Introduction

Over the past five years, the European Union (EU) has revamped its model of development cooperation in line with new global realities, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, war, democratic backsliding, climate change, and mounting geopolitical competition. These developments have exacerbated inequalities and hindered progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. They have highlighted the importance of building resilience to external shocks.

There has been a paradigm shift in the way the EU approaches its international partnerships beyond the EU’s immediate neighbourhood. This shift derives from a recognition that we must move away from donor-recipient dynamics and position ourselves more boldly in an increasingly contested international environment. The new international partnerships complement other forms of structured economic engagement – e.g. trade, energy, climate.

Article 21 of the Treaty on European Union stipulates that the EU should work to “foster the sustainable economic, social and environmental development of developing countries, with the primary aim of eradicating poverty”. Over the past decades, the countries that have most successfully reduced poverty are those that have invested in infrastructure, domestic value addition, governance, and human development, thereby integrating their economies into world trade and investment circuits.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the EU introduced the Team Europe approach, 1 a new method to pull together EU, Member States, European Investment Bank (EIB), and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) action in a coordinated manner so as to maximise impact. Beyond funding, it helps to pool expertise and nurtures a more strategic culture of cooperation. It has become the delivery method for the EU’s international partnerships.

In December 2021, President von der Leyen launched the Global Gateway investment strategy. 2 Retaining a focus on the Sustainable Development Goals, it embodies the conceptual shift towards mutually beneficial partnerships of equals and serves a double imperative: resilience abroad and at home. Through Global Gateway, the EU concentrates its means where they can make the biggest sustainable development difference.

The EU and its Member States remain the leading provider of Official Development Assistance globally, accounting for 42% of the total in 2023, or EUR 95.9 billion. Yet international public finance is dwarfed by the scale of today’s challenges – it is insufficient on its own. Hence Global Gateway is also geared towards leveraging private investment.

Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the increasing weaponisation of dependencies have confirmed that Global Gateway set the right frame: today, there is a convergence between the demands of partners and the core interests of the EU, notably when it comes to climate and energy, critical raw materials, secure digital connectivity and transport corridors.

While Global Gateway has become central to the EU’s international partnerships, it does not cover their full breadth. We continue to engage in conflict areas, fragile countries, and other complex settings through tailored means. Over the past years, the EU has also developed a more comprehensive and strategic approach to migration management and forced displacement. At the global level, multilateral engagement remains an important lever for European influence.

In the Western Balkans and the Eastern and Southern Neighbourhoods, Global Gateway is being implemented through Economic and Investment Plans. Yet the EU deploys comprehensive policies in these regions – new Strategic and Comprehensive Partnerships with neighbouring countries, Ukraine Facility, Western Balkans Reform and Growth Facility. This Communication therefore limits itself to taking stock of progress achieved in deploying the EU’s new international partnerships in the countries outside the Neighbourhood and Enlargement regions.

1.Team Europe approach

The COVID-19 pandemic brought to the fore the need to pool resources in the most efficient way. The EU responded by developing the Team Europe approach, as part of a broader effort to enhance the European Financial Architecture for Development. This method brings together the EU, its Member States, their diplomatic networks, implementing agencies and development finance institutions, Export Credit Agencies, the EIB, the EBRD, and the private sector. It requires EU and Member States to operate in a joined-up fashion and ensure better cooperation between public and private actors. By working as part of a team towards specific joint objectives, each actor can play to its comparative advantage and contribute what it does best. Resources are deployed coherently, which in turn allows the EU and its Member States to increase the scale, impact and visibility of our action.

EU Member States embraced the Team Europe approach in record time. It is now an integral part of our external action toolbox, central to the EU’s international partnerships, be it under Global Gateway, in fragile contexts or through multilateral engagement. The current mandate has seen the design of the first Team Europe Initiatives 3 (over 160) in all regions, and the first joint missions at political level to promote Global Gateway.

2.Global Gateway

The already significant financing gap to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals has increased massively in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. According to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, it now stands at about EUR 4 trillion annually. Global Gateway is the EU’s contribution to narrowing this gap by investing in smart, clean, and secure links in the energy, digital and transport sectors, and strengthening health, education and research systems across the world. Through a Team Europe approach, it supports global economic recovery, accompanies the twin green and digital transitions beyond European borders, and enhances our partners’ resilience and Europe’s own strategic autonomy, in coordination with other EU policies.

Global Gateway is a quantitative offer: it aims to mobilise up to EUR 300 billion of public and private investments by 2027 (including in the Neighbourhood and Enlargement regions) through a combination of grants, concessional loans and guarantees to de-risk investments.

Between 2021 and 2023, the EU, Member States, EIB and EBRD mobilised investments worth EUR 179 billion in support of Global Gateway implementation. Out of these, EUR 50 billion were supported by the EU and EUR 129 billion were mobilised by EU Member States, EIB and EBRD.

Global Gateway is also a qualitative offer that promotes high social, environmental, and financial standards, and upholds democracy, the rule of law and human rights.

