On December 1, 202 the European Commission and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy launch the Global Gateway, the new European Strategy to boost smart, clean and secure links in digital, energy and transport and strengthen health, education and research systems across the world.
"Global Gateway" provides for the mobilization of € 300 billion between 2021 and 2027 in grants and financing from the EU budget and financial and development institutions, including the European Investment Bank (EIB), and the Bank European Union for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The strategy also includes export credit instruments to increase the competitiveness of European companies and the provision of technical assistance to ensure optimal use of infrastructure resources. Among the areas with the greatest attention are the Mediterranean, the Balkans, Turkey and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Similar to the Chinese strategy of "One Belt One Road", the "Global Gateway" goes beyond the infrastructural aspect and aims to increase the geopolitical influence of the EU. The three declared objectives of this initiative are in fact transparency, sustainability and the promotion of democratic values.
An official EU note also states:
“The EU is committed to working with like-minded partners to promote sustainable connectivity investments. Global Gateway and the US initiative Build Back Better World will mutually reinforce each other. This commitment to working together was reaffirmed at COP26, the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, where the EU and the United States brought together like-minded partners to express their shared commitment to addressing climate crisis through infrastructure development that is clean, resilient and consistent with a net-zero future”.
The explicit reference to the United States suggests the clear geopolitical position of the "Global Gateway" in line with what was already expressed in June 2021 during the G7.
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Silk Council