Outreach Archives - CSDS

Brussels Indo-Pacific Forum – Press Release

Patrizia Cogo — Fri, 02 Dec 2022 07:00:03 +0000

“It is good that the Indo-Pacific is getting greater attention in the European public debate. We certainly need this. I welcome the contribution that the Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy (CSDS) is making to develop European thinking on the region. In many ways, the Indo-Pacific region is where the future of our planet and of history will be decided.”

Josep Borrell Fontelles, High Representative for the Union’s Foreign and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, 29 November 2022.

On 29 November 2022, the Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy (CSDS) at the Brussels School of Governance, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, organised the first-ever “Brussels Indo-Pacific Forum”.

The Forum welcomed a number of senior policy-makers from Europe and the Indo-Pacific region and over 160 audience members attended the in-person gathering. Welcomed and introduced by CSDS Director Luis Simón, the Forum started with a keynote speech by Josep Borrell Fontelles, the European Union’s High Representative for the Union’s Foreign and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission (HR/VP). In his speech HR/VP Borrell not only outlined his vision for the EU’s approach to the Indo-Pacific, but he welcomed CSDS’ efforts in developing European thinking on the region. He also thanked CSDS for organising the first of hopefully many annual fora of this kind.

The Forum welcomed a host of senior decision-makers and analysts from and on the Indo-Pacific region. Former European Commissioner and President of the Brussels School of Governance, Karel De Gucht, opened the event alongside H.E. Makita Shimokawa, Ambassador of Japan to Belgium and NATO. The Forum also welcomed H.E. Caroline Millar, Ambassador for Australia to the EU, NATO, Belgium and Luxembourg, and H.E. Yoon Soongu, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Belgium and the EU and Head of Mission to NATO, as panel speakers. Roberto Viola, Director General of DG Connect at the European Commission, closed the event with a keynote speech.

During the panel sessions, audience participants learned about official positions from senior policy-makers. The EU’s Special Envoy for the Indo-Pacific, Richard Tibbels, explained how the Union was implementing its Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. Maria Martin-Prat de Abreu, Deputy Director-General of DG Trade at the European Commission, detailed how the Commission views the development of free trade and digitalisation in the Indo-Pacific. Emmanuel Puig, from the European External Action Service, described the importance of the EU Strategic Compass for security and defence and its objectives with regard to the Indo-Pacific. Finally, the Forum welcomed David Helvey, Deputy Defence Advisor at the US Mission to NATO, to provide an overview of the United States’ approach to the region.

In addition to the panel chairs Stuart Lau, Politico Europe, Ramon Pacheco Pardo, CSDS, and Daniel Fiott, CSDS, the organisers were honoured to welcome several academic and think tank representatives. Saori N. Katada, University of Southern California, Yuichi Hosoya, Keio University, Céline Pajon, CSDS, Jagannath Panda, Institute for Security and Development Policy, Choi Yoon Jung, Sejong Institute, Raluca Csernatoni, Carnegie Europe, and Karthik Nachiappan, National University of Singapore, shared their extensive expertise on digitalisation and security and defence trends in the Indo-Pacific.

Finally, the Forum was brought to an end by a special announcement launching the new Japan Chair at CSDS. The Chair, the first of its kind in the EU, will be taken up by Eva Pejsova who is based at CSDS. Introduced by CSDS Director Luis Simón, the audience learned about the objectives and planned activities of the Japan Chair.

The first Brussels Indo-Pacific Forum gained extensive attention in the public space. Not only were the major themes and issues discussed at the Forum picked up by Politico Europe, the South China Morning Post and Euractiv but it was widely viewed on social media with over 115,000 individual impressions for tweets on the Forum from CSDS’s Twitter account. The event was also promoted by the embassy of the Republic of Korea to Belgium, the EU and NATO on its website.

The Forum would not have been possible without the generous support of the Japanese Mission to the EUand the European Union. In particular, the Forum benefitted from the generous support provided through the Indo-Pacific Futures Platform (INFORM), which is sponsored by European Union.

Following the success of this first iteration of the Forum, we expect to build on the positive experience with another meeting in 2023.

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CSDS co-hosts two successful panels in Washington DC

