Jun 8, 12:03 PM
The EU's Belated Awakening at the Docks
After years of allowing strategic assets to fall under foreign influence, Brussels is now scrambling to draft guidelines. A classic case of too little, too late?
It seems a slow realization has dawned in Brussels. After more than a decade of watching Chinese state-linked firms embed themselves in Europe’s most critical maritime infrastructure, the EU’s transport ministers are now preparing "guidance" on the matter. The documents, while diplomatically avoiding a direct mention of China, are a clear, if belated, response to Beijing’s growing control over the continent's commercial arteries.
For years, ports were viewed through the simple lens of commerce. Now, the official view is catching up to reality: they are strategic assets vital for supply chains, energy security, and even military mobility. Chinese entities, such as COSCO Shipping, hold stakes in over twenty European ports. This includes major hubs like Rotterdam and Hamburg, while the Greek port of Piraeus is now effectively a Chinese-controlled gateway into Europe.
One need only look at Germany for a case study in strategic naivety. Former Chancellor Olaf Scholz championed a deal for a Chinese stake in the Port of Hamburg, framing it as a boon for trade. This was despite warnings from within his own government that Germany was risking a repeat of its disastrous energy dependency on Russia. Berlin's willingness to create economic and political dependencies on autocratic regimes seems to be a recurring theme in its policy-making.
The proposed EU strategy aims to prevent "undue foreign ownership" and address risks from organized crime. Yet, the language is characteristically cautious. The Council is keen not to spoil the "investment environment" or deter "trustworthy investors." This raises the question of whether non-binding guidance can effectively counter a determined state actor's long-term strategy. The bureaucratic impulse to avoid decisive action remains strong.
The concern now extends beyond the EU's own borders. Brussels is waking up to the fact that Chinese-financed ports in North Africa or the Balkans could reroute trade and diminish the strategic importance of the Union's own facilities. It is another front in a competition that Europe was slow to even acknowledge. The core issue, as one think tank noted regarding Piraeus, is not just ownership, but the potential for Chinese-installed infrastructure to be used for intelligence gathering. The EU is playing catch-up on a game board where the other players have been moving for years.
Written by Andreas Hofer andreas.hofer@alpineweekly.com