It offers comprehensive partnerships tailored to partners’ needs – not just hard infrastructure, but also investment in education, skills and access to sustainable financing, regulatory support, technology transfer and knowledge sharing. Global Gateway projects promote a conducive regulatory and business environment in partner countries, levelling the playing field for business. This unique 360-degree approach makes the Global Gateway offer stand out; it is key to ensure that investments last and deliver impact.

Global Gateway is being rolled out across the globe, country-by-country. Investment packages were launched with Africa, South-East Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Central Asia. 225 flagship projects are being taken forward. 4 In October 2023, President von der Leyen hosted the first Global Gateway Forum; over two days, EUR 3 billion-worth of commitments were signed with a wide range of partners.

Another distinct feature of Global Gateway is its inclusiveness. The Global Gateway governance structure was operationalised with the first meetings of the Global Gateway Board, the Business Advisory Group and the Civil Society and Local Authorities Advisory Platform.

The private sector, including Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, is a key actor under Global Gateway: global investment needs can only be met if private finance is mobilised at scale. The EU set up innovative instruments to do so, starting with the EUR 40 billion European Fund for Sustainable Development Plus 5 guarantee programme, which reduces the risk of investments for development finance institutions, banks and institutional investors. The EU also organised around 30 Global Gateway business fora 6 in partner countries. While the conceptual and practical foundations have been laid, much remains to be done to tap into the full potential of the private sector. This includes better leveraging the firepower of these innovative instruments.

Global Gateway is rolled out through five priority areas.

a.Climate and Energy

The triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution calls for a strong EU response, combining the European Green Deal’s domestic and international dimensions. Global Gateway has placed the green transition centre-stage in our international partnerships. Over 2021-27, the goal is to ensure that 35% of the EU’s external budget contributes to climate action, and 10% to biodiversity protection.

Global Gateway mobilises investments for climate resilience, access to clean energy and infrastructure such as renewable energy production plants and transmission lines, and green hydrogen facilities. It helps partner countries shift away from fossil fuels through Just Energy Transition Partnerships, 7 thereby contributing to implement the COP28 Global Pledge on tripling renewable energy capacity and doubling energy efficiency by 2030. 8 It supports work on climate adaptation. It is instrumental in the implementation of the EU’s 14 strategic partnerships on raw materials value chains, 9 and establishes new markets for EU clean technology companies. It supports inclusive and sustainable food systems to strengthen and restore global food security, and fosters climate-resilient fisheries and aquaculture. It turns environmental challenges into opportunities for jobs and prosperity (e.g. Forest Partnerships that protect, restore, and ensure the sustainable management of forests while strengthening forest-based value chains 10 ).

b.Digital

The digital transition is today one of the main drivers of economic growth. Yet many partner countries still lack access to secure and trusted digital tools and options. While more than 90% of people in High-Income Countries used the internet in 2022, only 25% did so in Low-Income Countries. 11 Over the past five years, the EU has pioneered a human-centric digital transition to leverage digital technologies for inclusive, green, and sustainable growth.

In addition, the EU supports the deployment of secure, resilient connectivity and digital infrastructures, which create an environment of trust to the benefit of citizens, businesses, civil society and governments. The EU does not finance high-risk vendors; it instead supports trusted vendors to ensure secure and trusted digital connectivity worldwide. Approximately 10% of the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe funding will be dedicated to digital actions.

Under Global Gateway, the EU supports digital infrastructure, digital skills and entrepreneurship, and the digital transformation of businesses and public services, as well as regulatory cooperation. The EU has launched five comprehensive Digital Economy Packages. 12 Priorities for secure and trusted digital infrastructure include secure undersea cables, backbone infrastructure, satellite imagery and data, last-mile connectivity, data governance and cybersecurity.

c.Transport

While transport connectivity is a key factor of sustainable growth and an essential enabler of trade, many countries still face important gaps in their infrastructure. Under Global Gateway, the EU works on the development of all forms of transport – road, rail, maritime, air, urban mobility – while supporting efforts to decarbonise and align with European and international principles, standards, and norms. Here too, the offer is two-pronged: invest in physical infrastructure to strengthen transport networks, while strengthening the enabling regulatory environment to ensure projects deliver (e.g. Lobito Economic Corridor, 13 Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor 14 ).

d.Health

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the EU played a central role in the rapid development, scale-up and equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics. Around two-thirds of vaccine doses produced in the EU – 3.1 billion doses – were exported to the rest of the world. The EU was a founding member and strong supporter of the Access to COVID Tools Accelerator and the largest donor to COVAX – the multilateral initiative for global equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. Following the recent mpox outbreak, the EU swiftly mobilised Team Europe to coordinate the donation and delivery of vaccines to affected African countries. 15

The EU has adopted a Global Health Strategy 16 that aims to deliver better long-term health for people all over the world and enhance investment in health. The Strategy highlights the importance of strengthening health systems, advancing universal health coverage, and applying a One Health approach. Under Global Gateway, the EU has focused on health systems, the security of pharmaceutical supply chains, and the development of local manufacturing through investment in infrastructure and a supportive regulatory environment (e.g. Team Europe Initiative on manufacturing and access to vaccines, medicines and health technologies in Africa 17 ).

e.Education and Research

A leading advocate for supporting education as an essential engine of growth and sustainable development, the EU has increased its investment in the field from 7% to 13% of the EU’s budget for international partnerships in 2021-23. This has positioned the EU as a United Nations (UN) Global Education Champion. At the Global Gateway High-Level Event on Education 18 that it convened in Brussels in April 2024, the EU signed regional and bilateral programmes worth EUR 245 million.

