Theorizing Post-Kazan EU–BRICS Relations: Between Bilateralism and Geoeconomics

This article seeks to theorize EU–BRICS relations as an autonomous object of analysis following the post- Kazan BRICS expansion, beginning with its implications for the European Union’s external action. It argues that BRICS should no longer be understood as a loose coalition of five emerging powers, but rather as a collective actor with geoeconomic capacity which appears increasingly relevant for the EU external action. The article shows that EU sanctions, regulatory externalization through instruments such as CBAM, the EUDR, and the CRMA, and the Global Gateway all face growing constraints from selective coordination among BRICS members and partners. These dynamics weaken the indispensability of the EU single market and challenge the EU’s claim to define legitimate standards in global governance. The article therefore argues that a purely bilateral EU approach is analytically insufficient. Understanding EU–BRICS relations requires adopting a broader regime-complex perspective that is attentive to the collective effects generated by BRICS.