Editing European Union (section)

===Foreign relations===
{{Main|Foreign relations of the European Union}}

{{See also|European External Action Service}}

{{Multiple image
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| image1            = Kaja Kallas, High Representative of the Union, and Vice-President of the European Commission - P064583-775481 (cropped).jpg
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| caption1          = [[Kaja Kallas]],<br /><small>[[High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy|High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy]]</small>
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Foreign policy co-operation between member states dates from the establishment of the community in 1957, when member states negotiated as a bloc in international trade negotiations under the [[EU's common commercial policy]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Qualified-Majority Voting: Common commercial policy |url=http://ec.europa.eu/archives/igc2000/geninfo/fact-sheets/fact-sheet6/index_en.htm |access-date=3 September 2007 |publisher=Europa web portal}}</ref> Steps for more wide-ranging co-ordination in foreign relations began in 1970 with the establishment of [[European Political Cooperation]] which created an informal consultation process between member states with the aim of forming common foreign policies. In 1987 the European Political Cooperation was introduced on a formal basis by the [[Single European Act]]. EPC was renamed as the [[Common Foreign and Security Policy]] (CFSP) by the [[Maastricht Treaty]].<ref name="EPC">{{Cite web |last=The European commission |title=European political co-operation (EPC) |url=http://europa.eu/scadplus/glossary/european_political_cooperation_en.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070708111806/http://europa.eu/scadplus/glossary/european_political_cooperation_en.htm |archive-date=8 July 2007 |access-date=3 September 2007 |website=Europa Glossary |publisher=Europa web portal}}</ref>

The stated aims of the CFSP are to promote both the EU's own interests and those of the [[international community]] as a whole, including the furtherance of international co-operation, respect for human rights, democracy, and the rule of law.<ref name="art11 Union">{{Cite web |title=The requested document does not exist. |url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ%253AC%253A2010%253A083%253A0013%253A0046%253AEN%253APDF |access-date=21 December 2022 |website=EUR-Lex |language=en}}</ref> The CFSP requires unanimity among the member states on the appropriate policy to follow on any particular issue. The unanimity and difficult issues treated under the CFSP sometimes lead to disagreements, such as those which occurred over the [[Iraq War|war in Iraq]].<ref name="BBC Iraq statement">{{Cite news |date=27 January 2003 |title=Divided EU agrees Iraq statement |work=BBC News |publisher=BBC |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2697667.stm |access-date=13 March 2009}}</ref>

The coordinator and representative of the CFSP within the EU is the [[High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy|high representative of the union for foreign affairs and security policy]] who speaks on behalf of the EU in foreign policy and defence matters, and has the task of articulating the positions expressed by the member states on these fields of policy into a common alignment. The high representative heads up the [[European External Action Service]] (EEAS), a unique EU department<ref name="23Oct">{{Cite web |date=23 October 2009 |title=EU states near agreement on diplomatic service |url=https://euobserver.com/world/28878 |access-date=21 December 2022 |website=EUobserver |language=en}}</ref> that has been officially implemented and operational since 1 December 2010 on the occasion of the first anniversary of the entry into force of the [[Treaty of Lisbon]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=1 December 2010 |title=European External Action Service gives Europe voice on world stage |url=http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/EN/Infoservice/Presse/Meldungen/2010/101201-EAD.html |access-date=4 June 2013 |publisher=German Foreign Ministry}}</ref> The EEAS serves as a foreign ministry and [[diplomatic corps]] for the European Union.<ref name="Europa EEAS">{{Cite web |year=2010 |title=European External Action Service |url=http://eeas.europa.eu/background/index_en.htm |access-date=26 June 2010 |publisher=Europa web portal}}</ref>

Besides the emerging international policy of the European Union, the international influence of the EU is also felt through [[Enlargement of the European Union|enlargement]]. The perceived benefits of becoming a member of the EU act as an incentive for both political and economic reform in states wishing to fulfil the EU's accession criteria, and are considered an important factor contributing to the reform of European formerly Communist countries.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Peterson |first=John |date=August 2008 |title=Enlargement, reform and the European Commission. Weathering a perfect storm? |journal=Journal of European Public Policy |volume=15 |issue=5 |pages=761–780 |doi=10.1080/13501760802133328 |s2cid=154664296}}</ref>{{rp|762}} This influence on the internal affairs of other countries is generally referred to as "[[soft power]]", as opposed to military "hard power".<ref name="Soft Power">{{Cite web |last=Bildt |first=Carl |author-link=Carl Bildt |year=2005 |title=Europe must keep its 'soft power' |url=http://www.cer.org.uk/articles/bildt_ft_1june05.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070609135542/http://www.cer.org.uk/articles/bildt_ft_1june05.html |archive-date=9 June 2007 |access-date=26 June 2007 |website=Financial Times on Centre for European Reform}}</ref>

==== Humanitarian aid ====
{{Further|Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations}}