Key flagship initiatives under Global Gateway focus on (1) equity and basic education for girls (92% of the commitments have targeted gender equality since 2021), (2) teachers’ training, (3) Vocational Education and Training. According to the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe, 20% of the EU’s external budget in 2021-27 should be dedicated to human development and social inclusion, including education and health. The EU is also leveraging the Erasmus+ programme to strengthen education quality and skills development.

3.Fragile countries

Fragility is at a ten-year high: 24% of the world’s population today lives in fragile contexts. 19 The EU engages in conflict areas, fragile countries, and other complex settings with the primary objective of addressing the root causes of fragility while providing access to life-saving basic services and promoting the resilience of populations, along the Humanitarian-Development-Peace nexus.

In politically estranged settings, notably the central Sahel and Afghanistan, the EU has pursued a flexible, pragmatic and principled approach. This involves remaining engaged to defend EU interests and values, maintaining projects that benefit the population, especially the most vulnerable groups, and remaining open to dialogue with the authorities without legitimising military juntas or other unrecognised governments. It aims to prevent further destabilisation, which would directly affect Europe (e.g. terrorism, violent extremism, organised crime, drugs and arms trafficking, irregular migration).

The EU has launched an internal reflection on how to best approach fragile and conflict-affected contexts, integrating the political, economic, security, migration, humanitarian, and human development dimensions in line with the EU Integrated Approach to external conflicts and crises. 20 The growing complexity of these contexts calls for joint approaches that address humanitarian needs, sustainable development, and peacebuilding. The Team Europe approach needs strengthening in order to increase the coherence and consistency of EU action. The EU is also working with the UN, the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund to make the most of each other’s comparative advantages and strengthen political alignment.

4.Migration

The EU has over the past five years made significant progress on the external dimension of migration, working in a Team Europe approach to deepen comprehensive partnerships based on mutual interests. It has scaled up its work to provide a comprehensive response, building on the experience of the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa 21 and addressing root causes of irregular migration and forced displacement. The EU has also accelerated efforts to help partner countries enhance their national migration governance and border management, prevent irregular arrivals and loss of lives, fight migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings, improve return, readmission and sustainable reintegration, and further develop legal pathways, all while asserting the importance of respect for fundamental rights and international law. It launched two Team Europe Initiatives focused on the Atlantic/Western Mediterranean and the Central Mediterranean migratory routes. 22

The external dimension of migration is an essential component of the Pact on Migration and Asylum, 23 which promotes a whole-of-government and whole-of-route approach to migration management. In line with the Pact, the EU has increased its engagement with partner countries (of origin and transit) in support of comprehensive Migration Partnerships (e.g. Mauritania, beyond the EU neighbourhood 24 ). These partnerships integrate all aspects of EU policy and cooperation, including actions under Global Gateway that help build inclusive growth and jobs, providing economic opportunities for young people in their home countries.

The Common Implementation Plan for the Pact on Migration and Asylum, 25 adopted in June 2024, encourages Member States to plan actions that can enhance this Team Europe engagement with key third countries, building on their experience and privileged relationships.

10% of the international partnerships budget has been indicatively earmarked for migration and forced displacement-related actions over the programming period 2021-27. Over 190 actions are currently being implemented, worth EUR 5.3 billion, notably in sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, and the Asia-Pacific.

The EU has also invested in thematic areas of concern, such as fighting organised crime, by building strategic coalitions with partner countries and other stakeholders. It will continue to build on the Global Alliance to Counter Migrant Smuggling. 26

In November 2023, the EU also launched the Skills and Talent Mobility Package to help address labour and skills shortages and promote legal pathways from non-EU countries. Talent partnerships were launched with key partner countries.

5.Multilateral engagement

a.UN, G7/G20, International Financial Institutions

Amidst renewed attacks against multilateralism, the EU has continued to engage with major players in multilateral fora and to foster strategic dialogue with the UN and key multilateral partners, notably the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank Group and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. The EU has contributed to reinvigorating the multilateral order by working with the UN leadership and others to implement the 2030 Agenda and ensure adoption of the Pact for the Future at the UN Summit of the Future. Through Global Gateway, it remains at the forefront of efforts to advance the Sustainable Development Goals, as illustrated by the first EU Voluntary Review presented at the 2023 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. 27 It has also worked with the G7 to coordinate major infrastructure initiatives under the umbrella of the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment.

