Understanding The European Union S External Relations

The European Union is one of the world's biggest economies. However, its role as an international actor is ambiguous and it's not always able to transform its political power into effective external policies. The development of an 'assertive' European Union challenges the image of an internal project aimed at economic integration and international relations theories based on unitary state actors. This book systematically links the EU's external relations to existing political theories, showing how existing theories need to be modified in order to deal with specific characteristics of the EU as an international actor.

The European Union has established itself as a significant international legal actor. Understanding the EU's actions on the international plane requires an understanding of its constantly evolving constitutional and legal framework. This book presents the law of EU external relations in a concise and accessible manner for students, practitioners, and academics in the field. It combines chapters on the general basis of the Union's external action and its relation to international law with chapters which further explore the law and practice of the EU in the specialized fields of external action such as the common commercial policy, development cooperation, cooperation with third countries, humanitarian aid, the enlargement and neighbourhood policies, the external environmental policy, and the common foreign and security policy, as well as a chapter specifically dedicated to EU sanctions and countermeasures. Carefully selected primary documents are accompanied with analytic commentary on the issues they raise and their significance for the overall structure of EU external relations law. The primary materials selected include many important legal documents that are hard to find elsewhere but give a vital insight into the operation of EU external relations law in practice.

This volume brings together senior practitioners and academic specialists to consider how the EU’s new foreign policy has been evolving and how the various actors are maintaining the holistic approach intended by the draftsmen of the 2009 Lisbon Treaty.

The sheer size of the European Union in economic, trade and financial terms makesit a world player. It has a web of agreements with most countries and regions ofthe globe. The biggest international trader and home to the euro the worldʹssecond currency the EU spends 500 million a month on assistance projects inall five continents.The European Union is putting in place a common foreign and security policy sothat its members can act together on the world stage as a united force for stability,cooperation and understanding. At the same time, the EU is developing adefence capability and has undertaken its first peacekeeping missions. It is alsoengaged in fighting terrorism.By helping build security and stability in the wider world, the EU is also helpingto make life safer for people within its own borders.The EU is particularly active in promoting the human aspect.

In today’s increasingly complex and interdependent world, the role of parliaments in external affairs remains a relatively under explored topic of research. The multiple patterns of global governance are mostly dominated by the executive branches of government, with parliaments relegated to the sidelines. This insightful book aims to challenge this dominant perspective and demonstrate the increased networking of parliaments both within the EU and with external actors outside the EU. It not only sheds light on EU parliamentary cooperation and networking, but also reveals the growing scope and role of parliamentary scrutiny, control and conflict mediation.

The challenges of globalisation call for a strong role of the European Union as an international actor. Despite its economic importance, the EU has not been able to assert a corresponding influence on the course of international politics. The artificial distinction between external economic relations, as a subject of the supranational first pillar, and foreign policy, as a subject of the intergovernmental second pillar undermines consistent policy-making and significantly weakens the EU's performance on the international scene. This book illustrates the inextricable link between political and economic aspects of external relations and the constitutional dimension of this area. Provided with a thorough analysis of competence and representation issues the reader will gain a more profound understanding of the complex area of EU external relations.

This is a collection of works which considers the many different facets of the EU’s increasingly important engagement with the world beyond its borders. The Treaty of Lisbon marked a change in the powers and competences endowed on the EU - the contributions to this collection consider both the direct and indirect impact of the Treaty on the contemporary state of EU external relations. The authors are drawn from legal, political science and international relations disciplines and consider innovations or changes brought about by the Treaty itself: the European External Action Service, the roles of the High Representative and President, the collapse of the ‘pillar’ structure and new competences such as those for foreign investment. Other chapters cover developments which reflect the latest incremental changes upon which the post-Lisbon Treaty arrangements have some bearing, including the COREU network, the transatlantic and neighbourhood relations and the external dimension of ‘internal’ security. Useful for academics working in the field of EU external relations law and foreign policy, as well as the EU law/politics/European studies market more generally.

The two years since publication of the first edition of The Law of EU External Relations: Cases, Materials, and Commentary on the EU as an International Actor have been characterized by the large amount of case law on the new provisions on external relations, which have found their way into the Lisbon Treaty. Moreover, there have been important changes in EU secondary law on external relations as a consequence of these changes to the Lisbon Treaty. In this second edition, new case law and legislative developments are critically discussed and analysed in this comprehensive collection of EU Treaty law. Combining chapters on the general basis of the Union's external action and its relation to international law, with chapters which further explore the law and practice of the EU in the specialized fields of external action, this book presents the law of EU external relations in a concise and accessible manner for students, practitioners, and academics in the field. Topics include the common commercial policy, development cooperation, cooperation with third countries, humanitarian aid, the enlargement and neighbourhood policies, the external environmental policy, and the common foreign and security policy. Carefully selected primary documents are accompanied with analytic commentary on the issues they raise and their significance for the overall structure of EU external relations law. The primary materials selected include many important legal documents that are hard to find elsewhere but give a vital insight into the operation of EU external relations law in practice.