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Whatever your listeners might have heard about the Lobito Corridor, it's almost certainly wrong. Key discussion highlights A flagship built on hype. The corridor is the self-declared flagship of the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment. But the headline figures, around $4 billion on the US side and €2 billion on the EU side, are reached only by collating years of pre-existing and often unrelated spending.

Brief Philippe Van Damme examines the substantive challenge in regulating the Global Europe instrument: reconciling EU geopolitical ambitions with its commitments to a rules- and values-based international order. Summary All cards are now on the table. The negotiations on the European Union’s 2028-2034 multiannual financial framework can start in earnest.

Cassava is strategically important along the Abidjan-Lagos corridor for food security, urban consumption and industrial uses. However, investment opportunities in this vegetable will not become bankable through infrastructure alone. Roads, agro-parks and processing capacity are essential, but the investment case depends just as much on whether information is reliable, quality is traceable, actors coordinate, and rules are predictable. Digital tools can help address these challenges.

Summary The EU's Global Gateway strategy aims to mobilise public and private investment in partner countries while advancing the EU's economic and geostrategic interests. Through the Global Gateway Investment Hub (GGIH), the European Commission, largely DG INTPA, has encouraged member states to establish ‘Team National’ mechanisms to coordinate domestic actors and facilitate companies' participation in Global Gateway investments.

In our Annual Report 2025, we reflect on a year defined by geopolitical fragmentation, intensified debates over international financing and climate, and a reassessment of the Africa-Europe partnership. The report offers a snapshot of our work and the contributions we made to advancing international cooperation and sustainable development in a complex global landscape.

Summary Public procurement is a potentially powerful lever for translating the EU’s geostrategic ambitions into operational reality. This brief argues that the current approach to EU preferences in external procurement might be well-intentioned but risks being self-defeating. It also sets out a more effective path forward.

Key Discussion Highlights The shift to competitiveness: In von der Leyen's second Commission, the European climate conversation has pivoted sharply toward economic competitiveness. Clean tech has become the epicenter of global geopolitical rivalry—a phenomenon dubbed the "China Shock 2.0." Why India is central to the climate equation: While China’s steel production has plateaued, India is the fastest-growing producer in the world.

Teamwork carries its own distinct energy – bringing together different skills and perspectives, trusting each member to play their part, and sharing both successes and setbacks in pursuit of a common goal. These are qualities familiar to any football player or sailing crew member, and, as of last 5 June, surely also to the participants of the Management Team (MT) meeting of the Team Europe initiative ‘Investing in Young Businesses in Africa’ (TEI IYBA), initially launched in 2021.

San Bilal examines the evolution of the EU's Global Gateway strategy and offers ten concrete recommendations. This page is also available in French. Summary This brief examines the evolution of the EU's Global Gateway strategy.

L'évolution de Global Gateway : de la version 1.0 à la version 2.0 L’initiative européenne Global Gateway a fortement évolué depuis son lancement en décembre 2021. À l’origine, avec Global Gateway 1.0, l’accent a été mis sur la dimension des investissements durables, concentrés sur les infrastructures (énergie propre, numérisation, transport), la santé, l’éducation et la recherche, reposant sur les valeurs et principes fondamentaux de l’Union européenne, ses normes, la qualité et la sécurité.