European Union Foreign and Security Policy Towards a Neighbourhood Strategy

The ambition of the European Union and its member states to assert a more coherent and strategic policy has been driven by the need to integrate East Central Europe, the desire to become a more autonomous foreign, security and defense actor, and the practical experience in the Balkans that has confirmed the need for an effective and independent European crisis management capability. This book examines the degree to which the European Union has been able to respond as a coherent and strategic actor towards the developmental and security needs of its immediate neighborhood in the post-Cold War period.

The end of the Cold War presented a major challenge to Western Europe and to the European Union. It led not only to a whole new set of countries seeking to join the EU, but also to a strong demand for a more intensive EU engagement in the broader regional context. This book assesses whether the EU has successfully faced up to this challenge and has adapted its policies towards its immediate neighbourhood in a coherent and strategic manner. This volume examines EU policy from all its major regional dimensions including assessments of:* the enlargement process to East Central Europe* the increasing engagement of the EU in conflict resolution, most notably in the Balkans, but also in the Arab-Israeli conflict* policies towards the countries of the former Soviet Union, such as Russia, Ukraine and the Caucasus* the complexities of EU policy towards Turkey and the Middle East* the transatlantic dimensions of the EU's neighbourhood policies.

1. Introduction: Setting the framework 2. The EU and its Changing Neighbourhood: Stabilization, integration and partnership 3. Strategy with Fast Moving Targets: East Central Europe 4. The EU and Turkey: Between geopolitics and social engineering 5. South-East Europe: The expanding EU role 6. Policies Towards Russia, Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus 7. The Northern Dimension: A presence and four liabilities? 8. Caucasus and Central Asia: Towards a non-strategy 9. North Africa: Partnership, exceptionalism and neglect 10. The Middle East: Towards a substantive european role in the peace process? 11. EU Energy Security and the Periphery 12. The Transatlantic Dimension 13. Conclusion: Towards a neighbourhood strategy

Roland Dannreuther is Senior Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Edinburgh.