Pascaline Winand

The European Rescue of the Empire or the EU as ferment of change in international relations

The book analyses the attitudes of non-EU countries towards European integration in historical and contemporary perspectives. The authors study a range of actors in Europe and beyond to explain the impact of the creation of the European Communities on the international system and how the EU is perceived in the world. The book further shows the significance of the institutional interplay within the EU, and between EU institutions, member states and external actors led by their own internal dynamics to explain policy outcomes. It investigates to what extent the perceptions of the international community towards the European Communities and the EU have been influenced by the complexity of their decision-making and the difficulty of reconciling the views of member states on key external relations issues. The authors also study the interplay of non-EU countries and the EU within the broader context of international and regional institutions and forums for international cooperation.

The external relations of the European Union : historical and contemporary perspectives

The book analyses the attitudes of non-EU countries towards European integration in historical and contemporary perspectives. The authors study a range of actors in Europe and beyond to explain the impact of the creation of the European Communities on the international system and how the EU is perceived in the world. The book further shows the significance of the institutional interplay within the EU, and between EU institutions, member states and external actors led by their own internal dynamics to explain policy outcomes. It investigates to what extent the perceptions of the international community towards the European Communities and the EU have been influenced by the complexity of their decision-making and the difficulty of reconciling the views of member states on key external relations issues. The authors also study the interplay of non-EU countries and the EU within the broader context of international and regional institutions and forums for international cooperation.

The European Union today: between peace and crisis

The Norwegian Nobel Committee decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2012 to the European Union (EU) in recognition of its contribution, and that of its predecessors in the European Communities,1 to ‘the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe’ (The Norwegian Nobel Committee 2012: 1). Thanks in part to its stabilizing role, the EU had ‘helped to transform most of Europe from a continent of war to a continent of peace’, the Committee wrote (ibid.). The decision came in the midst of economic and social turmoil in the EU. Some commentators interpreted it as a way for the Nobel Committee to prop up the EU in a time of crisis, taking the long view of its achievements, rather than focusing on its contemporary difficulties. This book comes at a time of challenging events in the EU and its neighbourhood, which have ramifications not just for Europe but also for the wider world. The unfolding of the Ukrainian crisis has pitted the EU vision of an Eastern Partnership against that of the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC) and the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU)2 whose name and institutional arrangements resemble, if only superficially, those of the EU and its earlier incarnations. Being a member of neither the EU nor these Russian-led regional organizations, Ukraine has been torn between EU and Russian security needs and ambitions. It was the suspension of preparations for the signing of an EU-Ukraine Association Agreement by President Viktor Yanukovych and his government with a view to avoiding detrimental economic reprisals from Russia that originally triggered the pro-European demonstrations of the Euromaidan. But although Ukrainian academics could greet the Euromaidan as ‘the largest ever pro-European rally in history’ and see the prospect of Ukraine’s economic integration with the EU as a way of expanding the EU market

Introduction: the problem of EU–India relations

The European Union (EU)–India relationship has variously been characterized as a relationship ‘in desperate need of some success’ (EUAsia Centre and FRIDE 2011), ‘a relationship between two unequals’ (EUEAPP media ‘elite’ respondent),1 ‘a loveless arranged marriage’ or a ‘reluctant relationship’ (Khandekar 2011). From an EU perspective, it remains ‘an underexploited twoway relationship’ which suffers from high tariff barriers in India as well as EU import ceilings and restrictions (interview with EU Delegation official, New Delhi, October 2011). From an Indian perspective, the relationship is ‘very amicable’. It is a ‘nonproblematic, feelgood relationship’ (EUEAPP, political ‘elite’ respondents; civil society ‘elite’ respondent) but is also ‘not very active’ (EUEAPP, civil society ‘elite’ respondent) and lacks momentum (EUEAPP, business ‘elite’ respondent). An Indian climate campaigner recently described it as ‘a stable relationship, not deteriorating but pretty much stagnant for the past, at least one decade or so’ (EUEAPP, civil society ‘elite’ respondent). So why bother studying European–Indian relations? Why this book? When we embarked upon this project, we felt that the EU–India relationship was understudied and suffered from clichés that were repeated time and again from one publication to the next. One of these was that India only began to take European integration seriously in the 1990s. We thought that an indepth study was needed to put current developments in EU–India relations in historical perspective in the hope that a better understanding of the evolution of EU–India relations might form a sounder basis for analyzing current developments. Another reason was the sheer magnitude of the economic, political and security interests at play in this relationship in the 21st century. There is enormous scope for growing investment and trade on both sides. For India, the EU remains the largest trading partner, but the percentage of Indian exports going to the EU and of India’s imports from the EU has fallen significantly since the 1990s. In 1996, the EU bought 26 percent of India’s exports and 30 percent of India’s imports originated from the EU. By contrast, 17 percent of Indian

Fearing European unity and yearning for Asian cooperation: the early years

It is true that Africa is Europe’s hinterland for resources. But if Western Europe is to play its true part in an interdependent world, it is not enough if it remains oriented to the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. It must become a partner in the activities of traditionally civilized societies in India and China which are repositories also of intrinsic cultural and intellectual strength. Jean Monnet speaking to K. Krishna Moorthy (Moorthy 1984)

The EU, ASEAN and the Challenges of the 21st Century: Conclusions and Recommendations

The European Union (EU) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) were both created during the Cold War. They had similar purposes. In a way, it was all about peace. It was about preventing recurring conflicts between member states in their respective regions while facing up to external threats together: security from each other and security from the external world. Although much has changed in the international arena since the creation of the European Communities and ASEAN, much also remains the same. Both organizations still fulfil important security functions in their regions, and both still have an important stake in improving their collaboration to enable them to tackle better the challenges of the 21st century. Yet the picture is not one of unalloyed success, and the future of their relationship is fraught with perils as much as it offers potentialities for cooperation.