ISSUE: 1/2026
- Volume 30
- Number 1
- 2026
Subscribe NEWSLETTER
Studia Europejskie –
Studies in European Affairs
ISSN: 1428-149X
e-ISSN: 2719-3780
License
Articles published in the journal are under a Creative Commons Attribution – Non Commercial – No Derivatives 4.0 International License
Publication co-financed by Ministry of Science and Higher Education pursuant to the Regulation of the Minister of Education and Science of 3 August 2021 (Journal of Laws of 2021, item 1514) on the “Development of Scientific Journals” programme.
Publikacja dofinansowana przez Ministerstwo Nauki i Szkolnictwa Wyższego na podstawie rozporządzenia Ministra Edukacji i Nauki z 3 sierpnia 2021 r. (Dz. U. z 2021 r. poz. 1514) w sprawie programu „Rozwój czasopism naukowych”.
Publication co-financed by the University of Warsaw within the “Excellence Initiative – Research University” programme.
Czasopismo otrzymało dofinasowanie w ramach Programu „Inicjatywa Doskonałości – Uczelnia Badawcza”.
Production Relocation in the European Union: Between Resilience and Global Interdependence in an Era of Global Value Chain Disruption
Abstract
In the face of growing geopolitical competition and disruptions in global value chains, the European Union (EU) has undertaken measures to strengthen economic resilience by encouraging the relocation of production to Member States. This article analyses the impact of the EU’s open strategic autonomy policy on production relocation processes in the context of the United States–China strategic rivalry and global challenges such as the pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and climate change. Based on an analysis of strategic documents and legislative instruments, an attempt is made to verify two hypotheses regarding the effectiveness of the EU’s production relocation policy, its external conditions, and its varied impact on individual economic sectors. The conclusions indicate that although the EU has introduced a range of instruments designed to enhance supply chain resilience, their effectiveness is limited by geopolitical and economic factors, and their actual impact on business decision-making varies across sectors. The article emphasises the need for further research into the effectiveness of the instruments implemented and their adaptation to sectoral specificities within an evolving international environment.
References
Antràs, P. (2020) De-globalisation? Global Value Chains in the Post-COVID-19 age. National Bureau of Economic Research. Available at: https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w28115/w28115.pdf (Access 13.02.2026). DOI: 10.3386/w28115.
Arjona, R., Connell Garcia, W. and Herghelegiu, C. (2025) EU supply chain tectonics. Available at: https://cepr.org/voxeu/columns/eu-supply-chain-tectonics (Access 13.02.2026).
Asian Development Bank (2021) Global Value Chain Development Report 2021 Beyond Production. Available at: https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/747966/global-value-chain-development-report-2021.pdf (Access 13.02.2026).
Basu, R. (2023) Managing Global Supply Chains, Contemporary Global Challenges in Supply Chain Management. London: Routledge. DOI: 10.4324/978100334135 2.
Bellucci, C. and Rungi, A. (2023) “Navigating Uncertainty: Multinationals’ Investment Strategies after the Pandemic Shock”, Italian Economic Journal. No. 9. DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.4516761.
Butollo, F., Staritz, C., Maile, F. and Wuttke, T. (2024) “The End of Globalized Production? Supply-Chain Resilience, Technological Sovereignty, and Enduring Global Interdependencies in the Post-Pandemic Era”, Critical Sociology. Vol. 51(4–5). DOI: 10.1177/08969205241239872.
Capgemini (2025) The resurgence of manufacturing Reindustrialization strategies in Europe and the US – 2025. Available at: https://www.capgemini.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Final-Web-Version-Report-Reindustrialization-Edition-2.pdf (Access 13.02.2026).
Casadei, P. and Iammarino, S. (2023) “Backshoring, offshoring and staying at home: evidence from the UK textile and apparel industry”, Operations Management Research. Vol. 16(4), pp. 2148–2173. DOI: 10.1007/s12063-023-00394-9.
Cohen, M., Cui, S., Doetsch, S., Ernst, R., Huchzermeier, A., Kouvelis, P., Lee, H., Matsuo, H. and Tsay, A. (2022) Understanding Global Supply Chain and Resilience: Theory and Practice in Lee, H., Ernst, R., Huchzermeier, A. and Cui, S. (eds.) Creating Values with Operations and Analytics. Springer Series in Supply Chain Management. Cham: Springer. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-08871-1.
