The Brief is Euractiv's afternoon newsletter - Global Europe The Brief – What if the EU were part of the BRICS?

 

Global Europe

The Brief – What if the EU were part of the BRICS?

It may be hard to imagine that the EU, solidly anchored in the G7, would one day want to join the would-be alternative grouping known as BRICS.

The Brief is Euractiv's afternoon newsletter [Photo by Alexei Danichev/Photohost Agency/Anadolu via Getty Images]

Charles Szumski and Sarantis Michalopoulos Euractiv  24-10-2024  16:55  5 min. read  Content type: Opinion Euractiv is part of the Trust Project

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Today, the well-attended BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, finishes. It is a wake-up call for Europe that Russia is not isolated globally despite Western sanctions.

It may even lead to a provocative question: where does Europe see its place in a fast-developing multipolar world?

It may be hard to imagine that the EU, solidly anchored in the G7, would one day want to join the would-be alternative grouping led by China, Russia, Brazil, India and South Africa, commonly known as BRICS.

However, Russia and other rising global players have embraced a “multipolar” reality for years now, questioning the existence of the West-driven unipolar order. As it happens, this new multipolar world is also increasingly debated in Europe.

The development inevitably scares the West, hence the absence of the word multipolar from key US official public statements.

As Washington escalates tensions with Beijing after the US elections, Brussels stakeholders fear things will get worse. For its part, Beijing courts the EU, describing it as a driver of “the multipolar world”, while other countries, such as South Africa, also push the EU in the same direction.

But as long as Vladimir Putin is still in the picture, any EU engagement with the BRICS should be ruled out, at least for now. But can the EU be at the centre of a platform uniting India, Brazil and South Africa, with other rising economies throughout the world? Many in Brussels would possibly dream about such a photo opportunity.

The EU is at a crossroads and already feels external pressure on how to position itself. China wants Europe to question the unipolar world order, while the US needs Europe to counterbalance the rise of South East Asia.

Officially, Europeans recognise a multipolar reality and it is no coincidence that the new European Commission is focusing on fixing problems at home – especially on competitiveness – to survive amid rising global tensions.

Driven by the Mario Draghi and Enrico Letta reports, Brussels does want to follow its own path, which means it will be tough not to face contradictions.

In trade, they take no sides, saying the primary objective is to defend EU interests.

In tech, they want to decrease dependence on third-country providers.

In foreign affairs, however, they have no choice but to follow the American line. The incoming defence commissioner has already shown his NATO credentials.

Be it Harris or Trump, whoever wins in November, the US line of absolute control of the western hemisphere and letting no superpower emerge in the East is likely to stay for the next five years.

China is not yet an Eastern superpower, as its economic strength has not yet been translated into a concrete military power projection worldwide that could endanger US  hegemony.

Without autonomy in defence, Europe has little choice but to follow the Americans, even if the final bill is more expensive, as was the case with imported US liquid natural gas (LNG) after the Western embargo on Russia, following the invasion of Ukraine.

Values-wise, it does not matter which America the EU follows after the US elections. After all, Europe’s largest political family, the EPP, already collaborates with Trump’s friends in the European Parliament. Therefore, it is not a question of whether to join the BRICS, but how to engage with the BRICS.

The Roundup

Commissioner-designate Valdis Dombrovskis will tell MEPs simplifying EU budgetary rules and business regulations is crucial for Europe to meet its investment needs and remain competitive with the US and China.

Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday (23 October) pledged EU expansion remains high on her agenda as she arrives in Albania, launching her tour of Balkan countries that hope to join the bloc.

Czech Railways opposes Commission fine over alleged cartel, but Margrethe Vestager insists the EU does not tolerate any restriction of competition.

Donald Tusk will not run to be the Polish president in 2025. “It was a rational and wise decision of Tusk not to run for president,” said one expert.

Hungarian expert: EU intervention may keep Fico’s rule in Slovakia on a moderate path.

Six years after France’s data protection authority received a complaint for LinkedIn’s data processing practices, Ireland's data protection authority fined LinkedIn €310 million.

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) struck down part of a 2009 decision by the European Commission that Intel abused its dominant position in the computer chip market.

Look out for

Commissioner Lenarčič is in Mosbach and Schwarzach, Germany: participating in full-scale civil protection exercises.

Commissioner Stella Kyriakides delivers a speech via videoconference at a breast cancer awareness event to present Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan.

Kyriakides will also deliver a speech via videoconference at an event on the EU’s policies on child cancer organised by MEP Giorgos Georgiou.

Commissioner Helena Dalli delivers a keynote speech at the PES Women Statutory meeting, in Brussels, Belgium.

European Commission President von der Leyen is in Bosnia and Herzegovina, meeting the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina; meeting with Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers Borjana Krišto.

Von der Leyen will also meet with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić; and Prime Minister Miloš Vučević in Belgrade, Serbia.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell is in Barcelona, Spain: participating in the Euro-Mediterranean Civil Society Conference, ‘Reclaiming our shared humanity.'

[Edited by Rajnish Singh]

Updated: 24-10-2024