STA, 6 October 2021 - The EU must strengthen its capacity to act autonomously in order to become more effective and assertive on the international stage, EU leaders agreed at last nights’ informal dinner according to a statement by Council President Charles Michel.
"Our unity is our core asset. By acting together, we will leverage our strengths," Michel said was one of the main messages of the debate.
In this sense, the EU is "committed to consolidating our strengths and strengthening our resilience by reducing our critical dependencies."
The first meeting since June, the gathering saw the leaders address the fallout from the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan and the formation of the AUKUS alliance between the US, UK and Australia.
Happy to attend the @EU2021SI Presidency informal dinner of EU 27 leaders this evening.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) October 5, 2021
The EU faces a challenging global environment.
I look forward to discussing how we can maintain strong partnerships and strengthen our position on the international stage. pic.twitter.com/xwRpMRdzzv
Michel said the bloc remained "committed to working with our allies and like-minded partners, in particular the US and within NATO which is the cornerstone of our security."
As for ties with China, he said the EU would "pursue our own interests" and considered China "a competitor, a partner and a systemic rival".
The office of the Slovenian prime minister said the leaders conducted a "strategic debate" on the EU's role in the international arena against the backdrop of recent events in Afghanistan, a debate on the AUKUS security partnership, and relations with China.
It said relations with strategic partners needed to become "a key component of a strong foreign policy".
"The EU's goals in this field have not changed, but due to the recent events it is necessary to think about the best way to achieve them."
