Strategic autonomy: Europe’s investment moment
Discover how Europe’s quest for autonomy is creating new long-term opportunities across infrastructure, energy, and technology.
Geopolitical fragmentation, investing in a multipolar world
Geopolitics is now a market force
As the world fragments, Europe is mobilising — channelling substantial investment programmes into AI chips, clean energy, research and defence to reduce dependencies and strengthen competitiveness.
This shift is not short-term. It marks a structural transformation where resilience, independence, and sustainability are becoming the new drivers of growth.
From policy to portfolios
Within this new environment, capital is being redirected toward the infrastructure, energy, defence, and critical materials that underpin economic and political resilience.
Our paper Geopolitical Fragmentation: Investing in a Multipolar World distils what this means for asset allocators:
- which supply chains are being rebuilt,
- where capital expenditure is set to compound,
- and how to position across infrastructure, energy, defence and critical materials.
Key messages
Resilience is the new growth driver
Countries are prioritising resilience in infrastructure, energy, technology and security. Modernised energy grids, digital infrastructure, and robust logistics networks will underpin both economic stability and new investment opportunities.
Reshoring creates an industrial renaissance
Massive public funding in the U.S., EU, and Asia is driving the relocation of critical industries such as semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, and green technologies. This reshoring trend creates opportunities across among others automation, industrial equipment, and regional logistics
Strategic autonomy as a global trend
Europe, the U.S., Japan, and India are rolling out large-scale industrial policies (Horizon Europe, RePowerEU, Chips Acts, Inflation Reduction Act). For investors, this provides a transparent and lasting policy framework that supports key industries and strengthen long-term competitiveness.
Strategic resilience and geopolitics
Efforts to secure energy, materials, and technology supply chains have become central to economic policy, reinforcing the link between resilience and competitiveness in a multipolar world. Especially Europe is becoming increasingly aware of this, witness the massive investment programmes guiding the region to more strategic resilience and autonomy.
“Resilience is becoming the cornerstone of sustainable growth redefining how investors capture opportunity in a multipolar world”
-
Discover a practical framework to capture long-term opportunities in a multipolar world
-
Investing in Europe’s strategic future
Europe’s ambition for autonomy is reshaping its industrial and investment landscape. Through Candriam’s European Autonomy Strategy, investors can access companies driving this transformation — from energy transition to critical infrastructure and technological innovation.
Go further. Explore, invest, connect
Interested in understanding how geopolitical shifts translate into investment opportunities?
Our experts can help you navigate these long-term trends and identify the right thematic solutions for your portfolios.
-
Monthly Coffee Break, EquitiesBuoyant month for equities
European equities rose in September, buoyed by broader global gains supported by the Fed’s rate cut. -
EquitiesThe US market still at the forefront
European equities were slightly higher in August but continue to underperform US equities. European macro data were mixed, with PMIs improving in manufacturing but weakening in services. -
EquitiesFrom narrative to strategy: Candriam’s approach to Europe’s autonomy drive
Europe’s strategic autonomy is no longer a theory; it’s a trending headline, a policy priority, and an investment theme. But with many players now crowding the space, real differentiation lies not in retelling the story, but in how you act on it. At Candriam, we see Europe’s autonomy shift not as a short-term theme, but as a long-term, multi-sector transformation. -
Servaas Michielssens, Equities, HealthcarePharma tariffs: a complex puzzle
On Sunday, July 27, 2025, the EU and the US successfully concluded a trade agreement, paving the way for strengthened economic relations between the two regions. While initial reports caused some confusion, it now appears that most pharmaceutical products, excluding certain generics, will be subject to a 15% tariff. -
EquitiesInvestors shifting towards US technology stocks
After a sustained period of outperformance versus other regions, European equity markets have underperformed in recent weeks. This shift was marked by a notable rotation into US technology stocks during the month of June. -
EquitiesProgress in trade talks and robust first-quarter earnings positive for the markets
European equities closed May higher but are no longer outperforming US equities. -
Ken Van Weyenberg, Equities, Macro, Economic Policy, InfrastructureReshoring: A Catalyst for Smart Manufacturing
Global manufacturers are navigating a highly challenging environment marked by tariffs, trade conflicts and new alliances, supply chain disruptions, and rising geopolitical tensions. -
Equities, Healthcare, Servaas Michielssens, Linden ThomsonBiotech : 25 years of innovation in the service of healthcare
Over the past twenty-five years, the medical biotechnology sector has profoundly transformed the therapeutic landscape. From the fight against cancer to the development of Covid-19 vaccines in record time, advances in biopharma have changed the outcome for millions of patients worldwide.