ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with the emerging global role of the European Union (EU) as a soft power in contrast to hard power. It outlines the expanding international agenda of the EU, and deals with the relation of the European Union and the United Nations (UN) and the World Trade Organization (WTO). The global role of the EU emerged in the vacuum of the post-Cold War system of international relations. The collapse of the Soviet Union allowed for an unprecedented expansion to central and Eastern Europe. The most important pillar of EU external relations is the policies of the United Nations in relation to each region. The imperfect nature of the United Nations, where sometimes compromises overlook problems of human rights and democratization, is also inherent in EU policies, particularly in relation to Asia and the Mediterranean. The World Trade Organization (WTO) is a further institution cherished and supported by the EU.
