EU-Japan cooperation in Economic Security
AIES Senior Advisor Michael Reiterer spoke at event
Jun 02, 2026 / Global Affairs / European Security and Defence
Michael Reiterer, AIES Senior Advisor and Professor at the Brussels School of Governance, provided an update on the structural challenges facing the European Union and Japan in the current international environment, building on the presentation he delivered at RIETI two years ago. The central thesis, that security now overrides economic considerations as the organizing principle of foreign policy, has been reinforced rather than revised by recent developments. This shift is framed through the metaphor of a country standing on two legs: the economic leg, which both the EU and Japan have long cultivated, and a hard security leg, which has been chronically underdeveloped and must now be urgently strengthened. Against the current geopolitical backdrop, Professor Reiterer argues that middle powers such as the EU and Japan must deepen their strategic partnership, diversify their defense industrial base, and build a broader coalition of responsible partners to preserve resilience and room to maneuver in an increasingly coercive geopolitical environment.
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