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EU-China Working Group

Created in 2021, the Jacques Delors Institute’s EU-China Working Group is chaired by Sylvie Bermann, former French Ambassador to Beijing, and coordinated by Elvire Fabry, Senior Fellow specialising in geopolitics. This group brings together European experts to analyse economic and political relations between the European Union and China, provide strategic recommendations to European decision-makers, monitor developments in Chinese policies and their impact in Europe, and promote dialogue between European and Chinese experts through the organisation of events and dedicated publications.

Objectives of the EU-China Working Group

  1. Analyse economic and political relations between the EU and China.
  2. Provide strategic recommendations for European decision-makers.
  3. Monitor developments in Chinese policy and their impact on Europe.
  4. Promote dialogue between European and Chinese experts, particularly through events and publications.

How we work

  • Publications and analyses :
    • The group has published two important reports: one in 2021 on the strategic autonomy of the European Union vis-à-vis China, and another in 2023 on scenarios for 2035 between de-risking and EU-China cooperation.
    • In 2025, the group plans to publish more short notes focusing on the hearings it has conducted.
  • Auditions :
    • The group regularly invites experts on China or EU-China relations visiting Paris.
    • The group also organises presentation events to mark the publication of its reports.
    • In 2025, the group plans to hold hearings with key players in EU-China relations in various Member States (France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the Netherlands).
  • Academic and institutional cooperation: currently informal with European and Chinese stakeholders.

Main topics

The group is working on several key areas:

  • Trade relations and investment: China’s economic outlook, monetary policy developments, the impact of Chinese industrial policies on the EU, and instruments for protecting the European market.
  • Strategic technologies and industries: semiconductors, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and technological competition.
  • Energy and climate transitions: cooperation and rivalry on the green transition, and China’s commitment to carbon neutrality.
  • Geopolitics and security: China’s strategies for influence in Europe, the EU-China-US triangle, Taiwan and the South China Sea.
  • Global governance: China’s role in international organisations and its impact on European diplomacy.

Members of the EU-China Working Group of the Jacques Delors Institute (February 2025)

  • Sébastien ABIS, Director of Club Demeter, Associate Researcher at IRIS
  • Stéphanie BALME, Dean of the University College of Sciences Po Paris and Director of Research at CERI
  • David BAVEREZ, Investor, essayist and columnist
  • Sylvie BERMANN, Member of the Board of Directors of the Jacques Delors Institute and Chair of the EU-China Working Group; former Ambassador of France to China, the United Kingdom and Russia
  • Joachim BITTERLICH, Member of the Board of Directors of the Jacques Delors Institute, former German Ambassador, former European, diplomatic and security advisor to Chancellor Helmut Kohl, former Vice-President of the France-China Committee
  • Nicola CASARINI, Senior Associate Fellow at the Institute of International Affairs (Rome) and Global Fellow at the Wilson Centre (Washington DC)
  • Sacha COURTIAL, Personal Assistant to Pascal Lamy and Secretary of the EU-China Working Group
  • Jean-François DI MEGLIO, President of Asia Centre
  • Sybille DUBOIS-FONTAINE, Executive Director of the France-China Committee
  • Elvire FABRY, Senior Researcher at the Jacques Delors Institute and Rapporteur for the EU-China Working Group
  • Alicia GARCÍA HERRERO, Senior Research Fellow at the Bruegel think tank and Assistant Professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
  • Irène HORS, Chairwoman of the Steering Committee of the France China Foundation
  • Nicolas KÖHLER-SUZUKI, Associate Researcher, Jacques Delors Institute; Trade Policy Advisor at International Trade Intelligence
  • Pascal LAMY, Coordinator of the Jacques Delors Institutes Network (Paris, Berlin, Brussels), Vice-President of the Paris Peace Forum
  • Françoise NICOLAS, Director of the Asia Centre at IFRI
  • Miguel OTERO, Senior Analyst at the Real Instituto Elcano in Madrid