The European Union

Introduction

The European Union research programme focuses on the EU’s global and regional role – including the internal dynamics of the Union. The main research themes are:

• The EU’s external action

• The EU’s institutional development and decision-making

The EU’s external action is comprehensively addressed in the programme. The key topics cover the EU’s role in global governance, its foreign, security and defence policies, neighbour­hood policy, climate policy and development policy. EU action is studied vis-à-vis different regions such as Africa, the Mediterranean, the Middle East and the Western Balkans; strategic partnerships with major powers; and other actors such as the UN, the G20 and NATO.

The EU’s institutional development and decision-making are studied broadly both in their own right and in relation to the Union’s external action. Key topics include decision-making in the post-Lisbon institutional environment and the role of the member states in EU governance.EU research within the Institute is not confined to the EU programme, however. Research on the EU’s climate policy, relations with Russia, and trans­atlantic relations may be conducted within, or in cooperation with, other FIIA research programmes.The European Union research programme aims to support decision-making and to serve the wider public. The programme takes part in major European research networks and continues to expand and reinforce this cooperation.