The Formulation of EU Foreign Policy

EU foreign and defence policy is largely formulated in the working parties and committees of the Council of the EU and the vast majority of decisions in this field are made by the national diplomats working in the around 35 groups of the CFSP/CSDP. _x005F_x005F_x000D_ Although the importance of these committees and their participants has been increasingly recognised, we still know relatively little about them. Using an original database of 138 questionnaires and 37 interviews, this book addresses this lack of knowledge, studying what these committees do and how they negotiate and resolve issues. It explores three key areas: _x005F_x005F_x000D_ _x005F_x005F_x000D_ _x005F_x005F_x000D_ the formulation of the national position; _x005F_x005F_x000D_ _x005F_x005F_x000D_ _x005F_x005F_x000D_ the identity of CFSP/CSDP policy-makers; _x005F_x005F_x000D_ _x005F_x005F_x000D_ _x005F_x005F_x000D_ negotiation practices and outputs. _x005F_x005F_x000D_ _x005F_x005F_x000D_ In doing so, it provides an innovative observation point from which EU foreign policy can be analysed.