The Indo-Pacific is rapidly becoming the world’s new geopolitical and geoeconomic epicentre, due to both the numerous opportunities and the significant challenges it entails. While existing analyses have understandably focused on the superpower rivalry between the United States and China, as well as on the responses of the region’s great and middle powers, the unfolding role of European powers and the European Union (EU) remains markedly understudied. This chapter seeks to contextualise relevant conceptual and analytical elements to effectively introduce the book’s subsequent empirical investigations. To pursue this goal, it scrutinises the Indo-Pacific’s complex conceptualisation and definitions. Second, it highlights the region’s significance for both the international system as a whole and Europe. Third, it explores the extant literature on the Indo-Pacific and on Europe’s relations with it, emphasising the many valuable contributions as well as the key literature gaps. Fourth, it introduces the book’s rationale and structure, prior to outlining its theoretical framework and methodological approach. Lastly, it provides a brief summary of the book’s main findings and select related considerations. By emphasising the significance of Europe’s growing engagement with the Indo-Pacific, and by highlighting several key though under-explored elements, this chapter provides a useful and broad-scoped introduction to a new significant development that remains markedly understudied.