The Diplomatic System of the European Union ─ Evolution, change and challenges

This book provides an investigation of the diplomatic system of the EU, embracing commercial policy and foreign and security policy, within the broader study of diplomacy and of the European integration project.

It is structured around the interrelated themes of institutional change and the evolving practices of EU diplomacy – the latter in the two key areas of strategic diplomacy, exemplified by EU relations with the BRIC countries, and structural diplomacy, exemplified by EU involvement with the problems of Kosovo and the Congo. The contributors analyze and evaluate the development of the EU’s system of diplomacy, with particular reference to the implementation of the Lisbon Treaty, the establishment of the European External Action Service (EEAS) and the emerging practices of EU diplomacy.

Bringing together leading academic experts to produce an original approach to the development and operation of the EU’s diplomatic system this book makes an important contribution to academic and policy debate on the EU’s diplomacy. It will be of wide interest to those studying the international relations of the EU, European Union politics, international relations and diplomacy.

Michael Smith is Professor of European Politics and Jean Monnet Chair in the Department of Politics, History and International Relations at Loughborough University, UK, and Professor in European Politics in the Department of Politics and International Studies at the University of Warwick, UK.

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.

Sophie Vanhoonacker is Professor in European Administrative Governance and Jean Monnet Chair in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Maastricht University, the Netherlands.