The European Union: Integration, Institutions and External Relations in a Globalised and Regionalised World

Abstract

An important aspect of the EU’s external affairs is ‘interregionalism’. As this chapter demonstrates, the EU’s interregional approach has gradually achieved an important position in European integration and in EU foreign policy. It serves to enhance peaceful and cooperative relations of the EU with other world regions, while strengthening support for its core values, norms and economic interests. The chapter provides an overview of the scholarly research on interregionalism and its relation to foreign policy analysis and studies of global affairs. The chapter also provides an overview of main rationales for EU-driven interregionalism, its current forms and outreach and its strategic significance within current EU foreign policy aims as incorporated in the 2016 Global Strategy.