2021 saw the most fundamental reform in the financing of EU external action since its inception, when several thematic and geographic financing instruments - including one intergovernmental fund - were merged into one. The creation of this single instrument was deemed to reduce fragmentation, avoid overlapping actions and enable greater oversight as well as flexibility. It was moreover expected to promote consistency between different areas of EU external action and ensure a high degree of cooperation between them. This research inquiry probes into whether these effects have been realised by comparing EU cooperation philosophies and practices in Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as the Southern and Eastern Neighbourhood. Drawing from the literature on bureaucratic politics, and qualitative interviews with Commission staff,it explores and confirms the alternative hypothesis that separate organisation structures and hierarchies have a greater influence on cooperation practices and understandings than overarching legal texts and guidelines.

The contribution analyses the trend of bilateralisation in the EU’s international development policy and its implications for solidarity in EU external action. Solidarity has long been understood as fundamental policy norm of EU development policy in the sense of a normative driver and principle of cooperation. Bilateralisation refers to the increasing focus on direct, country-specific partnerships that combine direct aid with broader strategic cooperation, exemplified in the Global Gateway strategy. Since Von der Leyen’s geopolitical Commission 2019 the trend towards a stronger strategic alignment with EU interests in development policy has increased, illustrated in the shift from development to international partnerships. International partnerships have emerged as an alternative to the ambition of a global development policy to acknowledge a stronger strategic alignment with EU interests, suggesting a reduced role of solidarity as a normative driver of EU external action. Furthermore, while bilateralisation opens space for third countries’ agency and leverage under changing geopolitical and geoeconomic considerations, it possibly poses a burden on international solidarity as it benefits those third countries in their cooperation with the EU which have something to offer. To examine these propositions, the contribution examines the nature of bilateralisation of EU development cooperation and the drivers of this trend. The analysis looks, first, at the changing patterns of EU cooperation across various agreements to see how broader strategic considerations, especially concerning migration and energy, are integrated with development assistance. In a second step, it traces what factors are underlying the integration of these areas of cooperation. The conclusions add to the understanding of international solidarity in the EU’s external action in times of geopolitical tensions and contestation of global norms.

Amid growing geopolitical contestation, the European Union has increasingly framed its external action through the lenses of competitiveness and economic security. This shift is closely linked to rising concerns about external influence, dependency, and foreign interference exercised through infrastructure investment, connectivity, and development finance. Launched in 2021, the Global Gateway (GG) has emerged as a central instrument in this context and as a means through which the EU articulates a renewed strategic narrative of global engagement, in which external cooperation is increasingly framed as an instrument for safeguarding strategic interests and autonomy

While the Global Gateway is formally grounded in the EU’s value-based commitments, its framing also reflects a pragmatic reconfiguration of relations with third countries and an evolving approach to development cooperation. By emphasising trusted partnerships, resilience, and strategic interests, the initiative signals an attempt to counter perceived risks of external interference while maintaining normative legitimacy. This suggests a growing openness to transactional logics in the EU’s external engagement, in which cooperation is increasingly narrated in terms of reciprocity, performance, and strategic returns. This raises a central puzzle for EU foreign policy: how can the Union sustain its identity as a values-based actor while advancing a more competitive, security-oriented external agenda?

This paper conceptualises the Global Gateway as a strategic narrative through which the European Commission responds to a changing international environment marked by China’s growing global presence, shifts in U.S. economic policy, and intensified concerns over foreign interference. Drawing on an analysis of official Commission communications and speeches by the Commission President and relevant Commissioners, the paper traces the evolution of the Global Gateway narrative from its launch in 2021 through 2025, including the first year of the current Commission. It examines how this narrative seeks to reconcile value-based legitimacy with competitiveness and economic security, and considers whether this evolution points to a broader shift toward transactionalism as a strategy for managing external influence in EU external action.