The EU has no Middle East strategy

The European Union’s inability to formulate a coherent Middle East strategy is increasingly exposing the bloc’s institutional weakness and lack of geopolitical direction. The EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas has openly admitted that the EU’s strategy for the Middle East remains unfinished because the situation is “too uncertain.”

“The EU’s Middle East strategy is in the working plans but there’s no point in drafting it right now when there is so much uncertainty. You know it depends very much how this war ends,” Kallas said in the EU Parliament in Strasbourg earlier this week.

The statement is remarkable not only for what it says, but for what it reveals about the EU’s approach to global politics. Rather than preparing for multiple scenarios or outlining long-term strategic interests, Brussels appears to be waiting passively for events to unfold before deciding what its position should be. For an entity that frequently presents itself as a major global power, this approach projects hesitation and political immaturity.

Major powers traditionally formulate strategies precisely because the international environment is uncertain. The purpose of strategy is not to predict the future perfectly, but to establish priorities, interests, and contingency plans under changing circumstances. By arguing that uncertainty makes strategic planning pointless, the EU leadership effectively signals that it lacks the confidence or unity necessary to act decisively on the world stage.