European Foreign Policy Unit

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The European Foreign Policy Unit (EFPU) was set up within the International Relations Department to act as a focus for research and teaching on issues relating to the steadily more serious attempts to create a collective European foreign policy since 1970. These efforts began with European Political Cooperation, which was associated with but not legally part of the European Community, and currently revolve around the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union, including the European Security and Defence Policy launched at Helsinki in December 1999. An effective study of this phenomenon must also pay attention to other international organisations, such as NATO and the United Nations, and to the foreign policies of the EU member states. The International Relations Department has claims to be the world’s leading centre for research into European foreign policy, and EFPU aims to build on and contribute to that reputation.

EFPU was founded by Professor Christopher Hill, who is now at Cambridge University. Its current members are Dr Federica Bicchi, Professor Michael Cox, Dr Ulrich Sedelmeier, Dr Karen E Smith (Director), Emeritus Professor William Wallace, and Mr Stephen Woolcock – all full-time staff in the International Relations Department. Dr Spyros Economides (International Relations Department and European Institute; on leave 2007-08) and Dr Mathias Koenig-Archibugi (Government and International Relations Departments) also participate in EFPU. Another well-known expert on the CFSP, Mr Simon Nuttall, is currently an associate of EFPU. In addition, there are several other staff members in the International Relations Department with an interest in the subject, including Professor Christopher Coker, while Dr Daphne Josselin and Dr Andrew Walter are experts on the political economy dimension of EU external relations.

EFPU members actively contribute to teaching on the subject at LSE. At the masters level, EFPU members teach four courses in the subject area: The EU in the World (taught by Dr Smith, Dr Bicchi, Dr Sedelmeier, and Dr Robert Kissack), European Security and Defence (taught by Dr Bicchi), The International Politics of EU Enlargement (taught by Dr Smith), EU Policy-Making in a Global Context (taught by Dr Sedelemeier), and Europe, the US and the Middle East (taught by Dr Bicchi). These courses are available to students taking the MSc in International Relations. In addition, EFPU members have been active in designing, running and teaching on Stream 2 of the MSc on Politics and Government in the European Union, which is entitled The International Relations of Europe. At the doctoral level, Dr Smith runs a research workshop on European International Politics.

Between 2002 and 2005, EFPU was the British member of FORNET - a European Foreign Policy Research Network - which represented the first formal attempt to structure and co-ordinate a network of researchers across Europe focusing on foreign policy governance. The FORNET website contains, among other items, a discussion board, annual reviews of national positions on CFSP, and a bi-monthly newsletter, CFSP Forum, which is edited by Dr Smith.

At present the EFPU is also a participant in the EU-funded research programme entitled Challenge (the Changing Landscape of European Liberty and Security). In addition, several EFPU members are active in the recently-launched EU-funded research network, EU-CONSENT, which links researchers working on EU reform and enlargement.

For further information on EFPU, please contact Dr Karen E Smith (k.e.smith@lse.ac.uk).

Publications

The first project undertaken by EFPU was the edited publication by Christopher Hill and Karen E Smith, European Foreign Policy: Key Documents (Routledge, 2000, in association with the secretariat of the European Parliament). It provides students and scholars with ready access to the key documents relating to the practices of European foreign policy from 1948 to 2000, along with commentary and bibliographical guidance.

EFPU working paper series

LSE-Challenge working papers

Research student conference on European foreign policy, LSE, 2-3 July 2004

Workshop on 'Europeanisation of national foreign policies' - 5 June 2002

Events

EFPU also hosts occasional workshops, seminars and lectures. For details of these, see below:

Challenge and Consent, 20-22 September 2007 [Word doc]

The EU and the UN: Strengthening Multilateralism, 23 June 2006 [Word doc]

This page last modified on September 18, 2007

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