Enhancing security cooperation in and with Asia

Context

The EU, its member states and their Asian and Indo-Pacific partners are facing growing challenges due to complex and multifaceted security risks, such as territorial and maritime disputes, terrorism, violent extremism, cyber threats, manipulated and misleading information. At the same time, global power politics has intensified further in recent years. It is therefore important to form strategic partnerships.

Objective

The EU steps up its engagement on security in and with Asia and the Indo-Pacific region. Cooperation with the nine partner countries, namely India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Viet Nam is strengthened.

Approach

The project brings together security stakeholders from the EU and the Indo-Pacific region in order to build mutual trust, promote cooperation and implement measures. The project is built on three intertwined pillars:

Pillar 1: Policy dialogue

It organises dialogues on security and defence policies between the EU and its partner countries and with the regional forums in Asia and the Indo-Pacific.

Pillar 2: Operational cooperation

It supports the EU and its Asian and Indo-Pacific partners in jointly planning measures for security and defence.

Pillar 3: Public diplomacy

It highlights the EU’s security and defence policies in partner countries in an endeavour to respond to the challenges in security policy in the Indo-Pacific region.

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is implementing the project in collaboration with the French development agency, Expertise France (EF). The project is financed by the German Federal Foreign Office. The EU and the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs are providing additional financial support.

Last update: May 2025