Welcome
EU Global Gateway: Global partnerships for democratic and sustainable standards
Foreign Minister Baerbock at the opening of the first mRNA vaccine plant in Kigali, © Florian Gaertner/AA/photothek.de
With its Global Gateway, the EU is combining global infrastructure partnerships with democratic values and sustainable standards – without hidden dependencies.
Infrastructure is what keeps the world up and running. It includes rails, ports and roads as well as power plants, power lines, data cables and water pipes, and education and healthcare systems. The G20 estimates that by 2040 there will be a deficit of around 13 trillion euro needed to close global infrastructure gaps. This is where the EU’s Global Gateway comes in, combining infrastructure projects with support for democracy, sustainability and resilience.
Geopolitical instrument to close infrastructure gaps and reduce dependencies
With its Global Gateway, the EU has created a geopolitical instrument for long-term, sustainable infrastructure investments in partner countries in the European Neighbourhood, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Asia. It is a fair and sustainable approach that focuses on partner countries’ specific needs and does not create hidden dependencies. The German Government is providing the European Commission with considerable financial and political support as well as expertise for the implementation of the Global Gateway. The aim is to sustainably expand partnerships and connect them to geopolitical goals.
Foreign Minister Baerbock commented on the Global Gateway:
In the competition between systems, it is not enough to have good arguments in favour of our liberal democratic model. We must also show other countries that the EU can offer them the better options as a result – transparently, treating them as equals, without oppressive contracts. This is what makes the Global Gateway so important, particularly when it comes to major issues that will shape the future such as climate action, energy transformation and digitalisation.
Worldwide partnerships for more democracy, sustainability and resilience
Global Gateway investments will strengthen bilateral partnerships and improve the EU’s position in a competition-oriented world. In addition, the projects implemented will bolster global energy and food security as well as supply chain resilience. The Global Gateway is thus also a response to the global upheaval caused by the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.
The Global Gateway is implemented through regional partnerships. These include the Global Gateway Africa – Europe Investment Package that was passed at the summit held by the EU and the African Union in February 2022, covering infrastructure projects worth 150 billion euro. The Global Gateway also played an important role at the EU-Central Asia Connectivity Conference for Sustainable Development in Samarkand in November 2022, the EU-ASEAN commemorative summit in Brussels in December 2022, and the Indo-Pacific Forum in Paris in February 2022. A regional summit between the EU and Latin America (EU-CELAC summit) was held in Brussels in July 2023, followed in October by the first Global Gateway Forum, where new projects worth over 3 billion euro were announced – including the expansion of the Lobito Corridor, partnerships for critical raw materials with the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia, the Medusa submarine cable system, and investments in renewable energy in Bangladesh.
Flagship Global Gateway projects
Since September 2022, the European Commission and the EU member states have together presented over 220 flagship projects that receive funding via Global Gateway. These include:
- the first mRNA vaccine production plant in Africa, which was inaugurated by Foreign Minister Baerbock in December 2023,
- a hydropower project in Rogun, Tajikistan,
- support for green mobility and new metro systems in India,
- a project to generate green hydrogen and extract critical raw materials in Namibia,
- the expansion of Maio and Mindelo ports in Cabo Verde.
With hundreds of smaller projects also underway, Global Gateway is already having a positive impact and improving the lives of people in partner countries and the EU.
Further information
The European Commission provides up-to-date information concerning Global Gateway as well as infographics on the flagship Global Gateway projects in various regions of the world.
Germany Trade and Invest also provides information (in German) on Global Gateway.