How EU Foreign Policy Turned Regional<\/a>, finds that despite von der Leyen\u2019s stated aim to support \u201cthe EU\u2019s role in the world as a promoter of freedom, democracy, and the rules-based order\u201d, the bloc\u2019s priorities were reshaped by a series of overlapping crises near its borders.\u00a0<\/p>\nBrexit negotiations, Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and escalating conflicts in Gaza were among the key drivers, prompting the EU to direct more leadership attention, aid and diplomatic personnel to neighbouring countries than in previous commission cycles.<\/p>\n
The study looks at a range of activities including foreign aid, diplomatic visits and sanctions. It finds that the EU\u2019s most senior officials, including von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel and former high representative Josep Borrell, made fewer overall trips in 2019-2024 than their predecessors, largely due to pandemic restrictions.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At the same time, the geographical focus shifted decisively toward Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans. Ukraine was the second-most-visited country, with twenty visits compared with eleven in the previous period, while Moldova received nine, up from two previously. Visits to Albania and North Macedonia remained frequent, whereas trips to Russia collapsed from eighteen under Barroso to just one under von der Leyen.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Carnegie writes that \u201cthis growing attention on Eastern Europe corresponded with a decrease in visits to the Middle East\u201d, highlighting the bloc\u2019s reorientation toward its immediate neighbourhood.<\/p>\n
Declarations by the high representative also indicated the EU\u2019s shifting attention. Borrell issued 838 statements from 2019-2024, slightly fewer than those by his immediate processors, reflecting, in part, a turn toward social media engagement. Meanwhile, the content shows a pronounced focus on Europe\u2019s East.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The report points out that references to Eastern Europe accounted for 33% of the total, up from 14 percent in 2010-2014 and 18% in 2014-2019. Statements on Russia and Ukraine alone rose from thirty-five to 139, and declarations on Belarus more than tripled, while the Middle East fell to 30% of total declarations. Overall, Carnegie finds that almost two-thirds of the high representative\u2019s declarations concerned countries in the EU\u2019s neighbourhood.<\/p>\n
Sanctions become a core instrument\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\nSanctions were a core instrument of EU foreign policy during von der Leyen\u2019s first term. Carnegie reports that the EU penalised \u201con average 702 entities and individuals a year\u201d in 2019-2024, up from just 92 in 2014-2019. The increase was largely driven by Russia\u2019s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with measures linked to Moscow accounting for almost half (46.5%) of measures imposed by the bloc. Sanctions on Iran, Syria, Belarus, and al-Qaeda followed, while sanctions on Egypt were lifted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP)\u00a0 missions also mirrored the EU\u2019s pivot. By November 2024, twenty-three missions were underway, with approximately half deployed along the EU\u2019s southern and eastern borders. Carnegie writes that missions \u201cpromote peace, stability and security in our neighbourhood and beyond, thereby contributing to increased security in the EU.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
New deployments included the EU Military Assistance Mission in Ukraine, training armed forces in response to the Russian invasion, and the EU Partnership Mission in Moldova, providing strategic advice on crisis management. The EU also launched missions in Armenia and continued Operation Irini to enforce UN arms embargoes, highlighting the union\u2019s emphasis on frontline states.<\/p>\n
Trade and development policy\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\nTrade policy reinforced the neighbourhood focus. While fewer new agreements entered into force compared with past commissions, the EU updated deals with Ukraine and Moldova in response to Russian aggression. Carnegie highlights that trade negotiations were also launched with Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and for a digital trade agreement with Singapore, while a new delegation opened in Turkmenistan.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCentral Asia has become more important because of its strategic location as a transportation corridor in the context of the Global Gateway strategy,\u201d the report said. Meanwhile, broader global deals progressed, including agreements with Chile and Mercosur countries.<\/p>\n
Development assistance shifted dramatically toward Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans. Carnegie reported that this group accounted for almost 24% of total aid in 2023, up from 12-14% in 2013\u20132018, while sub-Saharan Africa\u2019s share decreased to 37%.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Delegation staffing mirrored this trend: Kyiv became the EU\u2019s second-largest office, Belgrade remained a major hub, and Pristina expanded, reflecting increased engagement in accession-linked and frontline states. In contrast, staff presence in Russia, Turkey and parts of the Middle East was reduced.<\/p>\n
Uneven global engagement<\/strong><\/p>\nThe report highlights a more selective global footprint. Carnegie states that \u201cthe union\u2019s external aid decreased everywhere\u201d outside Europe\u2019s East and Central Asia, with diminished engagement in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Relations with China remained tense, with repeated calls from von der Leyen for \u201cde-risking\u201d, while engagement in the Pacific, India, and the Philippines remained limited despite new trade talks.<\/p>\n
Carnegie notes that \u201cthe union\u2019s almost exclusive focus on Ukraine has been criticised for ignoring other conflicts around the world,\u201d while \u201cmany have condemned the union\u2019s moral double standards on the conflict in Gaza.\u201d The EU\u2019s COVID-19 response was also criticised for insufficient solidarity with the Global South.<\/p>\n
Looking ahead, the report emphasises that the EU faces a balancing act if it is to sustain neighbourhood engagement while preserving global influence. Carnegie concludes that although the EU \u201csustained its level of engagement with the rest of the world\u201d, it has yet to build a coherent strategic culture. Future success will depend on managing internal fragmentation, funding the 2028-2034 multiannual budget, and maintaining functional tools such as sanctions, civilian and military operations, trade and aid.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The European Union\u2019s foreign policy displayed a marked inward turn under the leadership of Commission President Ursula von…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":607265,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5174],"tags":[190105,190104,2000,299,5187,805,657,13494],"class_list":{"0":"post-607264","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-eu","8":"tag-carnegie-europe","9":"tag-eastern-neighbourhood","10":"tag-eu","11":"tag-europe","12":"tag-european","13":"tag-foreign-policy","14":"tag-ukraine","15":"tag-western-balkans"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115649717610708400","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/607264","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=607264"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/607264\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/607265"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=607264"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=607264"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=607264"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}