Council of the European Union (2025a) Revitalizing Europe’s industrial future: strengthening competitiveness and resilience. 12.03. Available at: https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-6893-2025-INIT/en/pdf (Access 13.02.2026).
Council of the European Union (2025b) AOB for the meeting of the Competitiveness Council of 12 March 2025: Revitalizing Europe’s industrial future: strengthening competitiveness and resilience. 7.03. Available at: https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-6893-2025-INIT/en/pdf (Access 13.02.2026).
Dallas, M.P., Ponte, S. and Sturgeon, J.T. (2019) “Power in global value chains”, Review of International Political Economy. Vol. 26(4). DOI: 10.1080/09692290.2019.1608284.
Eurometaux (2022) Consultation on the White Paper on Foreign Subsidies, 2020. Available at: https://eurometaux. eu /media/2095/em-submission_consultation_onforeign_subsidies.pdf (Access 13.02.2026).
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (2023) Transition Report 2022–2023. Available at: https://tepsa.eu/analysis/exogenous-shocks-and-global-value-chains-reconfiguration-impact-on-croatia-as-a-new-eu-member-state (Access 13.02.2026).
European Central Bank (2024) Navigating a fragmenting global trading system: insights for central banks. A report of the International Relations Committee Workstream on Trade Fragmentation. Occasional Paper Series No. 365. Available at: https://www.ecb.europa.eu/pub/pdf/scpops/ecb.op365~362d801aee.en.pdf (Access 13.02.2026).
European Commission (2021) Digital sovereignty: Commission kick-starts alliances for Semiconductors and industrial cloud technologies. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_21_3733 (Access 13.02.2026).
European Commission (2021b) Strategic dependencies and capacities Accompanying the Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions Updating the 2020 New Industrial Strategy: Building a stronger Single Market for Europe’s recovery. Brussels. 5.05. SWD(2021) 352 final.
European Commission (2023) Joint Communication to The European Parliament, The European Council And The Council On “European Economic Security Strategy”, Brussels. Join(2023) 20 Final.
European Commission (2025) Proposal for a Regulation of The European Parliament And of The Council on establishing the European Competitiveness Fund (ECF), including the specific program for defense research and innovation activities, repealing Regulations (EU) 2021/522, (EU) 2021/694, (EU) 2021/697, (EU) 2021/783, repealing provisions of Regulations (EU) 2021/696, (EU) 2023/588, and amending Regulation (EU) (EDIP), COM(2025)555 final. Brussels.
Eurostat (2025) Global value chain disruptions and enterprise responses in the EU. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?oldid=684531 (Access 13.02.2026).
Foer, F. (2023) The New Washington Consensus. Available at: https://www. theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/05/biden-economics-industrial-policy-trump-nationalism/673988/?utm_source=pocket_reader (Access 13.02.2026).
Fratocchi, L., Mauro, D., Barbieri, C., Nassimbeni, P. and Zanoni, G.A. (2014) “When manufacturing moves back: concepts and questions”, Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management. Vol. 20(1). DOI: 10.1016/j.pursup.2014.01.004.
Glencross, A. (2024) “The geopolitics of supply chains: EU efforts to ensure security of supply”, Global Policy. Vol. 15(4), pp. 729–739. DOI: 10.1111/1758-5899.13388.
Klein, D. (2024) Within and Beyond Capitalism. A Twofold Transformation. Oxon: Routledge. DOI: 10.4324/9781003453239 2024.
Krenz, A. and Strulik, H. (2021) “Quantifying Reshoring at the Macro-Level – Measurement and Applications”, Growth and Change. Vol. 52(3). DOI: 10.1111/grow.12513.
Krenz, A., Prettner, K. and Strulik, H. (2021) “Robots, Reshoring, and the lot of low-Skilled Workers”, European Economic Review. Vol. 136. DOI: 10.1016/j.euroecorev.2021.10374.
Lamperti, F., Lavoratori, K. and Tredicine, L. (2025) “From globalization to reshoring? The role of Industry 4.0 in global value chains across Europe”, Economics of Innovation and New Technology. Vol. 35, pp. 1–23. DOI: 10.1080/10438599.2025.2487145.
Lavery, S. (2024) “Rebuilding the fortress? Europe in a changing world economy”, Review of International Political Economy. Vol. 31(1), pp. 330–353. DOI: 10.1080/09692290.2023.2211281.
