Europe's Geoeconomic Revolution: How the EU Learned to Wield Its Real Power

The European Union has recently operated a revolutionary conversion to geoeconomics -the use of economic tools for geopolitical purposes. As a result, the bloc is today more cohesive and better prepared to navigate growing geopolitical rivalries. This article analyzes the conditions that led to the EU’s geoeconomic turn, including the role played by China, the Trump Administration, and internal politics in Europe, as well as the panoply of geoeconomic tools created by the EU over the past four years.

This publication originally appeared as Matthias Matthijs and Sophie Meunier, "Europe's Geoeconomic Revolution: How the EU Learned to Wield Its Real Power," Foreign Affairs, September/October 2023, https://www.foreignaff airs.com/europe/european-union-geoeconomic-revolution. Copyright remains with the original holders.