TheMarketForIdeas

The European Institute of Romania (EIR) has published the working paper titled The EU and Asian States: Towards sustainable cooperation. Opportunities for Romania. Drawing on the deepening of regional integration trends – with the European Union representing the most advanced model – and the intensification of overlapping political, economic, and social challenges, this work brings together contributions from renowned international experts from 14 European and Asian states: Bulgaria, Hungary, France, Greece, Poland, Romania, and Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Bangladesh, China, India, Japan, Mongolia, and Pakistan.

This endeavour aims to facilitate an informed exchange of views on some of the most pressing issues currently on the European and Asian agenda. These include economic pressures, the impact of the energy crisis, the potential of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and of the Three Seas Initiative (3SI), and the responsible management of resources, including through global ocean governance.

The current European context, marked by a focus on the deepening and evolving interaction between dialogue partners, has shaped this analysis of the relationship between the EU and Asia. Consequently, several strategic documents have been adopted at the EU level to serve as a reference framework for the relationship between the EU and the Indo-Pacific region. Most notably, the EU strategy for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific – Council conclusions (April 2021) and EU strategy for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific (September 2021). Added to them are also a series of key Romanian strategies, mentioned in the paper.

The paper is structured in three parts, each providing a platform for debate: perspectives of selected European Union Member States, perspectives of selected Asian states, and Romanian experts’ outlook on this cooperation. The core topics explored are sustainable growth and connectivity. Other topics tackled in the report are related to the challenges to international law, the rules-based order, and the rule of law. Thus, some authors emphasise the need for predictability and compliance with the agreements negotiated over recent decades at the international and regional levels.

Overview of contributions

The first section, Views from the European Union, includes analyses such as Velina Tchakarova’s “Bulgaria as a Connectivity Node in EU–Asia Relations: Potential, Constraints, and the 2030 Horizon,” Guillaume Gandelin’s “India–European Union: A New Way Forward?”, and Pascale Joannin’s “Indo-Pacific Strategy: France’s Driving Role for EU Engagement in the Region.” It also features Jean-Sylvestre Mongrenier’s “French Perspective on Romania’s Pivotal Role in the Black Sea Region,” Georgios Mitrakos’s “The ‘China Shock’,” and László Vasa’s “Central Asia and the Quiet Rewiring of Europe’s East.” Additional contributions include Źaklina Dworska’s “How EU–Oman Cooperation Redraws the Gulf Map through Green Growth and Rule of Law,” Tomasz Łukaszuk’s “Three Seas Initiative and India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor: A Meeting Point of Two Continents and Two Oceans,” and Małgorzata Samojedny’s “IMEC – Three Seas Initiative’s New Passage to Asia.”

The Views from Asia section brings together perspectives such as Bart Hogeveen’s “Europe’s Diversification to the Indo-Pacific: An Opportunity for Romania,” Mahfuz Kabir’s “Bangladesh–Romania Economic Relations: Prospects for Future Cooperation,” and Sufia Khanom’s “Bangladesh and EU: The Partners against Climate Change.” It further includes Syed Munir Khasru’s “Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh and Black Sea, Romania: The Unexplored Eurasian Connectivity,” Shanjida Shahab Uddin’s “Towards Sustainable Connectivity: Bangladesh’s Emerging Role in the Global Gateway Initiative,” and Mohammad Jasim Uddin’s “EU–Bangladesh Economic Cooperation.” Additional contributions are provided by Hazwan Haini and Sufrizul Husseini, “From Small Trade to Smart Trade: Brunei, Romania and the EU–Asia Corridor Opportunity,” Wang Hongyi, “China–Romania Practical Cooperation: A Bridge Builder for China–EU Relations,” and Zhang Chao, “The Middle Corridor: Europe and China’s Shared Path.” The section also includes Swasti Rao and Aris Marghelis’s “The India–Greece Partnership: When Connectivity Meets Defence,” B. K. Sharma’s “Regional Corridors in an Era of Multiple Conflicts: A Prognosis,” Kazuko Kojima’s “Between De-Risking and Re-Engagement: European Union–Asia Relations in an Era of Multi-Layered Risk,” Dulguun Damdin-Od’s “Expanding Prosperity in Asian Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs): Opportunities, Constraints, and the Role of ITTLLDC,” and Muhammad Taimur Fahad Khan’s “From the Black Sea to the Arabian Sea: Pakistan and the Future of EU–Asia Connectivity.”

The final section, Views from Romania, includes Radu Magdin’s “Romania’s Human Capital & Migration Indo-Pacific Strategy,” Andreea Brînză’s “The Unopened Gateway to Europe: Romania’s Limited Engagement with Asia,” and Paula-Sorina Toma’s “Romania as a Strategic Bridge between Europe and Asia.” It also features Șerban Georgescu and Diana Peca’s “Defense, Climate Change and Infrastructure, the Pillars of the Romanian–Japanese Partnership in the AI Era,” Octavian-Dragomir Jora and Narciz Bălășoiu’s “The (L)East Common Multiple: Romania’s Partaking in the Wealth of Asian Nations,” and Ioana-Elena Bădescu-Secu’s “Kazakhstan: The EU’s Strategic Stake, Romania’s Role, and Why Russia and Iran Matter.” The section concludes with Mihaela-Adriana Pădureanu’s “Nurturing Hope: the EU and ASEAN as Supporters/Promoters of Multilateralism” and Mihai Sebe’s “Romania and the Asian States. The Path Forward.”

The full text of the working paper, available in English, can be accessed on the website of the European Institute of Romania: https://ier.gov.ro/en/news/editorial-release-the-eu-and-asian-states-towards-a-sustainable-cooperation-opportunities-for-romania/.