ASTK12306U Course: The Foreign Economic Relations of the EU

While there exists a vast literature on the EU’s foreign policy, strangely (given its primary identity as an economic union) much less has been written about the EU’s foreign economic relations. This course offers students the possibility to explore this under-researched area in considerable depth and is divided into 6 parts. After an introductory session, Part I explores the institutions of and theoretical approaches to EU foreign economic relations – seeking to cover both more traditional approaches that have focused on the EU as a sui generis actor to those who have sought to treat the EU as another actor in the global economy. Parts II to VI then focus on assessing the EU’s behaviour in a number of different policy domains, including its promotion of external competitiveness through trade and its role in international development, global finance and global environmental governance. Each of these domains is also examined through a relevant case study. The module concludes with a discussion of the future of the EU as a global economic actor, especially in the light of the rise of the emerging economies.

Preliminary outline:

1. Introduction: The EU as an ‘Economic Giant’?

Part I – The Institutions and Theory of EU Foreign Economic Relations

1. The Institutions of EU Foreign Economic Diplomacy
2. The EU as a Sui Generis Economic Actor: institutionalist approaches and the search for EU coherence
3. Beyond EU Exceptionalism: the EU as just another actor in the global political economy?
4. Critiquing EU external economic action: ‘critical’ IPE approaches and the EU’s projection of external economic might

Part II – The External Dimension of Competitiveness?

1. The Single European Market and the EU as a global trade actor
2. Case study: the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP)

Part III – Promoting International Development?

1. The EU’s Trade and Aid Policies for the Developing World
2. Case study: the EU-ACP Economic Partnership Agreements

Part IV – Ensuring Global Financial Stability?

1. The EU and the Regulation of Global Finance
2. Case study: EU-US financial regulatory cooperation

Part V – Promoting Environmental Sustainability?

1. The EU as a Global Environmental Actor
2. Case study: the EU at the Copenhagen Climate Summit

Part VI – Conclusion

The Future of the EU as a Foreign Economic Actor