The Neighbours of the European Union’s Neighbours. Diplomatic and Geopolitical Dimensions beyond the European Neighbourhood Policy

Should the European Neighbourhood Policy stop at the borders of the European Union’s immediate neighbouring countries?

This book is a study of the ‘neighbours of the EU’s neighbours’, a concept originally introduced by the European Commission with reference to Saharan Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia. These regions in the EU’s broader neighbourhood are often perceived as an ‘arc of crisis’ from which manifold challenges emanate for Europe.

This book takes stock of the state of the EU’s cooperation with the neighbours of its neighbours and explores how the concept might help promote security, stability and prosperity beyond the countries which are formally part of the European Neighbourhood Policy. How can the EU create bridges between these regions? What instruments does the EU have at its disposal and how can it link them in order to respond to the challenges and overcome the current fragmentation? One of the conclusions is the suggestion to consider a pragmatic ‘EU Strategy for the Neighbours of its Neighbours’ which addresses the needs of the broader EU neighbourhood in a more systematic and consistent manner and helps transform in the long run the ‘arc of crisis’ into another ‘ring of friends’.

Contents:
Introduction: the ‘neighbours of the EU’s neighbours’, the ‘EU’s broader neighbourhood’ and the ‘arc of crisis and strategic challenges’ from the Sahel to Central Asia, Erwan Lannon

Part I Geopolitical Dimensions beyond the ENP’s South: Sahel and Horn of Africa:
+ State of play: the EU, the African parties to the Cotonou Agreement and the ENP, Claudia Zulaika
+ The EU’s growing engagement in the Sahel: from development aid to military coordination, Alexander Mattelaer
+ The Horn of Africa: transnational and trans-regional dynamics in Europe’s broader neighbourhood, Alex Vines and Ahmed Soliman

Part II Geopolitical Dimensions beyond the ENP’s East: Arabian Peninsula, Iraq and Iran:
+ State of play: the EU, the Arabian Peninsula, Iraq, Iran and the ENP, Andrew Bower and Raphaël Metais
+ The Gulf and the EU: partners or competitors?, Silvia Colombo
+ Iran and Iraq: between reconstruction and containment, Clément Therme

Part III Geopolitical Dimensions beyond the ENP’s East: Central Asia:
+ State of play: the EU, Central Asia and the ENP, Francesca Fenton
+ The Caspian Sea region: the struggle for resources, Alexander Warkotsch

Part IV Diplomatic Dimensions beyond the ENP: Lessons for EU Diplomacy:
+ The European Neighbourhood Policy: a suitable case for treatment, Michael Leigh
+ Lessons for the practice and analysis of EU diplomacy from an ‘outside-in’ perspective, Stephan Keukeleire
+ The global players in the EU’s broader neighbourhood, Jonatan Thompson

Conclusion: models of cooperation with the neighbours of the EU’s neighbours, Sieglinde Gstöhl