The EU played an active role in the G20, supporting the inclusion of sustainable development issues in the agenda – e.g. global action against climate change, creation of the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty. 28 It backed the African Union’s bid for a permanent seat at the G20, and showed leadership in fighting inequalities. It has also actively contributed to discussions on sustainable finance and reform of the international financial architecture. It played an important role at the climate and biodiversity Conferences of Parties, 29 as well as in the negotiations of the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction. 30 Under the UN Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals, it contributed to defining non-binding principles for a just and sustainable global clean energy transition. At the 4th International Conference on Small Island Developing States, 31 it renewed its solidarity with partners that are particularly vulnerable to climate change.

b.Global Funds

Since 2019, the EU has been a major contributor to a range of global funds in sectors such as education (largest contributor to the Global Partnership on Education with a pledge of EUR 700 million over 2021-27), health (largest contributor to the Pandemic Fund with EUR 427 million committed; EUR 300 million contribution to Gavi – the Vaccine Alliance; EUR 715 million contribution to the Global Fund to fight Tuberculosis and Malaria), climate (EUR 100 million to the Adaptation Fund; EUR 25 million to the Loss and Damage Fund) and road safety (contribution of over EUR 2 million to the UN Road Safety Trust Fund). The EU has worked to better align this action with Global Gateway priorities and ensure full visibility of our collective pledges.

c.Samoa Agreement

In November 2023, the EU, its Member States, and the Member States of the Organisation of the African, Caribbean and Pacific States – representing 1.5 billion people – signed the successor to the Cotonou Agreement: the Samoa Agreement. 32 The Samoa Agreement entered in provisional application in January 2024; 77 out of the 79 African, Caribbean and Pacific States have now signed it. It modernises the partnership framework and strengthens our capacity to address global challenges together over the coming 20 years. It will now be implemented through regional protocols, applying the partnership to the different sub-regions. In February 2024, the Joint Parliamentary Assembly and the three Regional Parliamentary Assemblies held their first plenary session in Angola.

6.Horizontal priorities: human rights, inequalities, gender, youth, disability

Human rights, democracy and the rule of law are a cornerstone of the EU’s external action. In a global context of shrinking civic and democratic space, the EU has upheld its unconditional support to the protection and promotion of human rights, including gender equality and democracy. The Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy 2020-27 33 has reinforced the EU’s effort to uphold human rights and democracy across its external action.

Combatting inequalities and empowering women and youth are horizontal priorities for the Commission. Rising inequalities hinder progress across all the Sustainable Development Goals. Yet the COVID-19 pandemic caused the largest rise in inequalities globally in three decades. 34 In 2023, the Commission launched an innovative Inequality Marker 35 to better understand, track, and benchmark the impact of its actions on reducing inequalities. It showed that 59% of all new interventions funded by the international partnerships budget in 2023 had a substantial focus on reducing inequalities.

The Action Plan on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in External Action (GAP III) 36 commits to 85% of all new external actions contributing to gender equality by 2025. By 2022, 72% of EU external actions already had gender equality as a main or significant objective.

In 2021, the EU set up a Youth Sounding Board 37 to provide direct input on EU partnership priorities; it has deployed similar structures at country level. In October 2022, the Commission launched its first Youth Action Plan in EU External Action 38 to engage, empower, and connect youth worldwide. Special Advisers on Youth have supported the EU in these efforts.

In 2021, the EU updated its “Toolbox for placing rights-holders at the centre of EU’s Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation”, that includes Guidance on disability inclusion in external action. 39 By 2023, 41% of EU external actions were disability-inclusive to varying extents.

7.By region

a.Africa

Africa is home to about half of the world’s 20 fastest growing economies, a young and dynamic workforce, and abundant natural resources. Yet it lacks investments, is very exposed to environmental degradation and climate change, and suffers from war and political instability. Starting in 2020 with the adoption of the Joint Communication on a Comprehensive Strategy with Africa, 40 the EU has strengthened its partnership with the continent. At the 6th EU-African Union Summit of February 2022, both parties agreed to a Joint Vision for 2030, 41 backed by a EUR 150 billion Global Gateway Africa-Europe Investment Package. The Africa-EU partnership promotes the green and digital transitions, human development, sustainable migration management, regional economic integration, and a rule-based international order.

Port of Cotonou

The Port of Cotonou is one of the most important maritime hubs in West Africa, strategically located between Lomé and Lagos. Since 2018, it is managed by the Port of Antwerp Bruges International, that has launched a modernisation and expansion effort, turning Cotonou into a pole of excellence in terms of logistics and digitalisation. The EU, Belgium, France, and the Netherlands acting in a Team Europe approach have already mobilised over EUR 200 million to upgrade the facility, the services it provides, and its connection to the hinterland. This includes simplification and modernisation of customs processes, investment in governance and competitiveness, and support to the construction of a new fishing terminal.

