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Consensus on Europe-Taiwan cooperation led to visit: EP delegation head

The head of a European Parliament (EP) delegation that visited Taiwan last week said in a recent interview that there is now a consensus among European political factions that cooperating with Taiwan is important for the bloc, and that he would continue to push for closer bilateral ties.

The delegation, which visited Taiwan Nov. 3-5, comprised members of the EP’s Special Committee on Foreign Interference in all Democratic Processes in the European Union, including Disinformation (INGE).

Led by Raphaël Glucksmann, who is the chair of the INGE, it was the first formal delegation from the EP to visit Taiwan.

In an interview with French media outlet La Libération in Taipei on Nov. 4, Glucksmann said that the visit was kept lowkey before the delegation’s departure, as the delegates didn’t want Beijing’s opposition to muddle the focus of the visit or have it put improper pressure on the European Commission.

Although it was not the first time that EP members have visited Taiwan, it was the first official delegation sent by the EP, Glucksmann said.

In the past, there was no consensus on organizing an official delegation to Taiwan, he said, but now, people of different political factions have realized how important it is for Europe to cooperate with Taiwan, which is why the EP decided to send a delegation.

Now that the first trip has been successful, a door has been opened, he said, expressing hope that such visits will become the norm and grow more frequent.

During the delegation’s visit, Glucksmann was impressed by Taiwan’s inclusion of think tanks, non-governmental organizations, and journalists in its whole-society approach in combating disinformation, and how Taiwan has managed to grow more open in the face of foreign threats, he said.

When asked how supporting Taiwan benefits the European Union (EU), Glucksmann said that backing democracies against authoritarian regimes is in the long-term interest of the EU and is an issue of principle.

If Europe doesn’t take action on this front, Beijing’s appetite will grow, he said, adding that history has shown that conceding to authoritarian and expansionist countries make them increasingly hard to check.

Although Europe cannot guarantee the safety of Taiwan, it can create a space where Taiwan is not isolated through exchanges in academia, culture, and trade, he said.

Such engagements have prompted China to accuse Europe of causing regional instability, but these accusations are false, Glucksmann said, because cross-strait tension was already high before Europe took action to support Taiwan.

Also, it is because of China’s aggression that Europe stepped up its cooperation with Taiwan, he said.

Moving forward, he said that he would continue to push for closer ties between the EU and Taiwan, as well as advocate for a Bilateral Investment Agreement (BIA) between the two sides.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel