FIIA Briefing Paper: The EU in an age of empires

Deutsch

By Niklas Helwig and Juha Jokela

The EU has both embodied and benefited from the principles of the liberal ‘free world’. Yet the global order has been undergoing a profound transformation for some time, shifting away from a rules-based international system towards a landscape increasingly shaped by power politics, transnational influence, and competition over resources and territories – a shift further accelerated by the recent turn in US foreign policy.

In an history-ignoring turn of events, the EU and its liberal model is no longer seen by Washington as a close ally but as a rival. Rather than a partner in shared values, Trump perceives the EU as an entity that “takes advantage of the United States”, and unlike during his first term, he is now both willing and able to act on this belief.

What was once a world where the “West” – despite its many inconsistencies – stood united against autocratic challengers has now fractured into a global environment where the EU must forge new partnerships and strengthen existing ones to defend the rules-based order and fend off imperialism.

New FIIA Briefing Paper

A new Briefing Paper for the Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA) assesses the EU’s challenges and opportunities in a world increasingly defined by hierarchical power structures and coercive tactics – what we describe as an emerging age of empires. The Paper focuses on three critical dimensions: the EU’s internal credibility as a political project, its ability to uphold a principled approach with global partners, and its capacity to wield economic influence in an era of power-driven competition.

The key takeaway is that, despite the intensification of raw power politics and transactional diplomacy, the EU must continue to uphold, leverage, and defend its core liberal, rules-based model of international engagement. In an age of empires, the EU’s ability to offer a non-imperial alternative to global politics depends on maintaining the rule of law at home and fostering equitable partnerships abroad. Additionally, deeper fiscal and political integration will be crucial for sustaining the EU’s economic strength and preparing for the intensification of global trade conflicts.

The Briefing Paper “The EU in an age of empires: A liberal geopolitical force in the making?” has been edited by Niklas Helwig and Juha Jokela. Several members of FIIA’s EU programme have contributed to it.

The full paper is available here.

Picture: Cover of the FIIA Briefing Paper, based on a photo by Dimitar Dilkoff, AFP / Lehtikuva.