Global Gateway: cementing Europe’s partnerships with the economies of tomorrow

Back in December 2021 when the EU launched Global Gateway, the bloc’s €300 billion global sustainable investment initiative, few would have predicted the chaotic world confronting us today.

The global trade, investment and development landscape is grappling with multiple shocks unleashed by the second Trump administration (among others), which has prompted developing countries to increasingly turn to reliable partners.

The EU is undoubtedly one of them. While there’s debate about emerging economies having to align more closely with the US or China in pursuing their development goals, Global Gateway merits more attention in showing Europe is a key partner for these goals.

In December 2025, Destination Strategies’ Managing Director Dan Nicholls wrote an opinion piece for FT Locations (a Financial Times publication) on Global Gateway’s golden opportunity. The full article can be viewed here.

Dan Nicholls has worked on multiple Global Gateway assignments since 2021, including with Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Bhutan and the Republic of Congo.