The Foreign Policy of the European Union

by Stephan Keukeleire, Tom Delreux

Keukeleire and Delreux demonstrate the scope and diversity of the European Union's foreign policy, showing that EU foreign policy is broader than the Common Foreign and Security Policy and the Common Security and Defence Policy, and that areas such as trade, development, environment and energy are inextricable elements of it.

This book offers a comprehensive and critical account of the EU's key foreign relations – with its neighbourhood, with the US, China and Russia, and with emerged powers – and argues that the EU's foreign policy needs to be understood not only as a response to crises and conflicts, but also as a means of shaping international structures and influencing long-term processes.

This third edition reflects recent changes and trends in EU foreign policy as well as the international context in which it operates, addressing issues such as the increasingly contested international order, the conflict in Ukraine, the migration and refugee crisis, Brexit and Covid-19. The book not only clarifies the formal procedures in EU foreign policy-making but also elucidates how it works in practice. The third edition includes new sections and boxes on 'strategic autonomy', European arms exports, the EU's external representation, the 'Brussels Effect', and decentring and gender approaches to EU foreign policy.

Up to date, jargon-free and supported by its own website (eufp.eu), this systematic and innovative appraisal of this key policy area is suitable for undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as practitioners.

Genres: Politics, International Relations, Nonfiction

481 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 15, 2008

About the author

Stephan Keukeleire is Jean Monnet Professor in European Foreign Policy at Leuven International and European Studies (LINES) of the University of Leuven, Director of the 'Master of European Studies: Transnational and Global Perspectives' and 'Master in European Politics and Policies' in Leuven, and Visiting Professor at the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium.

Reviews

[Adrián · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly accessible and constructive. What I value the most in this edition is the attribute that it is not one of those textbooks that aims to glorify the EU, but offers a well argued criticism, which makes you exercise your thinking, instead of solely processing all information and then moving on - sometimes leaving us with rose-colored glasses.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leerrijk😎🤓

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a book I read as a part of a course on EU External relations. It is incredibly well written and includes many details in ways which are accessible to any level of reader. It made it easy to understand how the EU actors interact, the policy-making of the EU and most importantly, how each Member State affects the foreign policy.

Will definitely be rereading it in the future.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid comprehensive overview of the European Unions foreign policy. Started with a historical overview from the European Coal and Steel Community to the current European Union with the multiple different treaties involved. Then a satisfactory explanation of the European Union's foreign policy systems and actors (European Council, Council of Ministers, Commission, etc.). The real substance of the book involves explaining the many different facets and multilateral dimensions of EU foreign policy. Which the book sufficiently explains, although difficult to fully grasp and retain the knowledge for a beginner studying the European Union. The ending chapters explain the EU's neighborhood policy, relations with major and emerging powers, and relations with multilateral organizations.

[sònia montserrat]

madre mia

me l'he llegit sencer avui. sí, m'odio a mi mateixa.

que complicada és la ue. el meu cap no pot retenir tanta informació, per què coi necessiten tenir tantes coses m'estresso.

com l'examen de demà no em vagi bé i hagi passat aquesta tortura per re m'enfadaré, avisats esteu!!!!

[Francisco Cruz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought the third edition of this book (2022) for my dissertation and found it very useful. Provides a clear structured explanation of all foreign policy tools and instruments of the EU. Very pragmatic yet critical analysis which also includes implications for theory. Only cons is that it was written before Russia's 2022 large scale invasion of Ukraine, although it does identify and address the issues in EU-Russia relations that led to it.

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to read this book for my course on the Foreign Policy of the European Union by Stephan Keukeleire. It was great to read this book and seing it explained in class. For people who do not have a deep knowledge of the EU FP it is a great tool to have. The concepts are well explained and separated in to distinct topics. There is a high variety of different subjects which are equally tackled. The language used is good. What I also enjoyed about this book is that is also makes constructive criticism.
I would have like to read a more updated version of this book but luckily I had the chance to hear about it directly in class.

[Tibor · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent reference book for an in-depth study of the different dimensions and aspects of EUFP, both from a procedural (e.g. the actors and policy-making process) and substantive (e.g. CFSP, CSDP, trade and development) point of view.