The European Union is the biggest donor of development assistance, the first trading partner and the foremost foreign investor for almost all of its neighboring countries. While most regional powers (e.g. US, China) are likely to develop special relations with geographically close countries, the EU’s policies toward neighboring countries have been perceived as different for their attempts to apply non-standard formulas to inter-state relations and (for better or for worse) seeking to chart new roads in global politics. Some analysts therefore deem the European Union’s neighborhood policies to be ‘laboratories’ for innovative international relations.

This course is designed for students interested in EU foreign and security policy towards neighboring countries in Western and Eastern Europe as well as North Africa and Middle East. We will explore EU policies, politics and instruments towards these set of countries through the prism of regional (e.g. EEA/EFTA, the European Neighborhood Policy, the Eastern Partnership; the Union for the Mediterranean) and special bilateral arrangements. The objective of the course is to provide background knowledge, as well as tools for practical analysis, of the main political, economic, legal and institutional objectives and practices of the EU foreign and security policy toward neighboring countries which do not aim to join the EU as a member state. The course will also provide ample opportunity for students to engage with the specific domestic and international problems of countries (or statelets) such as Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Egypt, Iceland, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Norway, Palestinian Authority, Russia, Switzerland, Syria, Tunisia and the United Kingdom.

Avaluació

The final grade is the sum of the following criteria:

• Mid-term exam 40%

• Final Essay 50%

• Draft Final Essay presentation (10%)

The Mid-term exam consists of a take-home exercise focusing on some of the fundamentals of EU institutions, policies or instruments in the context of its relations with neighboring countries.

The Final Essay consists of an 800-1200 words essay on the EU’s relations with one southern Mediterranean neighboring country or statelet. Specific instructions for the essay will be issued in the second part of the course.

The draft Final Essay presentation consists of a short presentation of the outline of the Final Essay (Session 12). Specific instructions for the presentation will be provided in the second part of the course.

The classes are based on active learning philosophy (student-centered learning), whereby students assume responsibility for a predominant part of their individual learning experience both inside and outside of the classroom. It should thus be noted that the course objectives can only be achieved if students come prepared to each session in terms of readings and/or assignments, as well as engage actively in each session.

Competències, resultats d'aprenentatge i activitats formatives (PDF) (Castellà)