A draft Council conclusions document published on 10 July 2026 invites the European Commission and the High Representative to develop a single, comprehensive global EU connectivity strategy, replacing existing fragmented approaches to better advance the EU's geopolitical and geo-economic interests. The document, dated 3 June 2021, outlines a vision for a unified strategy that would apply high sustainability and governance standards to all international connectivity initiatives, with the G20 Principles for Quality Infrastructure Investment as a minimum benchmark, and contribute to the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement.
The draft conclusions recall the 2018 Joint Communication "Connecting Europe and Asia" and its fundamental principles of climate, environmental, social, economic and fiscal sustainability, a level playing field, and a rules-based approach. Connectivity is described as pivotal to the Commission's 2019-2024 priorities, including the European Green Deal and the European Digital Agenda. The Covid-19 pandemic is cited as having exposed connectivity's strategic importance for economic security, resilience, and diversification of value chains.
The Council welcomes existing partnerships with Japan (September 2019) and India (May 2021), as well as commitments to cooperate with ASEAN (December 2020) and the United States. The document invites the Commission and High Representative to ensure a Team Europe approach, identify high-impact projects globally, incentivise sustainable investments using the MFF 2021-2027 and Next Generation EU, mobilise the private sector via a Business Advisory Group, ensure visibility through a unifying narrative and a Europa Connectivity Forum, create a horizontal Task Force, and keep the Council informed. The Council will discuss progress annually based on regular reports.
The proposed strategy would have moderate impact on EU producers and infrastructure firms, which could face new sustainability requirements but also gain access to coordinated project pipelines. EU consumers may benefit from more resilient supply chains, while non-EU partner countries could see increased investment but also stricter conditionality. The annual review mechanism ensures continued Council oversight, with the next step being formal adoption of the conclusions by the Council.