Ilya Pijpen — Mon, 09 May 2022 06:00:59 +0000

On 9 May 2022, the Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy (CSDS) at the Brussels School of Governance co-hosted, along with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), two successful panel discussions in Washington DC. The first public event was devoted the topic of establishing a Transatlantic Dialogue in the Indo-Pacific, and it was broken into two sessions. Session one involved discussing the theoretical and practical aspects of cooperation in the Indo-Pacific between the United States, Europe, and various partners in Asia.The goal of this panel was to outline areas that require more talks between the partners as well as goals for the future and how the partnerships in the region should look. Speakers included Victor Cha, Michael J. Green, Luis Simón, and Yoko Iwama, and the conversation was moderated by Eva Pejsova. Session two focused specifically on the economic aspect of the transatlantic relathionship between Europe and the United States and how it pertains to China and the Indo-Pacific. Within the realm of economics, the issues surrounding the global supply chain, working with politically friendly governments, selectivity and capability, and the inclusion of the private sector were all touched on by the panelists in detail. The panel was moderated by Giulia Tercovich and included Matthew Goodman, Ramon Pacheco Pardo, Shin Oya, and Linde Desmaele as speakers. During the second discussion, on the subject of Trilateral Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, participants focused on breaking down the various aspects of cooperation between the United States, Europe and Japan in terms of actions concerning the Indo-Pacific. The speakers discussed areas of conflict within this potential partnership, various goals, as well as the nuances of cooperation that still need to be ironed out. This discussion was held in the context of the ongoing Ukraine war, which the panelists stressed has a great effect on how coalition building in Asia should take place. Participating in the discussion was Dr. Michael J. Green, Dr. Eva Pejsova, and Dr. Yuichi Hosoya, with Pierre Marcos as serving as a moderator.

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Luis Simón wins ERC grant for research on Europe’s place in Sino-American Competition

Ilya Pijpen — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 06:00:53 +0000

Professor Luis Simón, Director of the Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy (CSDS)at the VUB’s Brussels School of Governance, has been awarded an ERC Consolidator Grant of 1.7 million euros for his project ‘Subject or Object? Europe in Sino-American Competition’. The 5-year project will kick off in January 2023 and will examine the impact of US-China competition upon Europe and its role in the world. The EU’s European Research Council (ERC) grants are generally regarded as the most prestigious for researchers in the EU. The application procedure is extremely selective and the grants are awarded to independent, outstanding scientists who are conducting ground-breaking scientific research of the highest quality.

The project

Luis Simón’s award-winning project examines which factors account for Europe’s degree of autonomy in Sino-American competition. The increasing power struggle between the United States and China is probably the most important factor in contemporary and future international politics. The main innovation in his research is an original theory to explain how external actors combine coercion and incentives to influence EU policy, especially by undermining EU unity; how EU actors draw on those same strategies to preserve their unity and autonomy; and, critically, under which circumstances external or internal forces are likely to prevail. The project challenges conventional wisdom in contemporary scholarship, which posits that Europe is poised to become either a subject or an object in Sino-American competition. A driving assumption of this project is that Europe will be subject and object simultaneously, and the focus will be on unpacking the mechanics of that tension. The project will combine quantitative and qualitative analysis, and zoom in on three areas of external policy: trade and investment; technology and infrastructure; and foreign and security policy.

Second ERC project at Brussels School of Governance

With the ERC grant for Luis Simón’s project, there are currently two researchers at the Brussels School of Governance who have received ERC funding. In 2020, professor Liliana Lizarazo-Rodriguez was awarded an ERC Starting Grant for her project CURIAE VIRIDES. In this project, Liliana and her team are exploring the progressive transformation of human rights litigation into more eco-centric litigation and the role of (activist) courts.

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CSIS Podcast Europe and the Asia Chessboard

Ilya Pijpen — Tue, 11 May 2021 06:00:28 +0000

In: CSIS, Center for Strategic and International Studies

In this podcast, Michael J. Green, Dr. Eva Pejsova and Dr. Luis Simón discuss how the Indo-Pacific factors into European foreign policy and strategic thinking. Eva and Luis analyze the recently released “EU strategy for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific,” as well as the individual strategies of France, Germany, and the Netherlands, and argue that Europe cannot address the rise of China without considering the geopolitics of the Indo-Pacific region. The three then dive deeper into potential cooperation between the EU, U.S., and other partners in the region like Japan, Australia, and India.

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CSIS Podcast: U.S.-Korea-Japan Trilateral Cooperation Under a New Biden Administration

Ilya Pijpen — Mon, 10 May 2021 06:00:05 +0000

in CSIS podcast “The Impossible State”

In this episode, Andrew and Dr. Victor Cha invite a panel of guests to discuss the state of trilateral relations between Japan, South Korea, and the United States. To analyze what events have shifted the relationships, we are joined by Dr. Michael Green, Dr. Eva Pejsova, and Dr. Ramon Pacheco-Pardo.

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TRT: Roundtable ‘EU’S ASIA PIVOT: Influence in the Indo-Pacific?’

Ilya Pijpen — Fri, 07 May 2021 06:00:08 +0000

Roundtable is a discussion program with an edge. Broadcast out of London and presented by David Foster, it’s about bringing people to the table, listening to every opinion, and analysing every point of view. From fierce debate to reflective thinking, Roundtable discussions offer a different perspective on the issues that matter to you.

Our Senior Japan Fellow Eva Pejsova joined the TRT Roundtable to discuss the EU role in the Indo-Pacific.

We are not anti-China, says the European Union, but when it talks of promoting democracy, rule of law and human rights, what does it actually want? Tensions are already high in a region that produces almost two thirds of global wealth. The EU says one of its aims is to protect trade routes at sea. Could that only escalate mistrust between Beijing and Brussels?

Watch more

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