ABSTRACT
Both the wider Black Sea region and the European Union (EU) are currently in the process of change. The coming years will help us to learn more about what the Treaty of Lisbon actually means in practice and how it will affect the wider Black Sea region through the EU’s security, enlargement and neighbourhood policies. For example, the abolition of the post of Commissioner for External Relations and the appointment of the new High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, as well as the 2009 Commission Directorate General (DG) for Enlargement now incorporating the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), demonstrate a change of emphasis towards the neighbouring countries in the East. There is also a change of personnel in external affairs after Javier Solana’s long term post as High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy.
