The European Parliament and its International Relations

Following the Lisbon Treaty, the powers of the European Parliament in external relations have gradually expanded and it is increasingly influencing the foreign policy of the European Union. This book analyses the role of the European Parliament as an international actor and presents a new debate about its role outside the EU territory. It explores different policy areas including human rights, international aid, trade, crisis management and the environment to provide a systematic analysis of the modern global role of the European Parliament. The book also considers the European Parliament’s regional interactions with Africa, Latin America, the United States, Asia and the Middle East. With a common analytical framework and research covering the lifespan of the European Parliament from its first direct elections in 1979 to the present day, this comprehensive volume presents an unparalleled analysis of one of the most important institutions in the European Union. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of European Union politics and institutions, European policy, government, international relations and European history.

Introduction: the European Parliament as an international actor Daniela Irrera PART 1 1. The European Union as a "normative power" and the normative voice of the European Parliament Laura Feliu & Francesc Serra 2. The role of the European Parliament in EU development policy Sarah Delputte & Joren Verschaeve 3. The EP as an international actor in trade: from power to impact Lore Van den Putte, Ferdi DeVille & Jan Orbie 4. The role of the European Parliament in managing the international economic crisis Panagiota Manoli & Georgios Maris 5. The European Parliament in EU external climate governance Katja Biedenkopf 6. The European Parliament and the External Dimension of the EU Nuclear Non-Proliferation Policy Clara Portela 7. The European Parliament in International Election Observation Missions (IEOM): division of labour or decreased influence? Andrea Gawrich PART 2 8. The European Parliament and the Engagement with African Regional Parliaments Stephen Kingah & Andrea Cofelice 9. The EP and regional cooperation: the case of Latin America Clarissa Dri 10. The Transatlantic Connection: Democratizing Euro-American Relations through Parliamentary Liaison Davor Jancic 11. Democratizing Interregionalism: The EU Parliament and its Asia relations Jürgen Rüland & Astrid Carrapatoso 12. Socializing the Eastern Neighborhood? The European Parliament and the EuroNest Parliamentary Assembly Hrant Kostanyan & Bruno Vandecasteele PART 3 13. The European Parliament and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict Maria Gianniou 14. The European Parliament and the Cyprus Problem Roderick Pace & André Vella 15. The European Parliament as a diplomatic precedent-setter: the case of parliamentary relations with Kosovo Lorinc Redei Conclusions: The European Parliament as an international actor Stelios Stavridis