The implementation of the Investment Package is advancing well in all Global Gateway priority areas: greening (four of the 14 strategic partnerships on raw materials value chains; Africa-EU Green Energy Initiative), digital (Africa-Europe Digital Innovation Bridge 2.0; Digitalisation4Development Hub), transport (Memorandum of Understanding on the economic corridor connecting Angola’s Lobito Port to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia), health (Team Europe Initiative on Manufacturing and Access to Vaccines, Medicines and Health Technologies, African Vaccines Manufacturing Accelerator), education and research (Regional Teachers Initiative for Africa).

Green hydrogen in Namibia

Namibia is home to major wind and solar energy resources, as well as substantial deposits of rare earth and other minerals, that could form the backbone of a competitive green industrial economy. In 2022, it was the first country in Africa to establish a strategic partnership with the EU on sustainable raw materials value chains and renewable hydrogen. 42 An implementation roadmap was agreed at the 2023 Global Gateway Forum. The strategic partnership is implemented via a Team Europe Initiative bringing together EU, EIB, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, and Finland. A pipeline of seven Green Hydrogen projects has been identified, for a total potential investment of up to EUR 20 billion. In parallel, the EU supports the National Green Hydrogen Programme, with a focus on regulatory alignment, capacity building and skills development. Global Gateway also frames the cooperation between the Port of Rotterdam, the Port of Antwerp-Bruges and Namport.

Regional Teachers Initiative for Africa

Africa will need over 15 million additional teachers in order to achieve universal primary and secondary education by 2030. The Regional Teachers Initiative for Africa, 43 launched in January 2023, brings together the EU and several EU Member States, the African Union and UNESCO. It helps bridge the teachers’ gap and achieve a more competent, motivated and inclusive teacher workforce able to offer quality learning.

b.Asia-Pacific

Asia is steadily moving towards becoming the centre of the global economy. Over the past five years, the EU has pursued a tailored approach to its different sub-regions.

It has developed strong bilateral and regional partnerships in Central Asia. Since the adoption of the EU-Central Asia Strategy, 44 we have raised the frequency and level of our political engagement. At regional level, the EU-Central Asia Roadmap for Deepening Ties between the EU and Central Asia is under implementation. 45 At bilateral level, major developments include the Memoranda of Understanding on critical raw materials with Kazakhstan (2022) and Uzbekistan (2024). 46

Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor

Under Global Gateway, the EU is working to turn the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor into a modern, competitive and efficient route connecting Europe and Asia in no more than 15 days. It will strengthen the role of Central Asia as a connectivity hub and foster economic cooperation and regional integration among the five Central Asian countries, while connecting the region more closely to Europe. The EU, Member States and European Financial Institutions, acting in a Team Europe approach, will support the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor through various regional programmes, as well as blending operations and loan guarantees. Participants to the January 2024 EU-Central Asia Transport Investors Forum committed to mobilise EUR 10 billion (ongoing and planned investments) for sustainable transport connectivity in Central Asia, building on a study published in June 2023. 47 A Coordination Platform was launched in Astana in June 2024.

The 2021 EU Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific 48 set the partnership framework in that region. Joint initiatives were launched in the context of the annual EU-Indo-Pacific Ministerial Fora.

The EU reinforced its bilateral partnerships with India (EU-India Strategic Partnership: A Roadmap to 2025, 49 EU-India Connectivity Partnership, EU-India Trade and Technology Council) and the rest of the South Asian region (bilateral Team Europe Initiatives, combined with action to further regional integration such as the Global Gateway flagship on South Asia Energy Connectivity).

The EU established a Strategic Partnership with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 2020 and hosted a Commemorative Summit in 2022 to celebrate 45 years of partnership. It announced on that occasion a EUR 10 billion Global Gateway investment package for the region 50 .

Digital transformation in the Philippines

The Copernicus Programme in the Philippines is the EU’s first Earth Observation programme for disaster risk management in South-East Asia. Building on a partnership with the European Space Agency, this initiative 51 involves establishing a data centre hub hosted by the Philippines Space Agency. Access to satellite data should help improve environmental management and mitigate the effects of climate change. Through the Digital Economy Package, the EU and Member States, acting in a Team Europe approach, will also help the Philippines upgrade connectivity infrastructure to ensure better access to Copernicus data. It will provide capacity building on cybersecurity and 5G roll-out, finance scholarships, and facilitate technical exchanges.

Climate action and environmental sustainability have been the focus of EU-Pacific cooperation. The EU-Pacific Green-Blue Alliance, 52 launched in 2021, has been complemented by bilateral action.

The EU has also enhanced strategic dialogue and technical exchanges with industrialised partners (e.g. Connectivity Partnership with Japan, Joint Communication on a Strategic Partnership with the Gulf 53 ). It is exploring broader opportunities for cooperation under Global Gateway.

c.Latin America and the Caribbean

Latin America and the Caribbean are essential partners for Europe’s strategic autonomy. Many countries in the region have the potential to benefit from global value chains (e.g. they host around 60% of identified global lithium reserves), but they need capital, technology, training, and standards to close the investment gap.

