From June 9 to 13, EVC Taiwan Office Head Marcin Jerzewski and Senior Project Coordinator Olimpia Kot joined a multinational delegation in Brussels for the soft launch of our latest policy study, Chasing Convergence: The EU’s Partnerships in the Indo-Pacific and the Implementation of the Global Gateway Initiative. The study is an original, field-based investigation into how the EU’s flagship infrastructure and connectivity initiative is unfolding on the ground. It draws on 48 interviews conducted with stakeholders in Fiji, Vietnam, South Korea, Japan, and EU institutions, offering both critical insights and actionable recommendations.
The report underscores the need for the EU to pursue more targeted and flexible partnerships—especially with like-minded Indo-Pacific actors such as Japan, South Korea, Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand, and Taiwan—to enhance the strategic impact and visibility of the Global Gateway.
The delegation included experts from Australia (represented by Raelene Lockhorst is the Deputy Director of the National Security Program at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, EVC’s partner), Fiji, Japan, and Taiwan, reflecting the study’s regional scope. During the visit, our team held a series of productive meetings, including with senior officials from relevant Directorates-General of the European Commission and with Hildegard Bentele, MEP and Global Gateway Rapporteur in the European Parliament.
