About: Foreign policy

Why Europe needs a global strategy

The challenges facing Europe today have global implications and require global solutions. From the Greek crisis to migration and climate change, the EU must seek answers beyond its borders, argues the European Think Tanks Group.

External Action Service Review: Why it is important

If the real added value of the EU as a global actor is in developing holistic approaches to international affairs which benefit from a very broad range of tools, the people involved need to be able to work together well, write Rosa Balfour and Kristi Rak.

Ukraine deserves stronger ties with the EU

Ahead of parliamentary elections, Kostiantyn Yelisieiev urges the European Union to strengthen its economic and political ties with Ukraine.

Rising Asia and old Europe need to work together

Europe should engage more firmly with Asia not only in trade but also in foreign policy, climate issues and resource efficiency if it is to regain its powerful role in the international arena, argue Giles Merritt and Shada Islam from Friends of Europe.

Tunisian democracy deserves full support from the EU

Recent events in Tunisia will have a profound impact on democracy and political freedom in the Arab world, while the EU – which had turned a blind eye to authoritarian rule and corruption in the country – must support the 'Jasmine Revolution', writes Eberhard Rhein in a January blog post.

The EU’s External Action Service: New actor on the scene

The European External Action Service (EEAS) can provide a more coherent, visible and effective EU foreign policy but faces problems such as low morale among personnel, friction with the European Commission and disputes over EU representation in international organisations, writes Graham Avery, senior advisor at the European Policy Centre (EPC).

The spectre of a multipolar Europe

On 18 October, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev sat down to discuss a new European conception of global security and – with the current order dysfunctional and inadequate – it was high time to include Russia in the discussions, write Ivan Krastev and Mark Leonard in a report for the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR).

The EU needs a foreign policy doctrine

Today's world contains two declining global powers (Russia and the US) and two emerging ones (China and the EU). While China's rise is unstoppable, the EU must establish its own foreign policy doctrine, which in an interdependent world must be one of "inclusiveness" and soft power, writes Romanian MEP Adrian Severin, vice-president of the Socialists & Democrats group in the European Parliament, in an exclusive commentary for EURACTIV.

Sudan and European Ignorance

After decades of bloody conflict in Sudan, Europe is still applying double standards to Africa and does not recognise the right of the South Sudanese to decide their own future, wrote Savo Heleta, author of the book 'Not My Turn to Die: Memoirs of a Broken Childhood in Bosnia', in a letter to EURACTIV. 

EU-China High Level Economic & Trade Dialogue love-in

"It is not possible […] to take an optimistic view of the trade relationship" between the EU and China, writes European Policy Centre founder Stanley Crossick in a May blog post reflecting on the High-Level Economic & Trade Dialogue (HED), which took place in Brussels on 7-8 May.

The European Union and its Neighbourhood: Time for a Rethink

The EU's new foreign policy initiative, the Eastern Partnership (EaP), was written in "ambitious terms", but must show greater sensitivity to the intricacies of its target region, argues Helen Wallace of the London School of Economics (LSE) in a paper for the Hellenic Foundation for European & Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP).

G20 London summit: After the dust has settled

"The US-China relationship is becoming the most important bilateral relationship in the world," writes Stanley Crossick, the founder of the European Policy Centre, in a March blog post reflecting on the outcome of the recent G20 summit in London.

Obama’s Afghanistan: A bridge too far for Europeans?

"Afghanistan reveals Europe's incapacity to formulate coherent collective security strategies and dedicate the resources required to implement them," writes Fabrice Pothier, director of Carnegie Europe, in an April paper.

Restoring the EU-Russia partnership

The EU must "restore self-confidence and cohesion" in its policy towards Russia, argues Arkady Moshes, programme director of the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, in a February paper for the Robert Schuman Foundation.

Defining Europe’s worldview

"Europe must develop into a global player" by adopting a worldview with a "strategic orientation as well as a dash of political shrewdness," writes Wolfgang Gerhardt, chairman of the Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung für die Freiheit (FNSF), in the spring 2009 edition of Europe's World.

Why China sees the EU as a counterweight to America

"China sees the European Union as a possible balance to the United States," argues Dingli Shen, deputy director and professor from the Centre of American Studies in Fudan University, in the autumn edition of Europe's World.

What the war in Georgia means for EU policy

The war in Georgia divided the EU instead of uniting it, while differences between its members' positions will thwart the bloc's attempts to develop a common Russia policy, writes Tomas Valasek in an August paper for the Centre for European Reform (CER).

Georgia conflict: Russia asserts itself

Russia's invasion of Georgia has shown the world that the US, the EU and NATO are all "paper tigers" in that region, writes former US ambassador to Serbia and Montenegro William D. Montgomery for Belgrade media service B92.

Nicolas Sarkozy: A new style of EU Presidency?

"Le style c'est l'homme" as the French say, yet Nicolas Sarkozy's style does not suit all European policymakers, explains Joachim Fritz-Vannahme in a February paper for the Bertelsmannstiftung.

Strains within Europe over Kosovo

The United States and Russia's "tough and contradictory positions" over Kosovo may cause a policy split in the EU, leading to its "loss of credibility as a foreign policy player", warns Branka Trivic of the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN).

‘Main conflict is in the East, not between East and West’

The East-West clash is a myth: rather, political problems should be tackled within the East itself, argues Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül in an article published by the Financial Times on 16 January 2007.

Analysis: Foreign Policy of the Grand Coalition in Germany – Base Line and First Assessment at the b

The authors of this issue of Foreign Policy in Dialogue, published by Deutsche-Aussenpolitik.de, put the foreign policy under the new German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, into a broader context by looking at the "legacy" of the previous German government and the challenges and opportunities ahead, particularly in relation to EU politics and transatlantic relations.

O’Brien: “The case for a European finance minister”

The International Herald Tribune journalist Dan O'Brien argues that rather than pushing for an EU Foreign Minister in the new Constitution, EU leaders should create the post of an EU Economics Minister.