Negotiating the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership

• Contents: European Union foreign policy and the concept of strategic action; A brief history of EU Mediterranean policy; Old wine in new bottles? The renovated Mediterranean policy and the Euro-Mediterranean agreements; The Barcelona process; The politics of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership theory and practice; Influence without power? The EU and the Middle East peace process; The EU and the Algeria crisis; Conclusions; Bibliography; Index.

’Gomez’ study is a definitive work on a major and fast-developing area of EU foreign policy. It combines painstaking empirical investigation with impressive theoretical sophistication to show both the potential and limits of the EU as an international actor. Negotiating the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership really is must reading for anyone interested in European integration, the politics of the Mediterranean region, or international relations more generally.’ Professor John Peterson, University of Glasgow, UK 'This study is an innovative analysis of the 'strategic capacity' of the EU in its external relations. Ricardo Gomez guides the reader through the theoretical controversies surrounding the EU's external capabilities, and locates this firmly within an historical and empirical context. Through an analysis of the Euro-Med Partnership and selected case studies within this, Algeria and the Middle East peace process, he provides a critical account of the EU's negotiating process in its external relations, and in doing so produces a piece that will be of essential importance to anyone who wishes to understand the nature of the EU's 'strategic capability' in the global arena, across a variety of disciplines.' Dr George Christou, University of Manchester, UK '...the book contains a good and balanced analysis of theory and practice. It is definitely a welcome addition to the literature on European foreign and security policy.' Political ReviewNet 'The author has successfully brought out the importance of "soft power" and "soft security"...Some very useful analyses...is another great strength of this book, which with its scholarly treatment of the subject, and nearly nineteen pages of exhaustive bibliography in support, would become a useful reference book in the field of European Union's foreign policy.' USI Journal