Never let a good polycrisis go to waste!

The war in Ukraine is just the last one of the multiple crises, most of them of exogenous nature, that are shaking the world order and challenging the European Union. Increasing power competition, the emergence of alternative development models – like the Chinese – and multiple centres of gravity, and the irrelevance or the lack of legitimacy of the post-WWII international organisations, all call for the re-thinking of multilateralism and international cooperation.

What role will the European Union play in this shifting world order? How can the bloc respond to these changes or adjust to them, without betraying its existential purpose, namely preventing wars, rather than fighting them, and preserving democracy and the rule of law? How can it contribute to shaping the basis for new forms of international cooperation that are fair and inclusive? The EU should grasp the opportunity to turn this polcycrisis environment into an opportunity to promote innovations.