Diplomacy

The European integration project outlined by the Schuman Declaration was “open to all countries willing to take part”. Through successive rounds of enlargement, the European Communities grew from the original six members to 28 countries, until Brexit reduced the total number to 27. As a community numbering around 450 million people, the EU is an important actor on the world stage. It has developed bilateral and multilateral relations with international organisations and non-EU countries, starting from the historic partnership with the United States. Its external action relies on a wide array of instruments, such as diplomatic missions, representations, and parliamentary delegations, and on targeted policies including trade and development policy.

The Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) was established by the Treaty of Maastricht in 1992 to strengthen international peace, cooperation and security, as well as to preserve and consolidate democracy, the rule of law and human rights in line with EU values. Still, member states retain crucial powers to develop their own foreign policy, especially when European institutions cannot reach unanimity in their decisions. This has affected the EU’s ability to speak with a single voice and to play a key diplomatic role in international crises and conflicts.

Jacopo Cellini