16+1, a New Issue in China-EU Relations?

The present paper investigates the positions of individual member states, European institutions and organizations towards the 16+1 cooperation framework. At the institutional level, the European Commission’s Joint communication on elements for a new EU strategy on China of June 2016, the reports and joint statements of the European Economic and Social Committee and China Economic and Social Council (May 2016 and June 2017) and European Parliament publications underline: the absence of a common EU-level strategy on recent large scale Chinese initiatives and some member states pursue individual economic interests, which do not correspond to those of the EU as a whole; 16+1 format as “controversial”, as its arrangements are “in conflict with the EU law” which leads to the “erosion of EU norms”; the necessity to “cooperate with the Commission, the EEAS and other Member States to help ensure that relevant aspects to the EU are in line with EU law, rules and policies, and that the overall outcome is beneficial for the EU as a whole”. We analyze the concerns and make specific proposals so that the 16+1 format might cease to be an issue in China-EU relations.