Europe in the new world

This chapter takes up the global landscape and discusses the role of the EU in an environment in which the main actors are large countries such as China and the United States, but also “intermediate” countries such as Brazil, India, Turkey, and other countries of the so-called Global South. All these countries are operating in a new global framework where interdependence is a source of security and prosperity, but also of vulnerability, and where potential “clashes of sovereignty” could degenerate into major conflicts. In this new context, the second major challenge for Europe is to define its own sovereignty and strategic autonomy that will allow it to influence international policies and contribute to global governance. It requires an EU as a unified actor with an assertive external presence, as well as the involvement of large countries of the so-called Global South, such as India, Brazil, and Turkey.