The EU has established itself as a significant international legal actor. This volume brings together the key primary legal materials relating to the foreign relations powers of the EU and its practices, with editorial commentary. It is an ideal resource for students, scholars, and practitioners in the field.

Annotation The EU has established itself as a significant international legal actor. This volume brings together the key primary legal materials relating to the foreign relations powers of the EU and its practices, with editorial commentary. It is an ideal resource for students, scholars, and practitioners in the field.

This volume examines the legal and constitutional foundations of the EU's external relations. It focuses on the EU's external powers and objectives, on the instruments, principles and actors of external policies, and on the legal effects of international agreements and international law.

This is a collection of works which considers the many different facets of the EU’s increasingly important engagement with the world beyond its borders. The Treaty of Lisbon marked a change in the powers and competences endowed on the EU - the contributions to this collection consider both the direct and indirect impact of the Treaty on the contemporary state of EU external relations. The authors are drawn from legal, political science and international relations disciplines and consider innovations or changes brought about by the Treaty itself: the European External Action Service, the roles of the High Representative and President, the collapse of the ‘pillar’ structure and new competences such as those for foreign investment. Other chapters cover developments which reflect the latest incremental changes upon which the post-Lisbon Treaty arrangements have some bearing, including the COREU network, the transatlantic and neighbourhood relations and the external dimension of ‘internal’ security. Useful for academics working in the field of EU external relations law and foreign policy, as well as the EU law/politics/European studies market more generally.

This book originates from the proceedings of the 10th anniversary conference of the Centre for the Law of EU External Relations (CLEER) in which renowned experts in the field took stock of recent evolutions in the law and practice of the EU’s external relations. In particular, the book addresses the question of how the evolving legal and political framework affects the nature of EU external relations law. The contributions discuss the actions (and reactions) of the EU through external action instruments in a number of substantive areas such as migration, trade, neighbouring policies, security and defence. By shedding light on the most significant developments of the past decade this edited volume attests to the ever-evolving nature of the field of EU External Relations Law. Thus, this book is essential reading for academics, practitioners and policy makers at the EU level interested in the field of EU External Relations Law. Dr. W.Th. Douma is an Independent legal expert at the European Environmental Law Consultancy and EU Legal – Centre for European and International Law, both based in The Netherlands, voluntary researcher at Ghent University in Belgium, and Senior Legal Adviser at the Dutch Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment. Prof. Dr. C. Eckes is Professor of European Law at the University of Amsterdam and director of the Amsterdam Centre for European Law and Governance, The Netherlands. Prof. Dr. P. Van Elsuwege is Professor of European Union Law at Ghent University and co-director of the Ghent European Law Institute, Belgium. Dr. E. Kassoti is Senior researcher in EU and International Law at the Asser Institute and academic co-ordinator of the Centre for the Law of EU External Relations (CLEER), The Netherlands. Prof. Dr. A. Ott is Professor of EU External Relations Law and Jean Monnet professor in EU Law at Maastricht University, The Netherlands. Prof. Dr. R.A. Wessel is Professor of European Law and Head of the European and Economic Law Department at the University of Groningen, The Netherlands.

This edited collection appraises the role, self-perception, reasoning and impact of the European Court of Justice on the development of European Union (EU) external relations law. Against the background of the recent recasting of the EU Treaties by the Treaty of Lisbon and at a time when questions arise over the character of the Court's judicial reasoning and the effect of international legal obligations in its case law, it discusses the contribution of the Court to the formation of the EU as an international actor and the development of EU external relations law, and the constitutional challenges the Court faces in this context. To what extent does the position of the Court contribute to a specific conception of the EU? How does the EU's constitutional order, as interpreted by the Court, shape its external relations? The Court still has only limited jurisdiction over the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy: why has this decision been taken, and what are its implications? And what is the Court's own view of the relationship between court(s) and foreign policy, and of its own relationship with other international courts? The contributions to this volume show that the Court's influence over EU external relations derives first from its ability to shape and define the external competence of the EU and resulting constraints on the Member States, and second from its insistence on the autonomy of the EU legal order and its role as 'gatekeeper' to the entry and effect of international law into the EU system. It has not - in the external domain - overtly exerted influence through shaping substantive policy, as it has, for example, in relation to the internal market. Nevertheless the rather 'legalised' nature of EU external relations and the significance of the EU's international legal commitments mean that the role of the Court of Justice is more central than that of a national court with respect to the foreign policy of a nation state. And of course its decisions can nonetheless be highly political.

