ABSTRACT
The commitment to the promotion of human rights and democratization as the Union's common values and the request to develop comprehensive approaches in foreign policy are linked to two main ideas that have dominated the academic debate. One is the consideration of the European Union (EU) as a normative power, that is, a power that acts by its values and seeks to externalize its norms in the field of human rights. The other is that the EU as an actor is unable to react rapidly to international events and, hence, incapable of strategic planning in order to make full use of the means at its disposal. Coherence and consistency have been a main concern of policy-making in the EU, not only in foreign policy. The complexity of crisis management and conflict prevention demand comprehensive approach which combines emergency aid with measures to protect human rights and rehabilitation measures with long-term strategies that address underlying causes of vulnerability, conflict and insecurity.
