Reimagined Ways of Decolonising European Union Commitments for Sustainable Global Enterprises

The global market and the restructuring of the European Union (EU) are increasing pressure on multinational corporations to encourage more local ownership of international investments. Although the EU and the European Commission (EC) have recently emphasised industrialisation, Europe and global stakeholders encounter challenges, such as lost opportunities for sustainable and resilient investment strategies. Colonial and Eurocentric approaches inherent in enterprise management have been attributed mainly to these challenges. However, the role of EU commitments in perpetuating colonial business frameworks, especially in global investments, is less understood. Furthermore, the potential of decolonising EU & EC initiatives to inform new partnerships and international investment remains underexplored. Using qualitative approaches—desk reviews, content, and thematic analysis—we explored how decolonisation might inform international investment strategies. We identified four domains (financing, policy, partnership, and human resources) through which decolonising EU commitments might optimise the localisation of investments. The findings suggest that by decolonising these domains, the EU & EC might shape international investments in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) contexts for European enterprises.