Will the Recent Strengthening of Relations between Taiwan and Europe Lead to a Comprehensive EU Taiwan-Friendly Policy?

Yun-chen Lai

《Taiwan Strategists》 13期 (2022/03) Pp. 45-66

摘要

Europe-Taiwan relations have warmed substantially recently, leading to speculation that the EU could shift to a more Taiwan-friendly policy. However, this new amity comes from certain CEEC and specific EU institutions, chief among them Lithuania and the European Parliament. As the European Union is an aggregate of 27 member states and various institutions, EU-Taiwan relations rely not only on specific member states, but also on the union as whole. Furthermore, the positions and interests of the EU member states toward Taiwan and China are varied, making it difficult for the EU to find a united stance in dealing with Taiwan and China. In other words, support from a limited number of member states and institutions is not enough for the Union to change its policy dramatically. Due to the differences between EU actors and European states, even though there has been increasing engagement of Europe with Taiwan, it is unlikely that there will be a major shift within the EU such as the adoption of a EU-wide approach to Taiwan in the near future.

關鍵字

EU-Taiwan Relations ； Taiwan-Lithuanian Relations ； Taiwan-CEEC Relations ； 17+1 Forum ； European Parliament