An EU Innovative External Action? discusses both the EU’s growing challenges from its near and far neighbourhood and the developments within the EU that seek to meet them. The European Security Strategy (2003) and its updating (2008) have pointed out some of the growing external problems. These documents have outlined the goals for the EU’s future activity in terms of general principles and policy rather than of specific actions, adopting a holistic approach covering a wide range of civilian responses as well as the military dimension of security. This book is an empirical investigation which reflects these different aspects and pressures, exploring the interaction between resources and capacities, policies and processes, and influences from within and outside the EU. Its main argument is the need for the EU to work towards meeting its external challenges by developing innovative action.

The crucial challenges that this volume explores include the EU’s approach to the European External Action Service; the EU’s handling of Russia, China, and Iran; the legal aspects of the Common Security and Defence Policy’s (CSDP) military operations; legal issues regarding the EU’s combating of piracy and armed robbery in the CSDP Operation Atalanta; the influences and issues inherent in the EU’s coordination of the above military marine operation; the political control and strategic direction on decision-making by the Political Security Committee; the establishment of the EU’s rapid reaction force within the CSDP framework and its present (in)action; and the CSDP’s experimentation in the promotion of peace and security on the African continent. This volume examines EU behaviour in the above policy areas and issues, and how the Union is dealing with the risks it faces today.

This book aims to promote an interdisciplinary debate. The contributions to this volume originated from a workshop concerned with the European Union Facing External Challenges held at Pembroke College, Cambridge, in October 2009, organised with the support of Geoffrey Edwards (POLIS, University of Cambridge). These reflect the views of experts from various nations and institutions, operating in diverse cultural realities and fields. The rationale for employing interdisciplinary resources is in line with the way in which the European Union and the European Commission are encouraging a dialogue about EU policies. The authors are academics, political analysts from think tanks, and officials from the European Commission and the European Council, all involved, at various levels, in European affairs. They are Laure Delcour, Gérard Dejoué, Andrea deGuttry, Elina Dzalbe, Roxane Farmanfarmaian, Ludovica Marchi Balossi-Restelli, Jing Men, Antonio Missiroli, Frederik Naert and Alex Vines. Jolyon Howorth (Yale University) contributed to the workshop as a discussant, and this is noticeable in the building up of the book’s argument. An EU Innovative External Action? will be of interest to students and scholars of European studies focused on EU’s external challenges, policy-makers involved in European affairs, and the wider public.