Electric Mobility in Costa Rica

Costa Rica’s National Decarbonisation Plan aims for a net-zero emission economy by 2050, with the transport sector a primary focus. In the context of the Global Gateway Investment Agenda for Latin America and the Caribbean, the EU, Portugal, Spain, France, Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands, acting in a Team Europe approach, offer technical, financial, and industrial support to help Costa Rica electrify its public transport. This includes modernising the bus system, electrifying passenger trains, and enhancing infrastructure for e-mobility. 54

The July 2023 Summit with the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States signalled a fresh start in the partnership: from natural partners to partners of choice. 55 Via the Global Gateway Investment Agenda, the EU committed to mobilise at least EUR 45 billion of investment for the region by 2027. The portfolio includes over 130 projects 56 in sectors such as renewable energy and hydrogen, ocean and forest conservation, critical raw materials, digital transition, health resilience, education and transport infrastructure. The EU has also redoubled efforts to engage Caribbean partners on the basis of three strategic partnerships on environmental sustainability, economic resilience and trade, and governance, security and human development. Through the launch of EL PACcTO 2.0, 57 it also strengthened its action on transnational crime.

Turning Sargassum into an economic opportunity

Under the EU-LAC Global Gateway Investment Agenda, the EU, the EIB, France, Germany, Spain and Finland launched a Team Europe Initiative that aims to reduce the damage caused by the Sargassum alga and integrate it into the circular economy (e.g. cosmetics, fertilisers, biomass). Components include research, policy and normative framework, knowledge sharing, monitoring and forecasting, facilitation of private sector investment, and public investment. 58

d.Overseas Countries and Territories

Support to European Overseas Countries and Territories includes investment in education, youth empowerment, and transitions towards greener, bluer, and more digitally integrated economies. The EU has expanded its cooperation with Greenland with the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding on sustainable Critical Raw Material value chains (November 2023) 59 and the opening of a new Commission office in Nuuk (March 2024).

Conclusion

Amidst a more challenging geopolitical context, climate change and fierce geo-economic competition, the EU has modernised its development cooperation model. Its international partnerships have become a powerful tool to strengthen resilience both outside and inside Europe. The new approach, underpinned by the Global Gateway strategy, allows the EU to contribute most effectively to the Sustainable Development Goals.

At the same time, the EU has positioned itself as a global champion for education, youth and the fight against inequalities, deployed a new approach to migration management, and tailored its engagement in fragile contexts. To deliver on this ambitious agenda, it has deployed a major methodological breakthrough: the Team Europe approach.

The groundwork has been laid. Global Gateway as a strategy and brand has gained traction inside and outside the EU. Its implementation is well underway in all regions. More effort will be needed, especially when it comes to leveraging private finance, mobilising resources for Middle Income Countries, coordinating between and within the different components of the Team Europe approach, and deploying the brand. Yet the next College will have a solid basis to take the EU’s international partnerships to the next level, in the context of a new economic foreign policy.

Annex – Examples of Global Gateway deliverables

a.Africa

·Port of Cotonou: The Port of Cotonou is one of the most important maritime hubs in West Africa, strategically located between Lomé and Lagos. Since 2018, it is managed by the Port of Antwerp Bruges International, that has launched a modernisation and expansion effort, turning Cotonou into a pole of excellence in terms of logistics and digitalisation. The EU, Belgium, France, and the Netherlands acting in a Team Europe approach have already mobilised over EUR 200 million to upgrade the facility, the services it provides, and its connection to the hinterland. This includes simplification and modernisation of customs processes, investment in governance and competitiveness, and support to the construction of a new fishing terminal.

·Strategic Corridors in Africa: The EU and Member States promote sustainable transport and connectivity in Sub-Saharan Africa along 12 strategic corridors by for example greening and extending the Dakar and Nairobi public transport networks, modernising the port of Cotonou or rehabilitating the Dakar-Abidjan Road. The EU also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Zambia, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Angola on the Lobito Corridor.

·Green hydrogen in Namibia: Namibia is home to major wind and solar energy resources, as well as substantial deposits of rare earth and other minerals, that could form the backbone of a competitive green industrial economy. In 2022, it was the first country in Africa to establish a strategic partnership with the EU on sustainable raw materials value chains and renewable hydrogen. An implementation roadmap was agreed at the 2023 Global Gateway Forum. The strategic partnership is implemented via a Team Europe Initiative bringing together EU, EIB, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, and Finland. A pipeline of seven Green Hydrogen projects has been identified, for a total potential investment of up to EUR 20 billion. In parallel, the EU supports the National Green Hydrogen Programme, with a focus on regulatory alignment, capacity building and skills development. Global Gateway also frames the cooperation between the Port of Rotterdam, the Port of Antwerp-Bruges and Namport.

·Africa-EU Green Energy Initiative: Cooperation on energy transition has advanced considerably through the Team Europe Initiative on the Africa-EU Green Energy Initiative, launched in 2022. 12 Member States, EIB and EBRD participate and over EUR 20 billion have been pledged so far for 2021-27, of which EUR 3.4 billion by the EU. A significant pipeline of energy investments has been identified, with varying levels of maturity.

·Just Energy Transition Partnerships with Senegal and South Africa: These partnerships aim to accelerate the decarbonisation of the partner countries’ economies and support a just energy transition.

