The EU’s triple nexus challenge: Climate, conflict, democracy

The EU’s fragmented approaches to the crises of climate change, conflict, and democracy fall short by not addressing the mutually reinforcing links between them. It calls for an integrated strategy to tackle these "triple nexus" challenges and mitigate vulnerabilities through holistic policies.

The EU should therefore reconfigure vital areas of its external support to reflect the interplay between the three crises and the need to work on conflict, democracy, and climate change as a single, seamless whole. The EU could do this through changes on three levels. First, the EU needs to develop a wider and more holistic approach to risk management. Second, the EU needs to better integrate the national implementation of its support for fragile and conflict-affected contexts. Finally, the EU should build greater cooperation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on the triple nexus.