But critics of the reform point out that EU foreign policy cannot be reduced to the Global Gateway.
Resource squeeze
Strengthening the EU’s diplomatic footprint in those countries means Brussels has to partly pull out of other places. Delegations in many countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America would be much more limited, according to a list seen by POLITICO.
In Africa, for example, the EU is considering limiting its presence in over 30 countries. In Latin America, even a major power like Brazil is on the cutback list.
The Commission’s view is that the reform fits into the Global Gateway project, the EU’s answer to China’s web of trade and infrastructure projects spanning the globe. | Jean-Christophe Verhaegen/AFP via Getty Images
The idea is not to close any of the 145 delegations but to consolidate larger numbers of diplomats into regional centers. “Maintaining the network with its current coverage is important,” the document reads.
At the same time, the EU wants to step up its global outreach amid a second Donald Trump presidency, Russia’s war in Ukraine and accusations of double standards toward the war in Ukraine and the war in the Middle East.
The proposed cutbacks come despite the EU’s 2019 promise of a “pivot to Africa.” Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, visited Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia and seat of the African Union, on her first trip abroad to underscore the importance of the EU’s continental neighbor. But since then, Europe has struggled to keep up momentum in the relationship.