International Relations Law of the EU

International Relations Law of the European Union is concerned with the EU’s attempts to maximise its external power and influence as a global actor. The EU’s most important instruments are connected with its influence over world trade. The EU’s compliance with WTO law is of particular significance in this fast-moving area, not only because of its broad remit, but also its increasingly sophisticated supervision system, presenting new challenges for the EU and potential conflicts between the EU’s internal and external policies. 

Increasingly, however, the EU has extended its reach to areas such as international development, foreign and security policy and human rights. The EU acts through its own instruments and also bilaterally and multilaterally.

Our interest here lies both with the interface between EU and national competences and the extent to which external policies are more effective when co-ordinated. Also post enlargement to a Union of 27 States, is the EU equipped to act as a regional superpower?