European Union Diplomacy - Coherence, Unity and Effectiveness

This volume looks at the changing goals and instruments of European Union diplomacy and examines the reforms of the Lisbon Treaty and their effects on the unity and coherence of EU external action. The authors analyse institutional questions, particularly about the European External Action Service (EEAS) and the role of other EU actors in European foreign policy, and explore recent examples of EU multilateral, bilateral and unilateral diplomacy as well as the external perspective of third actors. The study concludes by investigating the current and future training of the Union’s diplomats, which aims to prepare them for an effective EEAS. Will the implementation of the Lisbon Treaty reforms make the EU fit for the future? Can a common European foreign policy ensure that European interests are taken into consideration and that European values shape international relations? Will the European Union be an actor or an object on the international stage in the coming decades?

Contents: Herman Van Rompuy: Foreword – Dieter Mahncke: European Union Diplomacy: Changes and Challenges – Paul Quinn: The Lisbon Treaty: Answering the Call for Greater Coherence in EU External Relations? – Benjamin Barton: The Emergence of the EEAS: A Retrospective on the Institutional Wrangling for the Soul of European Diplomacy – Anne-Claire Marangoni: Personification of Diplomacy? The Faces of EU Foreign Policy – Yannick Hartstein: The Role of Seconded National Experts in the Development of the CFSP and CSDP – Sieglinde Gstöhl: EU Multilateral Diplomacy after Lisbon: More Single European Voice in the United Nations? – Youri Devuyst/Jing Men: Political Dialogue as an Instrument of EU Diplomacy: The Case of China – André Ghione: EU Economic Diplomacy: The Triumph of Interests over Values? – Shannon Petry: From Commission Delegations to ‘EU Embassies’: External Perceptions of EU Diplomacy – Dieter Mahncke/Sieglinde Gstöhl: Fit for the Future: Training European Diplomats.