Despite growing scholarly interest in the EU's flagship policy towards its Eastern and Southern neighbours, serious attempts at theory-building on the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) have been largely absent from the academic debate.

This book aims at contributing to fill this research gap in a three-fold manner: first and foremost it aims at theorizing the ENP as such, explaining the origins, development and effectiveness of this policy. Building on this effort, it also pursues the broader objective of addressing certain shortcomings in EU external relations theory, and even beyond, in International Relations theory. Finally, it aspires to provide new insights for European policy-makers. It is one of the first volumes to provide different theoretical perspectives on the ENP by revisiting and building bridges between mainstream and critical theories, stimulating academic and policy debates and thus setting a novel, less EU-centric research agenda.

This text will be of key interest to scholars, students and practitioners in EU external relations, EU foreign policy, the European Neighbourhood Policy, and more broadly in European Union Politics and International Relations.

About the Author
Sieglinde Gstoehl is Director of the Department of EU International Relations and Diplomacy Studies at the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium. She has been full-time professor at the College since 2005. From 1999-2005 she was Assistant Professor of International Relations at Humboldt University Berlin. She holds a PhD and an MA in International Relations from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva as well as a degree in Public Affairs from the University of St. Gallen. She was, inter alia, a research fellow at the Liechtenstein Institute and at the Center for International Affairs at Harvard University. Simon Schunz is Professor in the Department of EU International Relations and Diplomacy Studies at the College of Europe in Bruges. He previously worked, inter alia, for DG Research and Innovation of the European Commission, where he was in charge of the social sciences research on the EU as a global actor, including its neighbourhood policies, and the University of Leuven (KU Leuven), where he continues to lecture.

Reviews

"The volume is a very successful example of an eclectic perspective which tackles a wide range of aspects of the ENP, but is also unified by the larger finding that this policy has been largely EU-centric, which in turn, has hindered the EU's ability to influence developments in the neighbourhood... the volume is an important breakthrough in the study of the EU's approach towards its neighbours."

Cristian NITOIU, Aston Centre for Europe, Aston University, Eastern Journal for European Studies

Book Information
ISBN 9781138361966
Author Sieglinde Gstoehl
Format Paperback
Page Count 318
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 453g