Challenges for European Foreign Policy in 2014: The EU’s extended neighbourhood

At the start of each year, the FRIDE team looks at the challenges likely to dominate European foreign policy in the following twelve months. With a view to 2014, we target the developments taking place in the increasingly volatile extended neighbourhood of the European Union (EU). The new FRIDE annual publication calls for a paradigm shift in the EU’s approach to the neighbourhood, building on a broader definition of its geographic scope and focusing on the political and security trends connecting different regions. It also looks at the foreign policies of pivotal regional actors such as Iran, Russia and Turkey and at the projection of external powers in the regions surrounding Europe.

As power balances shift and the demand for change meets new obstacles in the extended neighbourhood, the EU and its member states should jointly advance reform and prosperity where possible, and counter threats where necessary, in partnership with others. In a more fragmented and competitive neighbourhood, they will need to reconcile strategic vision and policy flexibility in 2014 and beyond.