·Strategic partnership on raw materials value chains with Namibia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia and Rwanda: Africa is rich in raw materials which are key for the green and digital transitions. The partnerships, developed in the context of the external dimension of the EU Raw Materials policy, aim to develop value addition in partner countries and ensure secure and sustainable supply of raw and refined materials. They support the development of the mining value chains locally and facilitate investment and funding opportunities to modernise local industries. Global Gateway supports their implementation.

·Blue economy: In Tanzania, the Blue Economy Team Europe Initiative focuses on: (i) environmental protection and climate-resilient sustainable management of coastal ecosystems; (ii) support to sustainable and job-intensive businesses in the blue economy, including productive uses of the marine and coastal ecosystems; (iii) transformative governance and policy reforms.

·Forest partnership with Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Zambia: They aim to address forests in a comprehensive and integrated way. They help protect, restore and ensure the sustainable use and management of forests, promote good forest governance, strengthen forest-based value chains, stimulate stable and legal business environments and ensure the sustainability of trade in forest products and other commodities that drive deforestation.

·Digital Economy Packages with Nigeria, Kenya and Democratic Republic of the Congo: With the launch of digital economy packages the EU helps boost connectivity, skills and inclusive governance in the digital sectors of partner countries. In Kenya, this package will be implemented through the Team Europe Initiative on Human Centred Digitalisation.

·Digital Economy and Society for Sub-Saharan Africa: With the launch of the Team Europe Initiative on Digital Economy and Society for Sub-Saharan Africa, the EU supports and promotes Africa’s digital transition by addressing connectivity, governance, entrepreneurship and skills, including as part of the Digital for Development Hub Africa Branch.

·Vaccine production in Africa: The Manufacturing and access to vaccines, medicines and health technologies Team Europe Initiative supports the African Union’s effort to promote local manufacturing of vaccines and broader access to health products. Up to now, it has mobilised over EUR 2 billion from EU and Member States budget, including support to the African Vaccines Manufacturing Accelerator. This initiative addresses the supply side (production), demand side (off-take) and enabling environment, as illustrated in Rwanda with the opening of the first mRNA facility in Kigali in December 2023 and the launch of the biotechnology programmes at the University of Rwanda in April 2023. In Senegal, the MADIBA (Manufacturing in Africa for Disease Immunisation and Building Autonomy) project aims to launch vaccine production in 2025. In South Africa, the production of COVID-19 vaccines at Aspen Pharmacare has already started. In Ghana, DEK Vaccines Limited is setting a fill & finish facility with production expected in 2025.

·Regional Teachers Initiative for Africa: Africa will need over 15 million additional teachers in order to achieve universal primary and secondary education by 2030. The Regional Teachers Initiative for Africa, launched in January 2023, brings together the EU and several EU Member States, the African Union and UNESCO. It helps bridge the teachers’ gap and achieve a more competent, motivated and inclusive teacher workforce able to offer quality learning.

·Opportunity-driven Skills and Vocational Education and Training in Africa: The Team Europe Initiative focusing on opportunity-driven skills and vocational education and training in Africa aims to identify decent employment opportunities and demanded skills to orient vocational education and training interventions at country level.

b.Asia-Pacific

·Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor: Under Global Gateway, the EU is working to turn the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor into a modern, competitive and efficient route connecting Europe and Asia in no more than 15 days. It will strengthen the role of Central Asia as a connectivity hub and foster economic cooperation and regional integration among the five Central Asian countries, while connecting the region more closely to Europe. The EU, Member States and European Financial Institutions, acting in a Team Europe approach, will support the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor through various regional programmes, as well as blending operations and loan guarantees. Participants to the January 2024 EU-Central Asia Transport Investors Forum committed to mobilise EUR 10 billion (ongoing and planned investments) in sustainable transport connectivity in Central Asia, building on a study published in June 2023. 60 A Coordination Platform was launched in Astana in June 2024.

·Sustainable Urbanisation and Green Urban Mobility in India: The EU supports the rehabilitation of urban infrastructure with a focus on integrated waste management and climate-sensitive urban management. It includes the implementation of integrated, sustainable and energy-efficient metro rail systems in Surat and Ahmedabad.

·Development of the Port of Lumut in Malaysia: Maritime Industrial City Project to develop the Port of Lumut from a bulk to a multi-purpose and container port, as well as create a green industrial and logistics complex specialised in the production of hydrogen, renewable energy and sustainable mid- and down-stream industry.

·Strategic partnership on raw material value chains with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan: Global Gateway supports the implementation of partnerships with Central Asian countries endowed with raw materials. The EU signed Memoranda of Understanding for strategic partnerships on critical raw materials with Kazakhstan (2022) and Uzbekistan (2024).

·South Asia Energy Connectivity: Construction of solar photovoltaic power plants, hydro power plants and transmission lines for grid connection through Bhutan; extension of the Chilime-Trishuli transmission line and Dudhkoshi Storage Hydroelectric project in Nepal; support to the development of regional energy market and investment environment in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Nepal.

