EU scientific diplomacy as a tool of strategic autonomy
https://doi.org/10.24833/2071-8160-2026-2-107-24-46
Abstract
This article examines European Union science diplomacy as an instrument of external action aimed at strengthening the EU’s international actorness, strategic autonomy, and technological sovereignty. It argues that EU science diplomacy is undergoing a significant transformation: from a liberal-normative model centered on international scientific cooperation, soft power, and global public goods toward a more strategic and geopolitical model shaped by technological competition, security concerns, and the fragmentation of the international order.
The article identifies the conceptual and institutional foundations of EU science diplomacy and assesses their role in the broader evolution of EU foreign policy. Methodologically, the study is grounded in institutionalism, which allows science diplomacy to be analyzed as a developing system of norms, strategic documents, organizational structures, expert networks, and practices formed under the auspices of the European Commission. The empirical basis includes European Commission documents, reports of EU working groups on science diplomacy, materials related to Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe, initiatives of the EU Science Diplomacy Alliance, and relevant academic literature.
The article examines two contrasting cases: the SESAME synchrotron project in Jordan and scientific cooperation in the Arctic. SESAME illustrates the liberal logic of “science for diplomacy,” where research infrastructure is expected to promote dialogue and confidence-building in a conflict-prone region. The Arctic case, by contrast, shows science diplomacy as a tool of strategic positioning in a region where scientific knowledge is closely linked to climate governance, natural resources, security, sanctions, and geopolitical rivalry.
The article concludes that EU science diplomacy can no longer be understood solely as a form of soft power or international cooperation. It is increasingly becoming a mechanism for consolidating the EU’s geopolitical subjectivity, technological sovereignty, and strategic autonomy in a fragmented world order.
About the Author
O. A. Krasnyak
HSE University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Olga A. Krasnyak – Cand. Sci. (Hist.), Associate Professor, Department of theory of law and comparative law
3 Bolshoy Trekhsvyatitelskiy Pereulok, Moscow, 109028
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Review
For citations:
Krasnyak O.A. EU scientific diplomacy as a tool of strategic autonomy. MGIMO Review of International Relations. 2026;19(2):24-46. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.24833/2071-8160-2026-2-107-24-46
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