ABSTRACT
The aim of this volume is to contribute to a better understanding of European Union (EU) economic diplomacy, or decision-making and negotiation in the external economic policies of the EU. It addresses a number of questions. The first is the straightforward, but seldom simple question of how EU economic diplomacy functions. In other words it looks at the internal decision-making processes that determine the EU’s policy preferences and how the EU handles negotiations at the international level. The second question the volume addresses is what role the EU plays in economic diplomacy? When does the EU appear as a distinct actor with common goals pursuing coherent negotiating objectives, and when is the EU’s role more one forum or level in a wider process in which EU member states lead? The book seeks in particular to identify the factors that determine the role the EU plays. The third and most challenging question addressed is what shapes the effectiveness of EU economic diplomacy?
