13.1 External Relations: introduction

The EU's third country relationships are dealt with through different legal instruments, institutions and departments. Topics relating to the European Community (1^st pillar) agenda are dealt with through the European Commission. They relate mostly, but not entirely, to economic issues. Topics relating to Common Foreign and Security Policy (2^nd pillar), as well as some issues in the Police and Judicial Cooperation in Criminal Matters (3^rd pillar) agenda, are deal with inter-governmentally in the European Council.

Of course, relations with many states are in more than one of these areas, so many of the EU policies relating to third country relationships are jointly established by two or more EU departments.

The EU's major third country relationships can be grouped as follows:

Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP):

European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP)
Foreign relations of the EU.

European Community:

External Relations Directorate-General of the Commission, including:

European Neighbourhood Policy (jointly with the CFSP):

Barcelona Process (jointly with the CFSP).

EU-Russia Common Spaces (jointly with the CFSP).
Northern Dimension (covering the Nordic countries, Baltics and Russia)

Enlargement Directorate-General of the Commission, including:

Enlargement of the EU (jointly with CFSP) - for Croatia, Macedonia and Turkey.
Stabilization and Association Process (jointly with the CFSP) - for Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia.

Trade Directorate-General of the Commission, including:

European Economic Area.
Switzerland and the EU.
Euro-Mediterranean Partnership: free trade area (jointly with External Relations).
Economic Partnership Agreements with the ACP countries (with External Relations and Development).
Agreements with Latin American countries including Mexico and Chile.

Development Directorate-General of the Commission.
ECHO (Commission) (humanitarian aid).

This Section on external relations covers the CFSP and the European Neighbourhood Policy. Development and aid are also included. The topics are discussed under the following headings:

Common Foreign and Security Policy: brief history (Fact Sheet 13.2).
Security Policy: historical background (Fact Sheet 13.3).
The CFSP and the ESDP (Fact Sheet 13.4).
European Neighbourhood Policy (EPN) (Fact Sheet 13.5).
Development and Aid (Fact Sheet 13.6) with a list of the ACP countries (13.7).

RL, February 2007