L’Europe dans le monde / Europe in the world

Syllabus

EUROPE IN THE WORLD

1.      Introduction (1h)

a. Historical perspective: how Europe has developed as a global actor
From Delors’ initiative for a political Europe, via Solana and the Lisbon Treaty, to more and more political global EU 

b.Recent developments 
     i. Recent major global developments (Russia, China, US, Israel, others)
     ii. A geopolitical Commission ? Shift from development to transactional diplomacy?

2.      EU diplomacy – general approach (2h)

a. Legal, institutional and political framework 
     i. EU Treaties (since Lisbon Treaty in particular) 
     ii. Respective roles of EU Institutions and Member States (in theory)
     iii.EU: what number? Who’s in the lead? Member States, the (European) Council or the Commission? Role of the Parliament?

b. EU effective tools 
     i. EU: how many diplomats? Description of EU’s human resources forces, a pool of talented officials in Brussels and in Delegations (diplomats but also experts) 
     ii. Institutional tools (interaction between the “institutional triangle”, EEAS, EU Delegations and other institutions)
     iii. Financial instruments
     iv. EU legislation’s impact, political initiatives (e.g. Global GatewaYv.      Involvement of civil society and business community

c. Bilateral, plurilateral, multilateral actions
     i. Bilateral partnerships (e.g. the big Two, the impossible neighbour, developing countries, least-developed countries)
     ii. Plurilateral partnerships (G7, G20, OECD, Council of Europe etc.)
     iii. Multilateral action (UN, WTO, WCO, WHO, specific initiatives such as the Global Fund)

3.      EU’s historical international policies 

a. Trade (2h-3h)
     i. Definition (trade in goods, services and investments)
     ii. Early stage and development of EU’s trade policy
     iii. Negotiations and agreements
     iv. Tools and means 
            1. bilateral, pluri-multilateral agreements; 
            2. implementation and litigation; 
            3. classical sanctions (anti-dumping duties, countervailing duties, safeguards; enforcement regulation) 
            4. new tools – IPI, FSR, ACI, FDI screening mechanism, )
     v. Recent developments: trade AND economic security 

b. Development cooperation (2h-3h)
     i. Origin of EU’s development cooperation policy (from development and poverty reduction/eradication to new priorities such as mutually-beneficiary partnerships, economic security or migration objectives).
     ii. Classical features of EU’s development policy 
     iii. Sustainable Development Goals 
     iv. Investment and the Global Gateway strategy 
     v. Implementation
               1. Policy steer vs implementation
               2. Financial instruments 
                         a. Current ones (e.g. NDICI-Global Europe, IPA III, INSC, DOAG)
                         b. Future Global Europe 
                3.  Direct vs indirect management
                4.  Implementing partners (EIB, EBRD, AFD, KfW etc.)
                5.  Other stakeholders (ECAs, private sector etc.)
                6.  Loans, garantees, blending

4.      Other « classical » fields of action (1h)

a. CFSP/CFSD

b. Targeted diplomacy/policy – link with EU broad external policy
     i. Enlargement
     ii. Neighbourhood

5.      Thematic actions (1h)

a. Climate, environment and energy
b. Digital and infrastructure
c. Gender equality
d. Human development (health, education etc.)
e. Migration and forced displacement 
f. Peace and governance 
g. Research and development (Horizon Europe etc.)
h. External dimension of EU’s industrial policy (e.g. critical raw materials)

6.      Workshop – Council negotiations simulation (6h)

a. Theory I: negotiations in the EU institutions, focus on Council (1h)
     i. OLP, comitology – role of the Council 
    ii. Decision-making in the Council, respective roles
    iii. TPC, COREPER, FAC/TRADE Council
    iv. Interactions between Presidency/Commission/Member States
    v. Negotiations 
    vi. In practice (define your line, on/off record discussions, inter-sessionals…) 

b. Theory II: EU trade policy and Commission provisional CVDs on BEVs (1h)  
     vii. Trade Defence Instruments (TDIs), Countervailing Duties (CVDs)
     viii. China as a new major global economic actor
     ix. Commission provisional CVDs on BEVs originating in China 
     x. Specific negotiation parameters

b. Negotiation session I: working party/COREPER – IEP (2h)
     i. Introduction by the Presidency
     ii. Position presentation by the Member States’ attachés/ambassadors 
     iii. Questions/answers to the Commission 
     iv. Exchange of positions, possible agreement on technical issues

c. Negotiation session II: Foreign Affairs Council-Trade – EP/Council (2h)
     i. Presentation of compromise by the Presidency 
     ii. Consultation of Member States, Commission
     iii. Possible agreement on the text (with or without voting)

Bibliographie

1. History:

“The Development of EU Foreign Policy and External Representation”, Martijn I. Haas, 2022, JSTOR
https://www.jstor.org/content/pdf/oa_chapter_monograph/j.ctv2sjj0bm.6?refreqid=fastly-default%3Adff51a1b108d04bfe4cf489dca8e9cd3&ab_segments=&initiator=&acceptTC=1 

2. EU diplomacy:

“The post-Lisbon high representatives: an introduction”, Maria Giulia Amadio Viceréa, Giulia Tercovich, Caterina Carta, 2020, Taylor & Francis Group
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09662839.2020.1798409

“Europe’s foreign policy: what is wrong and what needs to be changed”, Guillaume Duval, 2/12/2025, Jacques Delors Institute 
https://institutdelors.eu/en/publications/europes-foreign-policy-what-is-wrong-and-what-needs-to-be-changed/

3. EU trade policy (EU Institutions websites):

General introduction to EU’s trade policy:
https://policy.trade.ec.europa.eu/eu-trade-relationships-country-and-region/making-trade-policy_en

Summary of EU legislation on trade:
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/summary/chapter/external_trade.html?root_default=SUM_1_CODED%3D07&locale=en

Negotiations and agreements:
https://policy.trade.ec.europa.eu/eu-trade-relationships-country-and-region/negotiations-and-agreements_en

EU trade defence toolbox:
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2025/775919/EPRS_BRI(2025)775919_EN.pdf 

4. Development cooperation:

“How does the EU support development in the world?”, European Parliament, 20/6/2025
https://epthinktank.eu/2025/06/20/how-does-the-eu-support-development-in-the-world/

“European Development Policy”, European Commission website
https://international-partnerships.ec.europa.eu/policies/european-development-policy_en

Global Gateway, European Commission website:
https://international-partnerships.ec.europa.eu/policies/global-gateway_en

Financial tool: 
https://diplomatie.belgium.be/en/policy/policy-areas/highlighted/eu-joins-forces-external-action