EU as a Global Player

<p>A new look at the European Union's role as a global actor with special focus on the theme of interregionalism in its relations with key regions around the world: Africa Asia South America North America and Central-Eastern Europe.</p><p>This new collection clearly shows how since the end of the Cold War the European Union has gradually expanded its external relations and foreign policies and become a global actor in world politics. During the last decade interregionalism has become a key component of the EU’s external relations and foreign policies. In fact the EU has quickly become the hub of a large number of interregional arrangements with a number of regions around the world. Promoting regional and interregional relations not only justifies and enhances the EU’s own existence and efficiency as a global ‘player’ the strategy also promotes the legitimacy and status of other regions giving rise to a deepening of cross-cutting interregional relations in trade and economic relations political dialogue development cooperation cultural relations and security cooperation. </p><p>This book was previously published as a special issue of the leading <em>Journal of European Integration.</em></p>