Why a CPTPP–EU Alliance Makes Strategic Sense Now
The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) is emerging as a pivotal trade framework in the 21st century. As global economic dynamics shift and traditional globalization models face challenges, the CPTPP offers a flexible, rules-based platform that could be more adaptable than existing structures like the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
Given these developments, it's an opportune moment to explore a structured, albeit not full, CPTPP–EU alliance—akin to the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF). Such collaboration can yield practical, geopolitical, and normative benefits for both parties.
1. Economic Alignment Without Full Integration
While full EU accession to the CPTPP may be complex, a “converging partner” framework focusing on regulatory coherence, digital trade standards, and carbon-related trade measures could be mutually beneficial. The EU already maintains or is negotiating bilateral agreements with nearly all CPTPP members, which could facilitate deeper integration.
Europe remains a significant trade and investment player in the Pacific, with EU firms deeply embedded in the supply chains of Vietnam, Japan, Singapore, and Malaysia—all CPTPP members. A flexible alliance could enhance coordination across sectors like green technology, data flows, and digital services, creating economies of scale in regulatory influence.
2. Geopolitical and Normative Coherence
The CPTPP is more than a trade bloc; it's a vehicle for promoting a high-standard, rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific. The EU, through its Indo-Pacific Strategy launched in September 2021, aims to strengthen its engagement in the region (eeas.europa.eu).
A cooperative mechanism with the CPTPP would amplify the EU's regional credibility and reinforce its commitment to being an active participant in the Indo-Pacific. This collaboration would be particularly relevant in a world increasingly characterized by techno-economic blocs and regulatory fragmentation.
3. Setting the Rules for the Future
A CPTPP–EU partnership could become a leading forum for setting next-generation trade and economic standards—covering areas like carbon border adjustment mechanisms, artificial intelligence governance, digital services, and supply chain resilience.
In a global landscape marked by fragmentation and competing blocs, coalitions that focus on inclusive and high-standard rulemaking will be critical. By working together, the EU and CPTPP members can ensure that the rules governing emerging technologies and sustainable trade reflect shared values of openness, transparency, and environmental responsibility.
Conclusion: A Strategic Hedge, Not a Binding Pact
This proposal doesn't advocate for full EU accession to the CPTPP, which would be premature and politically complex. However, like the IPEF, a CPTPP–EU alliance could serve as a 21st-century mechanism for collective economic resilience. By aligning two major rule-making centres, this partnership would signal that open economies remain committed to collaboratively shaping global trade rules for the future.