Key EU countries call for radical overhaul of foreign and defence policy

Guido Westerwelle at a meeting with Carl Bildt, at the foreign ministry in Stockholm, Sweden (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Friends Of Europe, September 20, 2012

Five of the six biggest countries in the EU, excluding Britain, have called for an overhaul of European foreign and defense policy in a bid to make the EU a bigger global player.

The “Future of Europe Group”, led by German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, has compiled over the past nine months a 12 page document of policy recommendations concerning the future of Europe… (more) http://ow.ly/2shu79

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ECFR: EU – Turkey relations: A glimmer of hope?

The European Union and Turkey (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Dimitar Bechev, ECFR, July 24, 2012

Ties between the EU and Turkey have hit such lows over the past few years that even marginal improvements now almost carry a whiff of a breakthrough. As Cyprus takes up the EU Council presidency we are, rather paradoxically, on an upward trajectory. (more) http://ow.ly/1lBo44

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IIEA: European Security in the 21st Century – The EU’s Comprehensive Approach

 

 

Heads of State and Government in Lisbon, 13.12.2007 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Linda Barry, IIEA, July 18, 2012

Under its comprehensive approach to crisis management the EU takes a holistic view of a (potential) crisis situation and recognises that an effective, sustainable solution can only be achieved by using the full range of civilian and military instruments at its disposal.

 

Today, the IIEA published a paper on European Security in the 21st Century: The EU’s Comprehensive Approach. This paper considers how the EU institutions have been adapted by the Lisbon Treaty to facilitate the implementation of the comprehensive approach. It demonstrates that this is a work in progress and that the operational aspects currently lag behind conceptual developments. It examines the implications for Ireland and concludes that the comprehensive approach creates an opportunity for Ireland to be at the centre of the Union’s response to the complex security threats of the 21st century in a manner that respects the country’s particular strengths and values. (more) http://ow.ly/1ls4F9

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FRIDE: The EU Strategic Partnerships Review: Ten Guiding Principles

The EU Strategic Partnerships Review: Ten Guiding Principles
By Thomas Renard (13/04/2012) FRIDE Policy Brief

The EU must strengthen its relationship with its strategic partners to cope with a changing and challenging international environment. This brief offers ten basic principles that should guide the EU’s approach to strategic partnerships. http://ow.ly/1lklR1

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