THE EU – A GLOBAL PLAYERJohn Birchall

Why act at EU level ? - Adding value

Consistency (policies and instruments)

Economies of scale Financial – see Balkans, Afghanistan… Geographical – see EDF, Delegations Vis-à-vis others – see coordination with IFIs A European Voice – a single voice on world stage

A balanced, neutral partner – commitment to multilateralism

The EU in the world

• A set of policies

• A guiding principle

• A world of partners

• An institutional structure

• The new Treaty

The EU in the world

• Market of 490 million• World’s biggest trader (20% of global

imports and exports; Transatlantic economy = 50% of world GDP and 40% of world trade)

• EU (inc. Member States) provides nearly ½ the world’s aid

• € is the 2nd currency in international financial markets

A full range of policies

Common commercial policyDevelopment cooperationResponding to humanitarian crisesCommon foreign & security policyExternal dimension of EU policies

A set of policies

Common commercial policy Development cooperation Responding to humanitarian crises Common foreign and security policy External dimension of EU policies

Common commercial policy

Flip-side of the Single Market One single negotiator : the Commission - Multilateral in WTO : market access with rules +

promotion of EU values (environment, food safety, cultural diversity, core labour standards)

- Bilateral/regional : agreements with 121 countries (reciprocal agreements, FTAs or asymmetric market opening), incl. 78 partners in ACP group

- Unilateral : autonomous preferences for developing countries (GSP) +“Everything but Arms” (duty-free access for all goods except arms from 49 LDCs).

A set of policies Common commercial policy

Development cooperation Responding to humanitarian crises Common foreign and security policy External dimension of EU policies

Development – what for ?

Millennium Development Goals (UN, 9.2000)

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger2. Achieve universal primary education3. Promote gender equality and empower women4. Reduce child mortality5. Improve national healthcare6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases7. Ensure environmental sustainability8. Develop global partnership on development

A set of policies Common commercial policy Development cooperation

Responding to humanitarian crises

Common foreign and security policy External dimension of EU policies

Humanitarian aid

“…Humanitarian aid, the sole aim of which is to prevent or relieve human suffering, is accorded to victims without discrimination on the grounds of race, ethnic group, religion, sex, age, nationality or political affiliation, and must not be guided by, or subject to, political considerations”

EC Regulation 1257/96

Humanitarian aid

provided since the mid-1970s ECHO set up in 1992 €500 million a year for medical aid, water and

sanitation, mine-clearance, transport... in more than 100 countries … Iraq, Afghanistan,

Palestinian Territories, regions of Africa, Chechnya, Tajikistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Colombia, Central America & Caribbean…

Via European NGOs, UN specialised agencies and the Red Cross/Red Crescent movement

A set of policies

Common commercial policy Development cooperation Responding to humanitarian crises

Common foreign & security policy

External dimension of EU policies

CFSP – a long history

• Failure of EDC (1954)• 1970’s - European Political Co-operation (EPC)• 1992 - Maastricht Treaty on European Union• 1995 - Treaty of Amsterdam – « asserting the EU's

identity on the international scene, in particular through the implementation of a common foreign and security policy including the progressive framing of a common defence policy.” and

• 2000 – Treaty of Nice - European Convention – Constitutional Treaty

CFSP 1992 Yugoslavia crisis led to ESDP : “To safeguard the

common values and strengthen the security in the Union; To preserve peace and strengthen international security; to promote international cooperation; to develop and consolidate democracy and the rule of law, human rights”

Petersberg tasks - “humanitarian and rescue tasks, peacekeeping tasks and tasks of combat forces in crisis management, including peacemaking".….

Military action by EU RRF, with NATO resources, or autonomously

EU guidelines on death penalty, torture, children & armed conflict, human rights defenders; HR Dialogues (inc. China, Iran); ICC; Election Observation Missions.

European Security Strategy, 12.03 - “soft” & “hard” security measures

ESDP

EU Missions: Operation EUFOR-Althea (Bosnia and Herzegovina) EU Police Mission – EUPM, (Bosnia and Herzegovina) EU Police Mission in Kinshasa (DRC) EU Mission for Iraq (EUJUST LEX) EU Mission in Congo (EUSEC DR Congo) EU Support to AMIS II (Darfur) Aceh Monitoring Mission EU BAM Rafah Moldova and Ukraine Border Mission EU Police Mission in the Palestinian Territories (EUPOL COPPS) EU Police Advisory Team in the Former Yugoslav Republic of

Macedonia (EUPAT) EUFOR RD Congo EUPOL Afghanistan

A set of policies Common commercial policy Development cooperation Responding to humanitarian crises Common foreign & security policy

External dimension of EU policies

Influencing the world by our domestic policies

Energy E.g. Energy security debate

Environment E.g. Kyoto…

Area of Peace Freedom and Security (JHA) E.g. the fight against terrorism… trafficking …

Fisheries E.g. fishing agreements….

Monetary union E.g. € as a reserve currency….

External dimension of EU policies

The success of the EU’s “Soft Power”

EU Enlargement – peaceful transformation of a continent

Turkey – reforms at all levels Western Balkans – Commission aid combined

with EU High and Special Representatives (Bosnia, FYRoMacedonia…)

European Neighbourhood Policy (export achievements of enlargement, creating a “Ring of friends”)

What do we stand for ? - a guiding principle

Effective Multilateralism

United Nations, WTO, OSCE, Council of Europe, NATO, African Union, etc.

further European policy goals and promote fundamental European values

Conflict prevention – peace facility Human rights - EIDHR

Whom do we work with ? a world of partners

Closest relationship is with EFTA - Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway - and EEA

Candidate countries – Turkey, Croatia, FYROM Western Balkans – “vocation to join the EU” Enlargement European Neighbourhood Policy

(ENP) Bilateral summit meetings with USA (trade €1

bn./day) Japan, Canada, Russia (Tacis, 4 spaces), China (EU’s third biggest trading partner), India, Ukraine

Regional cooperation – EU strong point

Bi-regional summits with Latin Americans (EU is leading source of FDI) & Caribbean (Guadalajara, etc.)

First EU-Africa Summit in 2000; Cotonou Agreement

Regional ministerial meetings - Euro-Mediterranean Partnership - Barcelona Process; Gulf Cooperation Council; ASEAN (since 1972); Mercosur, Andean Community; ECOWAS, Central African Economic and Monetary Union, SADC…

Backing it all up – an institutional structure

Bilateral and regional agreements Trade agreements; development assistance,

institution-building and technical assistance, as well as for infrastructure and health and education programmes.

Cooperation on economic, technical, scientific and research activities and environmental protection

Framework for political dialogue. Human rights clause in all bilateral agreements Non-proliferation of WMD clause

EU EXTERNAL RELATIONS

Adapting to a constantly changing, and globalising world

http://ec.europa.eu/world/