Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) act as essential gateways for European influence in the broader Pacific, serving as both like-minded partners and proxies for policy implementation in a geographically distant, but strategically critical, region. Their shared values, deep regional ties, established security footprint, and development architecture make them the most effective and politically palatable channels for Europe to project its interests, particularly in the context of growing geopolitical competition.

The relationship is one of burden-sharing and strategic alignment, where Europe provides the financial and diplomatic weight, and ANZ provides the local knowledge, logistical network, and security presence.

1. The Rationale: Why Europe Needs the ANZ Gateway

Europe's direct engagement with the Pacific Islands is constrained by sheer geography and capacity. While the EU and its member states (notably France, with its Pacific territories) have a direct presence, they lack the immediate, day-to-day engagement necessary to be the first responder or the regional anchor. This necessity drives the relationship with ANZ.

• Geopolitical Alignment (Shared Threat Assessment): Europe, Australia, and New Zealand are all committed to upholding the rules-based international order and are increasingly concerned about the strategic influence of China in the Indo-Pacific. By cooperating with ANZ, Europe effectively participates in the regional effort to promote a "Free and Open Indo-Pacific" and mitigate the risks of regional instability, without having to permanently station extensive resources.

• Logistical Efficiency and Local Knowledge: ANZ are founding members and anchors of the key regional body, the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF). They possess unparalleled local intelligence, cultural understanding, and logistical networks. For Europe, channeling funding and policy through ANZ, or in coordination with them, ensures that aid delivery, disaster relief, and security initiatives are contextually relevant and rapidly deployed.

• Amplifying Soft Power: European states, especially the EU, rely heavily on soft power (trade, development aid, climate diplomacy). By partnering with ANZ, they amplify the reach and effectiveness of this aid, turning relatively small contributions into larger, coordinated, and more impactful regional projects.

2. Mechanisms for Policy and Financial Influence

The gateway function of Australia and New Zealand operates through three primary mechanisms: coordination, delegation, and partnership.

A. Development and Climate Finance Coordination (The Funds Channel)

The most tangible route of European influence is through financial assistance, where ANZ acts as the implementing agent or a key coordinating partner.

• Co-financing and Complementarity: Europe is one of the largest donors to the Pacific after Australia and Japan. Rather than building parallel administrative structures, Europe often co-finances initiatives with Australia and New Zealand, particularly in areas like climate change adaptation, renewable energy, and disaster risk reduction. This leverages ANZ's delivery mechanisms, such as the Pacific Resilience Facility or the various regional development banks where ANZ holds significant sway.

• Policy Delegation (Thematic Focus): European policy heavily prioritizes "Green Transition" and "Ocean Governance" in its Indo-Pacific strategy. ANZ aligns with and often implements these themes on the ground. For instance, European funding for sustainable fisheries or marine protected areas might be managed or technically supported by Australian and New Zealand scientific and monitoring agencies, effectively delegating the implementation of European environmental policy.

• Dialogue Structures: Formal mechanisms, such as the Trilateral Pacific Dialogue (EU-Australia-New Zealand) at the Heads of Mission level, ensure policy coherence on critical topics like climate change, security, and aid effectiveness. This dialogue is where European diplomatic goals are translated into actionable, regionally-focused cooperation plans.

B. Security and Stability Cooperation (The Stability Proxy)

Security remains a core area where the ANZ gateway is indispensable, especially given the increased naval presence of major European powers like the UK and France.

• Security Capacity Building: European states provide funding and training in areas like maritime security, combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and transnational crime. These resources are often delivered in coordination with the New Zealand Defence Force or the Australian Federal Police (AFP), who have embedded officers and long-standing relationships with Pacific Island security forces. ANZ's deep operational knowledge ensures European funds are used effectively to enhance local capacity.

• Intelligence and Information Sharing (Five Eyes): Australia and New Zealand are key members of the Five Eyes intelligence network, which includes the UK. This institutional link facilitates the sharing of threat assessments and strategic intelligence concerning regional security risks, ensuring that European (and broader Western) security policy in the Pacific is informed by the most accurate, real-time data collected by their ANZ partners. The rising debate over New Zealand's potential involvement in AUKUS Pillar Two further highlights its role as a key security partner for the Anglosphere, which aligns with European security interests.

3. The Diplomatic and Economic Channels

The influence gateway isn't solely about aid and security; it's also about embedding shared democratic and economic norms.

• Trade and Regulatory Alignment: The EU's recently implemented Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with New Zealand and ongoing FTA negotiations with Australia are crucial. These agreements strengthen the economic ties between Europe and its Pacific partners, enabling them to present a united front for rules-based trade and secure critical supply chains. This alignment helps promote European standards on everything from sustainable sourcing to digital governance in the wider region.

• The 'Indo-Pacific' Strategy: Australia and New Zealand readily adopt the Indo-Pacific strategic framing now common among major European powers (EU, France, Germany, UK). By working together on this unified strategic concept, ANZ helps to validate and localize the European vision for the region, ensuring that the Pacific doesn't become politically isolated from the broader, more lucrative, Indo-Pacific theatre.

• The 'French Factor': Australia's security partnership with France (which has New Caledonia and French Polynesia as Overseas Territories) is crucial. France is a resident European power with a direct stake and permanent military assets. Cooperation with Australia (and the US) is essential for France to manage its security responsibilities in the region, turning Australia into a functional logistical and strategic hub for a key European nation's regional presence.

In sum, Australia and New Zealand are not just allies; they are the bridgehead for European policy in the Pacific. They transform Europe's distant, high-level strategic vision into on-the-ground reality, providing legitimacy, local expertise, and a network of relationships that Europe cannot easily replicate on its own.