Grant number: 962533

The ENGAGE (Envisioning a New Governance Architecture for a Global Europe) project advances the goals that are aligned with the European Commission’s push to have a stronger and more united European voice in the world. ENGAGE answers how the EU can effectively and sustainably harness all of its tools in a joined-up external action, with an eye to meeting key strategic challenges and becoming a stronger global actor. Our contribution to this ambitious quest is anchored to a comprehensive and detailed analysis of all dimensions of EU external action, which will go even beyond the call’s requirements.

ENGAGE brings together a consortium that provides first-class academic expertise of European and international scholars who cover the entire scope of the EU’s external action, involving many practitioners with vast experience in relevant governmental bodies. Our project is based on 11 Work Packages (WPs). Two initial WPs provides an analytical grip on the contextual hurdles, both international and domestic, that the EU faces in the implementation of its external policy. This will in turn inform the other core research WPs of ENGAGE, which are divided into two interconnected clusters. The first cluster will aim to revamp the governance architecture of CSDP, CFSP as a whole, and other dimensions of EU external action (including peripheral and sectoral diplomacies), while the second cluster will aim to improve the performance of the EU’s external action when engaging with strategic partners, its neighbourhood and conflict scenarios. The contextual WPs and the two clusters will converge in a strategic WP –the cornerstone of ENGAGE – that will produce a White Paper for Joined-up, Coherent, Sustainable, and Effective External Action. All of ENGAGE’s deliverables and recommendations will be targeted at policymakers across the EU, and seek to spark an inclusive and representative EU-wide conversation.