European Union leaders make no secret of their geopolitical ambitions. Yet their hostile refugee and migration policies are undermining EU influence and authority across the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

Discussions on “strategic autonomy” and plans for a new “strategic compass” highlight EU aspirations of contributing to international peace and security. As his country takes over the EU presidency in the first half of 2022, French President Emmanuel Macron has promised to create “a Europe that is powerful in the world, fully sovereign, free in its choices and master of its destiny.” Meanwhile in Berlin, after 16 years following a fairly stable foreign policy agenda under Chancellor Angela Merkel, the new German government is engaged in reassessing Berlin’s role in a rapidly changing world.

This article is part of BIC's "Discerning the Bigger Picture of International Crisis" End of the Year Review 2021.

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