-economic challenges.

 

Prioritize long-awaited agreements by ratifying the agreement Mercosur and the progress of negotiations with the India, along with exploring new integration frameworks with Latin America and the Indo-Pacific Ocean, will be essential in this process.

 

Will the EU move closer to other trading partners?

 

Will Latin America and the Indo-Pacific be key to this change?

 

opening speech

Jose Juan Ruiz
President of the Elcano Royal Institute

Georg Riekeles
Associate Director and Head of the European Political Economy Programme, European Policy Centre

Panel

Elvire Fabry
Senior Research Fellow in Trade Geopolitics, Jacques Delors Institute; member of the Scientific Council of Elcano

Garima Mohan
Senior Fellow, Indo-Pacific, German Marshall Fund

Isabel Riaño
Director General of Competitiveness and Trade, General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union; member of the Elcano Scientific Council

Ernesto Talvi
Senior Fellow on Latin America at the Elcano Royal Institute; former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uruguay

Moderator

Georg Riekeles
Associate Director and Head of the European Political Economy Programme, European Policy Centre

 

Date: Thursday, May 8, 2025 Time: 15:00 PM ➡16:30 PM CEST (UTC+2) Venue: European Policy Centre (Rue du Trône 14-16, 1000 Brussels, Belgium) (Also online)