Public expectations and EU policies – Foreign policy

A series of Briefings from the European Parliamentary Research Service which looks at EU actions in a series of policy areas. This follows up a public opinion survey organised by Eurobarometer for the European Parliament in April 2016 which asked the question: Would you like the EU to intervene less than at present or more than at present for the following policy areas?

Terrorism / Unemployment / Tax fraud / Migration / Borders / Democracy / Environment / Security and defence / Health / Gender equality / Energy / Economy / Foreign policy / Agriculture / Industrial policyCitizens who think EU engagement in foreign policy is sufficient are almost as numerous as those wishing the EU does more in this area – and nearly one fifth confess they are not able to evaluate EU action. This can be explained as the remit of EU foreign policy is not easy to identify, since it brings together missions for which the EU has full responsibility and competences shared with EU Member States, or even the UN or WTO.

However, since its inception, EU foreign policy has adapted to an ever-changing global context: most international issues have multiple impacts – on climate, migration flows or security – and need to be comprehensively addressed. Building on the Treaties’ provisions, the EU and its Member States are moving from ‘silo’ policies (trade, development, humanitarian aid) towards more integrated strategies.

Authors: Eric Pichon, Raquel Juncal, Alina Dobreva