As the world shifts away from a multilateral order, the uncertainties surrounding the new Trump presidency, and the likely escalation of the US-China antagonism suggest that the EU should prepare for a world where economic statecraft and sanctions will play an ever-larger role.
Interdependence is increasingly being weaponised: Russia leverages its oil and gas, China exploits its control over critical raw materials, and the U.S. wields its dominance in global digital and financial infrastructure as tools of coercion. In response, many nations have developed economic security strategies. However, the EU’s strategy notably omits any reference to sanctions.
This hybrid Policy Dialogue will explore what role EU sanctions’ policy should play in a rapidly changing global context. It aims to examine how sanctions should align with the EU’s broader foreign, security and economic policy and how they fit into its economic security strategy. The discussion will also address the consequences and trade-offs involved in the application of different types of sanctions and the sensibility of their use in different contexts while maximising their impact and minimising potential negative fallout.