The first edition of this seminal textbook made a significant impact on the teaching of EU external relations law. This new edition retains the hallmarks of that success, while providing a fully revised and updated account of this burgeoning field. It offers a dual perspective, looking at questions from both the EU constitutional law perspective (the principles underpinning EU external action, the EU's powers, and the role of the Court of Justice of the EU); and the international law perspective (the effect of international law in the EU legal order and the position of the EU in international organisations such as the WTO). A number of key substantive policy areas are explored, including trade, security and defence, police and judicial cooperation, the environment, human rights, and development cooperation. Taking a 'text, cases and materials' approach, it allows students to gain a thorough understanding of milestones in the evolution of EU law in this area, their judicial interpretation and scholarly appraisal. Linking these pieces together through the authors' commentary and analysis ensures that students are given the necessary guidance to properly position and digest these materials. Lastly, each chapter concludes with a section entitled 'The Big Picture of EU External Relations Law', which weaves together the diverse and complex materials into a coherent whole and stimulates critical discussion of the topics covered.

The two years since publication of the first edition of The Law of EU External Relations: Cases, Materials, and Commentary on the EU as an International Actor have been characterized by the large amount of case law on the new provisions on external relations, which have found their way into the Lisbon Treaty. Moreover, there have been important changes in EU secondary law on external relations as a consequence of these changes to the Lisbon Treaty. In this second edition, new case law and legislative developments are critically discussed and analysed in this comprehensive collection of EU Treaty law. Combining chapters on the general basis of the Union's external action and its relation to international law, with chapters which further explore the law and practice of the EU in the specialized fields of external action, this book presents the law of EU external relations in a concise and accessible manner for students, practitioners, and academics in the field. Topics include the common commercial policy, development cooperation, cooperation with third countries, humanitarian aid, the enlargement and neighbourhood policies, the external environmental policy, and the common foreign and security policy. Carefully selected primary documents are accompanied with analytic commentary on the issues they raise and their significance for the overall structure of EU external relations law. The primary materials selected include many important legal documents that are hard to find elsewhere but give a vital insight into the operation of EU external relations law in practice.

This book offers a concise yet comprehensive review of the principles of EU external relations law. By carefully examining the role of the Union on the global scene, it provides a systematic overview of the relevant rules and competences, reflecting on the legal developments in their political and societal context. In addition to up-to-date analyses of, inter alia, the Common Foreign and Security Policy, the Common Security and Defence Policy and the Common Commercial Policy, it highlights the EU's external powers with regard to the environment, fundamental rights and development cooperation. Moreover, it includes dedicated chapters exploring the relations with neighbouring countries, and explaining the complex interplay between rules of domestic, European and international provenance. The second edition of this established text (the first edition was published under the title Layered Global Player in 2011) has been geared even more specifically towards students, for example through the inclusion of chapter overviews, clarifying boxes, and supplementary examples, while a meticulous review of the narrative has further enhanced its accessibility. As before, the book’s compact dimensions, transparent structure and engaging style of writing enable readers to master the main features of this gripping field of law with ease. It thus remains an invaluable resource for students and lecturers alike.

The law of the external relations of the European Union is a subject of great importance. The EU institutions have developed an extensive practice in this area, by concluding many international agreements, by participating in the work of international organizations, and by legislating and regulating on matters of external relations. It is a practice giving rise to many legal problems and questions, as evidenced by the substantial and fast expanding body of case-law in this area from the EU Courts. These problems and questions are often of constitutional significance, and the external relations law of the EU therefore occupies an important place in the overall constitutional and institutional development of the EU. This volume examines the legal foundations of the EU's external relations. It focuses on the EU's external competences and objectives; on the instruments, principles, and actors of external policies; and on the legal effects of international agreements and international law. It analyses a number of key external policies, particularly in the fields of trade and foreign policy. Substantially updated to take into account recent case law, it also incorporates an examination of the changes made by the Lisbon Treaty. This new edition, formerly published as External Relations of the European Union: Legal and Constitutional Foundations, is an invaluable asset to those studying and working in the field.