European Union’s Security Role in South Asia: Perspectives from the Maldives

Since the security of South Asia has been assigned to India, either by way of a formal agreement or an informal understanding, the European Union’s (EU) involvement in the broader security matters of South Asia is minimal. Accounting for the rise of China in the Indian Ocean and its close ties with some South Asian countries, the time for EU’s rise as a security power in the region has passed at least for now. Hence, it does not play a significant role in the security matters of the Maldives either. However, EU’s increasing interest in the Maldives and its involvement in specific security domains such as maritime security and counter-terrorism is noteworthy. These are also the areas where the scope of partnership between the two is a possibility. The EU has taken initial steps; some focused on maritime security such as the exchanging of maritime information through regional platforms as in  Indo-Pacific Regional Information Sharing (IORIS). However, the EU’s efforts move beyond security, focusing on domestic judicial reforms, capacity-building and helping the country tackle its environmental problems. Both sides have expressed the desire to expand partnership in facing such global challenges like peace and security, climate change mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity protection, waste and plastic pollution, green transition, good governance, and violent extremism.