Li, L. (2018) “China’s manufacturing locus in 2025: With a comparison of «Made-in-China 2025» and «Industry 4.0»”, Technological Forecasting and Social Change. Vol. 135, pp. 66–74. DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2017.05.028.
Liengpunsakul, S. (2021) “Artificial Intelligence and Sustainable Development in China”, The Chinese Economy. Vol. 54(4), pp. 235–248. DOI: 10.1080/10971475.2020.1857062.
Nguyen, Q., Sattler, T. and Schweinberger, T. (2025) “Great power dynamics and international economic cooperation: Experimental evidence from parallel surveys in China and the United States”, European Journal of Political Research. Vol. 64(3), pp. 1189–1207. DOI: 10.1111/1475-6765.12748.
Nicolas, F. (2025) “EU’s derisking from China: a daunting task”, Asia Europe Journal. Vol. 23, pp. 469–478. DOI: 10.1007/s10308-025-00750-3.
O’Neil, S.K. (2022) The Globalization Myth: Why Regions Matter. New Haven: Yale University Press. DOI: 10.12987/9780300268898.
OECD (2019) Global Material Resources Outlook to 2060: Economic Drivers and Environmental Consequences. Paris: OECD Publishing. Available at: 10.1787/9789264307452-en (Access 13.02.2026).
OECD (2025) Global value chains. Available at: https://www.oecd.org/industry/global-value-chains/ (Access 13.02.2026).
Pisani-Ferry, J., Weder di Mauro, B. and Zettelmeyer, J. (2024) “How to de-risk: European economic security in a world of interdependence”, Policy Brief Issue. Vol. 7(24). Available at: https://www.bruegel.org/system/files/2024-05/PB%2007%202024.pdf (Access 13.02.2026).
Qingyi, S. (2024) Global Value Chains Measurement and Application. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. DOI: 10.4324/9781032670225.
Regulation (2022) (EU) 2022/2560 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 December 2022 on foreign subsidies distorting the internal market. Official Journal of the European Union, L 330/1.
Regulation (2023a) (EU) 2023/2675 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 November 2023 on the protection of the Union and its Member States from economic coercion by third countries. Official Journal of the European Union, L 2023/2675.
Regulation (2023b) (EU) 2023/1781 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 September 2023 establishing a framework of measures for strengthening Europe’s semiconductor ecosystem and amending Regulation (EU) 2021/694 (Chips Act) (2023). Official Journal, L 229.
Regulation (2024a) (EU) 2024/1252 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 April 2024 establishing a framework for ensuring a secure and sustainable supply of critical raw materials and amending Regulations (EU) No 168/2013, (EU) 2018/858, (EU) 2018/1724 and (EU) 2019/1020. Official Journal, L 1252.
Regulation (2024b) (EU) 2024/1735 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 June 2024 on establishing a framework of measures for strengthening Europe’s net-zero technology manufacturing ecosystem and amending Regulation (EU) 2018/1724 (Text with EEA relevance). Official Journal of the European Union, L 2024/1735.
Seric, A. and Tong, Y.S. (2019) What are global value chains and why do they matter? Available at: https://iap.unido.org/articles/what-are-global-value-chains-and-why-do-they-matter (Access 13.02.2026).
Świstak, M. (2023) Regional Policy in China Development and Strategic Challenges. Göttingen: V&R Unipress. DOI: 10.14220/9783737015233.
Thakur-Weigold, B. and Miroudot, S. (2023) “Supply chain myths in the resilience and deglobalization narrative: consequences for policy”, Journal of International Business Policy. Vol. 7, pp. 99–111. DOI: 10.1057/s42214-023-00170-3.
van Assche, A. (2022) How Do Global Value Chains Challenge Traditional International Business Policy? in Karhu, A. and Haaja, E. (eds.) Global Trade and Trade Governance During De-Globalization. International Political Economy Series. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-13757-0.
World Bank (n.d.) Global Value Chains. Available at: https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/global-value-chains (Access 13.02.2026).
Language: English
Pages: 269-286
How to Cite:
Harvard
Świstak, M. (2026) "Production Relocation in the European Union: Between Resilience and Global Interdependence in an Era of Global Value Chain Disruption". Studia Europejskie – Studies in European Affairs, 1/2026, pp. 269-286. DOI: 10.33067/SE.1.2026.15