Abstract
There is currently a geopoliticisation of foreign policy, which is primarily driven by dependencies on autocratic systems. Autocracies are constantly on the rise, especially when measured by the percentage distribution of the world population. Even though the EU still trades with significantly more democracies than autocracies, trade relations with autocracies are often characterised by strong dependencies, especially with regard to critical raw materials such as lithium or magnesium. This also applies to the market for medical products, where China in particular uses its position as the main supplier to expand its geopolitical influence. This, together with the fact that autocracies are generally more likely to impose trade restrictions than democracies, means that the EU needs a strategy for how to handle trade with autocratic regimes in the future.