The European Union Neighbourhood

Challenges and Opportunities

The European Union in its neighbourhood is confronted with several challenges as well as opportunities. The degree to which it can promote the geopolitical stabilization of Europe and the spread of economic and political governance, based on democratic ideals in its neighbourhood, will determine the future course of Europe and will be a clear indicator of the success or failure of the European Union on the international scene as a whole. In addition, the security context of Europe has changed profoundly since the end of the Cold war, and with it the perceptions of what role the European Union can play in expanding stability and security throughout the European continent. European Union’s neighbouring states and regions are viewed by European Union member states as the primary source of many of the non-traditional security threats, such as terrorism, migration, trafficking, and transnational organized crime. Addressing the Europe Union’s twenty-first century challenges, this study looks at the policies of the EU towards its neighbours as a critical dimension of the totality of the EU’s foreign and security policy. This volume brings together a broad range of scholars and seeks to highlight some of the main issues that concern the European relations with its neighbour’s countries in the Western Balkans, the Eastern and Southern Europe, and with Russia. In short, the volume raises important, timely issues regarding the challenges and opportunities confronting the European Union in its neighbourhood which both policy makers and academicians will find both informative and though provoking in their efforts to understand the nature and complexity of the European Union actions in its neighbourhood.