Course introduction - structure and requirements; EU as an actor of international relations in the neighbourhood: EU as normative power, civilian power Europe, prospects and pitfalls of the EU neighbourhood policy.

Questions for the discussion: Which kind of actor the EU should be in its Eastern neighbourhood? Normative? Economic? Security actor? Why? In which areas the EU is successful as an actor in the neighbourhood? Is it time for some profound changes in the EU´s apporach to the Eastern neighbourhood?

• Gebhard, C. (2017): The Problem of Coherence in the European Union´s International Relations. In Hill, Christopher; Smith, Michael and Vanhoonacker, Sophie (eds.; 2017): International Relations and the European Union. Third Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 123-142 (19 pages)
• Sjursen, H. (2017): Principles in European Union Foreign Policy. In Hill, Christopher; Smith, Michael and Vanhoonacker, Sophie (eds.; 2017): International Relations and the European Union. Third Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 443-462 (19 pages)
• Smith, M., H. (2015): The EU as a Diplomatic Actor in the Post-Lisbon Era: Robust or Rootless Hybrid? In: Koops, Joachim, A.; Macaj, Gjovalin (eds.; 2015): The European Union as a Diplomatic Actor. Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 11 – 30. (19 pages)