International relations of the European Union
The research theme “The International Relations of the European Union” builds on the long tradition of research on the external economic relations of the European Union and “European Foreign policy” in the Department of Politics, International Relations and European Studies at Loughborough University. More recently, this research has been developed into research on the international relations of the European Union broadly defined, bringing together theories of international relations and international political economy, foreign policy analysis and negotiation analysis with the distinctive institutional and political/economic contexts and external policy activities of the European Union. On the basis of this new focus of research, members of the department have published a large number of edited texts, articles and chapters in edited collections, and have presented papers at many international conferences and seminars during the past five years. The department has also hosted international colloquia on European order, on negotiation in the EU, on the international relations of the EU and on the roles of the EU in international politics, all of which have led to publications, either in the form of journal special issues or as edited collections
The research strand “The International Relations of the European Union” at CSIG provides the framework for the further development of these research activities and their application in the context of theories and practices related to international governance.
Among the research areas that will be pursued under the heading of the theme “The International Relations of the European Union” are:
- Analysis of the foundations for and development of ‘transatlantic governance’ in the context of the ‘Euro-American system’, including such areas as crisis management, negotiation and institution-building.
- Research on the relationship between ‘European foreign policy’ and conceptions of European and world order in the twenty-first century, linking with other CSIG work on security governance.
- Exploration of the EU’s role(s) in the global political economy, bringing together consideration of power, institutions and negotiation in the study of the EU’s impact on mechanisms of global governance.
- Studies of the EU’s impact on other regional sub-systems within the world arena, including Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East, bringing together research on EU policy-making, negotiation and institutionalisation.
Projects
- ‘The European Union and International Regimes; Effective Multilateralism in action?’ The workshop was held in April 2007, part-sponsored by University Association for Contemporary European Studies. For more information click here.
Activities
The investigation of these research areas will be pursued through the building of international networks and the organisation of international colloquia and workshops directed towards publication, within the context of funding applications to European Union and national bodies. Wherever possible, links will be made with interested bodies in the East Midlands region through applied research projects and consultancy, and with practitioners at the national, EU and broader levels so that research can be keyed into policy concerns as well as into theoretical and analytical perspectives.
Contact
Professor Michael Smith Direct line: +44 (0)1509 222990 |
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