The EU has revealed details of a €300bn (£255bn; $340bn) global investment plan, described as a “true alternative” to Chinese Belt and Road strategy.
EU President Ursula von der Leyen said the Global Gateway scheme should become a trusted brand.
China has funded rail, roads and ports but has been accused of leaving some countries saddled with debt.
The Commission chief said countries need “trusted partners” to design projects that were sustainable.
The EU is looking at how it can leverage billions of euros, drawn from member states, financial institutions and the private sector. This will largely take the form of guarantees or loans, rather than grants.
Mrs von der Leyen said the EU wanted to show that a different, democratic approach could deliver on projects that focused on tackling climate change as well as global health security and sustainable development for developing countries.
Projects had to be of high quality, with a high level of transparency and good governance, and had to deliver tangible results for the countries involved, she explained. One EU official told the BBC that Africa would be a major focus of the scheme.
Chinese strategy has reached into Africa, Asia, the Indo-Pacific and the EU too. Chinese Cosco company owns two-thirds of the huge Greek container port at Piraeus and the Chinese Road and Bridge Corporation has built a key bridge in Croatia among other EU countries.
“When it comes to investment choices,” said the Commission president, “the few options that exist too often come with a lot of small print which includes big consequences, be it financially, politically but also socially.”