·Team Europe Initiative on Green Energy Transition in Bangladesh: The Initiative supports Bangladesh’s green transition through investments in renewable energy generation and energy efficiency. During the Global Gateway Forum 2023, Bangladesh and the EU signed agreements worth EUR 400 million for renewable energy projects and five additional cooperation actions, worth EUR 70 million, supporting education, decent work, green construction, e-governance and the prevention of gender-based violence.

·Just Energy Transition Partnership with Indonesia and Vietnam: These partnerships aim to accelerate the decarbonisation of the partner countries’ economies and support a just energy transition.

·Construction of the Bac Ai Hydro Pump Storage in Vietnam: Developed in the context of the Just Energy Transition Partnership, this project aims to help the Vietnamese government construct a four-unit pumped-storage hydropower system. The new system will have a total capacity of 1,200 megawatts.

·Qaliwana-Vatutokotoko cascading hydropower scheme in Fiji: The EIB will support the construction of the Qaliwana-Vatutokotoko cascading hydropower scheme to increase Fiji’s renewable energy share, reducing considerably its dependence on fossil fuels.

·Forest Partnership with Mongolia: The main objective of the Partnership is to address the protection, restoration and sustainable management and use of Mongolia’s forests. The Forest Partnership’s Memorandum of Understanding was signed by the Commission President and Mongolian President in November 2022.

·Team Europe Initiative Green Blue Alliance for the Pacific and Timor Leste: The Initiative covers 15 Island Countries (including Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste), and three French Overseas Countries and Territories. It works on mainstreaming climate ambition and making a sustainable use of the Pacific natural capital.

·Digital transformation in the Philippines: The Copernicus Programme in the Philippines is the EU’s first Earth Observation programme for disaster risk management in South-East Asia. Building on a partnership with the European Space Agency, this initiative 61 involves establishing a data centre hub hosted by the Philippines Space Agency. Access to satellite data should help improve environmental management and mitigate the effects of climate change. Through the Digital Economy Package, the EU and Member States, acting in a Team Europe approach, will also help the Philippines upgrade connectivity infrastructure to ensure better access to Copernicus data. It will provide capacity building on cybersecurity and 5G roll-out, finance scholarships, and facilitate technical exchanges.

c.Latin America and the Caribbean

·Electric Mobility in Costa Rica: Costa Rica’s National Decarbonisation Plan aims for a net-zero emission economy by 2050, with the transport sector a primary focus. In the context of the Global Gateway Investment Agenda for Latin America and the Caribbean, the EU, Portugal, Spain, France, Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands, acting in a Team Europe approach, offer technical, financial, and industrial support to help Costa Rica electrify its public transport. This includes modernising the bus system, electrifying passenger trains, and enhancing infrastructure for e-mobility.

·Renewable hydrogen development in Chile: The Team Europe Initiative on Renewable Hydrogen in Chile supports the decarbonisation of the Chilean economy, creating green jobs and generating business opportunities for Chilean and European companies, whilst meeting Europe’s own demand for import of green hydrogen. It catalyses private investment; supports the development of infrastructure; promotes EU norms and environmental, social and governance standards; contributes to technology transfer, regulatory reform, and training. The Ports of Rotterdam, Antwerp and Hamburg have signed memoranda of understanding with the Chilean Ministry of Energy. EU and Member States also provide technical assistance.

·EU Latin America and Caribbean Digital Alliance: Launched in March 2023, it encompasses every aspect of the digital transition, including the extension of the Bella (Building the Europe Link to Latin America and the Caribbean) fibre optic cable, digital backbone connectivity, research cooperation, regional Copernicus strategy, the EU-LAC Digital Accelerator and policy dialogue on cybersecurity.

·Connectivity and digital transition in Colombia: Supporting the government’s initiative to improve connectivity from 50 to 85% of the population requires a combination of public policies, public and private investments, technology, and community participation. The EU has developed a strong dialogue with national institutions, EU Member States and their companies.

·Turning Sargassum into an economic opportunity: Under the EU-LAC Global Gateway Investment Agenda, the EU, the EIB, France, Germany, Spain and Finland launched a Team Europe Initiative that aims to reduce the damage caused by the Sargassum alga and integrate it into the circular economy (e.g. cosmetics, fertilisers, biomass). Components include research, policy and normative framework, knowledge sharing, monitoring and forecasting, facilitation of private sector investment, and public investment.

·Addressing pollution in the Motagua river basin: The Motagua River is one of the most plastic-emitting rivers in the world, contributing around two percent of global plastic pollution emissions into oceans annually. In a Team Europe approach, the EU aims to improve sewage systems at municipal level and build water treatment plants.

·Partnership on health resilience and vaccine production: The EU launched this partnership to strengthen and harmonise the regulatory environment and develop market integration for health products.

·Global Green Bonds Initiative in the Dominican Republic: In the context of its ongoing cooperation with the EU, the Government of the Dominican Republic successfully issued its first sovereign green bond in July 2024.

d.Overseas Countries and Territories