• 2026-04-08

The 2026 EUTW Forum I was held in Room 301 of the National Central Library Arts & Cultural Center at 10am on March 6^th, focusing on the theme “Technology Competition, Political Change, and the Future of European Integration.” The event was jointly organized by National Central Library, the European Union Center in Taiwan (EUTW), the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence at National Taiwan University, and the EU Research Centre at the National Chengchi University College of International Affairs, with Professor Tai-lin Chang of the Fo Guang University Department of Public Affairs serving as forum moderator. The forum invited speakers Assistant Professor Jui-Jen Peng, Professor Chung-Hung Cho, Professor Tzu-Li Lin, and Postdoctoral Research Fellow Yueh-Ching Chen to share their research, with Associate Research Fellow Roy Chun Lee serving as forum discussant. Additionally, a book launch was held with co-authors Professor Yun-Chen Lai and Associate Professor Wei-Fang Chen.

Professor Tai-Lin Chang discussed the uncertainty and chaos of 2026 global politics, with US-Israel joint attacks on Iran and US President Donald Trumps’s tariff wars attracting particular attention from the international community. Amidst these uncertainties, the United States Supreme Court ruling of President Trump’s worldwide tariffs to be unconstitutional further increased concern among trade partners.  The Ukraine-Russia war continues into its fourth year, with prospects of peace remaining distant. European countries faced with a multitude of economic, trade, and security challenges continue their support of Ukraine, with the exception of Hungary and Slovakia where dissensions remain.  At the Munich Security Conference and in Foreign Affairs Magazine,  French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, respectively, emphasized the importance of the role and autonomy of Europe in global geopolitical competition. The forum also focused on technology competition, particularly with regards to AI investment and infrastructure, as well as the impacts of great power politics on the EU.

Assistant Professor Jui-Jen Peng presented a talk focusing on “Efficacy and Challenges with Implementation of the EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act,” introducing this legislation implemented in 2024 which regulates AI using a risk-based approach. For high risk AI systems and artificial general intelligence, the legislation defines clear obligations and establishes multi-level governance structures, including the European AI Office. The legislation’s initial effects include achieving the Brussels Effect, the establishment of international technical standards, corporate governance, transparency obligations, and working to prevent risks from deepfakes. However, implementation has been challenged by the struggle to balance innovation and regulation, insufficient enforcement capabilities, the applicability of regulations in the face of technological evolution, as well as conflicts with data protection and copyright.

Professor Chung-Hung Cho provided analysis of transatlantic Europe-US relations in President Trump’s second term, pointing out how the US policy shift from shared values to “national interest first,” has forced the EU to redefine its strategic autonomy. The relationship between the US and Europe has shifted from a systems and values-based alliance toward a cooperative model centered on transaction and national interest. Professor Cho believes that Europe must take these structural pressures as an opportunity to work toward economic and military autonomy and further maintain global competitive advantage through the establishment of rules and regulations, and the spreading influence of those rules beyond Europe.

Professor Tzu-Li Lin discussed the effects of the Iran war on the European Union and Great Britain. Europe is facing energy impacts, military predicaments, asymmetrical threats and waves of refugees, exacerbating the rise of the extreme far-right. However, EU policy tools available to face those threats are limited, with only the IPCR as an emergency mechanism. Britain, on the other hand, has adopted a realist strategy, maintaining defensive operations on legal grounds. However, reductions in military and aid spending have diminished its influence in the Middle East.

Postdoctoral Research Fellow Yueh-Ching Chen focused on French Diplomatic Policies in her analysis of the French role in the contradicting approaches of the EU and the US. France has gradually supported Ukraine in their campaign to join the EU and NATO and provided military aid; however, France emphasizes maintaining strategic autonomy through EU mechanisms, avoiding the freezing of Russian assets and the heavy burden that places on finance and industry. Chen highlighted France’s independent and key position within the European geopolitical context.

Forum discussant Roy Chun Lee pointed out that in the next five to ten years, the EU will face the multiple crises of reliance on Russia for energy, dependence on China for their economic market, and reliance on the US for military security. At the same time, the rise of the far right is causing policy fragmentation and schisms in Brussels’ leadership. He called for a strengthening of research into Taiwan-EU relations, exploring new opportunities for economic and technological collaboration.

At the end of the forum, Professor Yun-Chen Lai and Associate Professor Wei-Fang Chen discussed their new books, The European Union: Evolution and Theory and The European Union: Structure and Policy, sharing the motives behind their work, their writing structure and core topics, as well as providing observations and analysis of EU strategic shifts in 2026. At the forum, discussions and exchange among experts and scholars served as a platform for deepening observations of EU political, economic, and technological development. In addition, audio and video of the forum was uploaded to NCL’s Digital Audio Visual Archive System to make its content available for broader reference.