Introduction: strategy in EU foreign policy

Abstract

This paper was accepted for publication in the journal International Politics and the definitive published version is available at https://doi.org/10.1057/s41311-017-0125-x ; © 2017 Macmillan Publishers Ltd., part of Springer Nature The point of departure for the special collection is provided by the observation that the growing complexity of the crises in the neighbourhood and the internal ones faced by the Union provides a sense of urgency to any type of strategic thinking that the EU might embrace. Against this backdrop, the recent shift towards geopolitics and strategic thinking is contextualized and the understanding of key aspects of ways in which the shift is translated into strategies by EU actors is put forward. The analysis recognizes the recent developments within the institutional dimension of EU's foreign and security policy, yet it confirms the fundamental meaning of the member states' willingness to invest resources and harmonize their foreign policy strategies at the EU level.