Episode 97: EU Strategic Interdependence and How to Revitalise the WTO with José Ignacio Torreblanca

This podcast is a recording of the conversation that ECIPE Director Matthias Bauer hosted with José Ignacio Torreblanca, Senior Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) and Head of ECFR’s Madrid office, during the January 17th webinar EU Strategic Interdependence and How to Revitalise the WTO.

They discussed the EU’s strategic autonomy, underscoring its flaws and internal political divisions, while proposing the idea of strategic interdependence as a more viable framework. The discussion highlighted the EU’s diminishing economic influence, the need for balancing economic independence with cooperative strategies, and the EU’s potential to shape global trade rules. It also emphasized the importance of fostering interdependencies in a bipolar world dominated by the US and China, particularly in digital and green economies.