The [[ECHO (European Commission)|European Commission's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department]], or "ECHO", provides [[humanitarian aid]] from the EU to [[developing country|developing countries]]. In 2012, its budget amounted to {{Euro|874}}{{nbsp}}million, 51 per cent of the budget went to Africa and 20 per cent to Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean and Pacific, and 20 per cent to the Middle East and Mediterranean.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ECHO's finances |url=http://ec.europa.eu/echo/funding/finances_en.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130718150202/http://ec.europa.eu/echo/funding/finances_en.htm |archive-date=18 July 2013 |website=ec.europa.eu |publisher=Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection, [[European Commission]]}}</ref>

Humanitarian aid is financed directly by the budget (70 per cent) as part of the financial instruments for external action and also by the [[European Development Fund]] (30 per cent).<ref name="ODI">Mikaela Gavas 2010. [http://www.odi.org.uk/resources/details.asp?id=5078&title=european-development-cooperation-financial-perspectives Financing European development cooperation: the Financial Perspectives 2014–2020.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110316022518/http://www.odi.org.uk/resources/details.asp?id=5078&title=european-development-cooperation-financial-perspectives|date=16 March 2011}} London: [[Overseas Development Institute]]</ref> The EU's external action financing is divided into 'geographic' instruments and 'thematic' instruments.<ref name="ODI" /> The 'geographic' instruments provide aid through the [[Development Cooperation Instrument]] (DCI, {{Euro|16.9}}{{nbsp}}billion, 2007–2013), which must spend 95 per cent of its budget on [[official development assistance]] (ODA), and from the [[European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument]] (ENPI), which contains some relevant programmes.<ref name="ODI" /> The European Development Fund (EDF, {{Euro|22.7}}{{nbsp}}billion for the period 2008–2013 and {{Euro|30.5}}{{nbsp}}billion for the period 2014–2020) is made up of voluntary contributions by member states, but there is pressure to merge the EDF into the budget-financed instruments to encourage increased contributions to match the 0.7 per cent target and allow the [[European Parliament]] greater oversight.<ref name="ODI" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Homepage |url=https://international-partnerships.ec.europa.eu/index_en |access-date=21 December 2022 |website=international-partnerships.ec.europa.eu |language=en}}</ref>

In 2016, the average among EU countries was 0.4 per cent and five had met or exceeded the 0.7 per cent target: Denmark, Germany, Luxembourg, Sweden and the United Kingdom.<ref>{{Cite web |date=11 April 2017 |title=Development aid rises again in 2016 |url=http://www.oecd.org/dac/financing-sustainable-development/development-finance-data/ODA-2016-detailed-summary.pdf |access-date=23 December 2017 |publisher=OECD}}</ref>

==== International cooperation and development partnerships ====
{{Main|Directorate-General for International Partnerships|ACP–EU development cooperation|European Solidarity Corps|European Union Global Strategy|European Neighbourhood Policy|Global Europe|European Political Community}}

[[File:Ilham Aliyev attended EU Eastern Partnership Summit in Brussels.jpg|thumb|[[Eastern Partnership]] Summit 2017, [[Brussels]]]]

The European Union uses foreign relations instruments like the [[European Neighbourhood Policy]] which seeks to tie those countries to the east and south of the European territory of the EU to the union. These countries, primarily developing countries, include some who seek to one day become either a [[member state of the European Union]], or more closely integrated with the European Union. The EU offers financial assistance to countries within the European Neighbourhood, so long as they meet the strict conditions of government reform, economic reform and other issues surrounding positive transformation. This process is normally underpinned by an Action Plan, as agreed by both Brussels and the target country.

[[File:Membreupm.png|thumb|left|[[Union for the Mediterranean]] meeting in Barcelona]]

There is also the worldwide [[European Union Global Strategy]]. International recognition of sustainable development as a key element is growing steadily. Its role was recognised in three major UN summits on sustainable development: the 1992 [[Earth Summit|UN Conference on Environment and Development]] (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg, [[South Africa]]; and the 2012 [[United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development|UN Conference on Sustainable Development]] (UNCSD) in Rio de Janeiro. Other key global agreements are the [[Paris Agreement]] and the [[Sustainable Development Goals|2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development]] (United Nations, 2015). The SDGs recognise that all countries must stimulate action in the following key areas – people, [[planet]], prosperity, [[peace]] and [[partnership]] – in order to tackle the global challenges that are crucial for the survival of [[human]]ity.

EU development action is based on the European Consensus on Development, which was endorsed on 20 December 2005 by EU Member States, the council, the European Parliament and the commission.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The European Consensus on Development |url=http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/what/development-policies/european-consensus/index_en.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811141039/http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/what/development-policies/european-consensus/index_en.htm |archive-date=11 August 2011 |access-date=27 August 2011}}</ref> It is applied from the principles of [[Capability approach]] and [[Rights-based approach to development]]. Funding is provided by the [[Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance]] and the [[Global Europe]] programmes.

Partnership and cooperation agreements are bilateral agreements with non-member nations.<ref name="pca">{{Cite web |title=Partnership and cooperation agreement (PCA) – EU monitor |url=https://www.eumonitor.eu/9353000/1/j9vvik7m1c3gyxp/vh7gkuhng0wh |website=www.eumonitor.eu}}</ref>