ABSTRACT
This chapter explains that the European Union (EU) constitutes a modern form of empire. It argues that the notion of 'empire' should be understood in relation to what goals a political unit intends to pursue and achieve rather than the instruments it might employ to achieve them. The chapter also focuses on the policy of conditionality, which constitutes the instrument used by the EU to export its norms and values, and then examines the subjects of the EU's conditionality policies. It then focuses on three sets of states: the candidate for EU membership countries, the states that are part of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), and the states that receive development assistance from the European Union. The chapter finally demonstrates why the EU constitutes a modern form of empire by investigating how the EU's policy of conditionality contributes towards the strengthening of an international order that reflects EU's interests and values.
