EU lethargy and growing irrelevance in global public affairs owes much to Eurocentric political atavism.

In short, EU membership entails having to accept incisive measures that deeply affect a state s internal affairs.

But no one should expect a significant change in Merkel s EU policy or her approach to foreign affairs and security questions.

It is thus simultaneously an opportunity for the EU to assert itself, at long last, as an effective force in world affairs.

They have sought to capitalize on the vacuum of knowledge in Ireland regarding EU affairs and the Yes side s relative lateness to mobilize.

This week, a meeting of the EU s General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) will discuss once more relations between the EU and Cuba.

The timing of this is particularly odd, as this new insularity comes almost immediately after Germany, France, and Great Britain cynically agreed to endow the EU with both a president of the EU Council and a foreign affairs minister.

So Chirac replaced Lamy with Jacques Barrot, an honorable and experienced politician, but one with little knowledge of EU affairs and no language other than French.

New activism on the part of France and the United Kingdom, along with Germany s emergence as a central player in EU affairs, risk marginalizing Italy s influence even more.

1998 present Delegate for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to a number of United Nations, Group of Eight, EU and Council of Europe committees, working groups and meetings, for example

But, beyond the celebrations of the most recent enlargement round and preparations for the next one, it is time to ask what effect the enlarged EU will have on world affairs?

Minister for Foreign Affairs Minister for Foreign Affairs

Minister for Foreign Affairs Minister for Foreign Affairs

At the same time, however, purely bilateral negotiations between individual EU members and oil and gas producing countries weakens the member states bargaining power, as well as undermining Europe s geopolitical weight in world affairs.

Indeed, a major problem with the current state of affairs is the weakness of EU institutions that are in charge of advancing the common interest and that are accountable to Europeans as a whole.

In the field of Justice and Home Affairs, for example, the UK has so far played a major role in shaping EU policies that all member states must adopt in less than two years.

The EU would invite non EU states to do likewise

Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs

By the time I left the Commission, I was sitting on a pile of 1,500 such infringement proceedings. In short, EU membership entails having to accept incisive measures that deeply affect a state s internal affairs.

Joseph Stephanides Director, Security Council Affairs Division, Department of Political Affairs

Moreover, most national policymakers have a tendency to blame Brussels for all of their difficult choices, thus creating the impression at home that the economy would improve if economic affairs could be managed without EU interference.

(EU proposal)

EU PROPOSAL

Political affairs

Legal affairs

Political Affairs

We, the undersigned, believe that the EU, as one of the driving forces in international politics, needs to speak out in unison against governments oppressing their own citizens. The EU should denounce human rights violations in Cuba and call for the immediate release of all prisoners of conscience. The Ministers of Foreign Affairs from all EU member states should send a demarche on March 18th to their Cuban counterpart demanding their release as well.

The programme, Legal affairs, is implemented by the Office of Legal Affairs.

Blair s EU disaster

Post EU Depression

EU European Union

Political Affairs Officer

Legal Affairs Section

Civil Affairs Section

Humanitarian Affairs Section

Political Affairs Division

Humanitarian Affairs Section

Political Affairs Unit

Public Affairs Unit

J. Civil affairs

We will hear addresses by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Slovakia, the Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Japan and the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Poland.

Germany finances 20 of the EU budget but receives only 12 of EU spending.

Member of the Editor Board for World Affairs Yearbook (published by World Affairs Press).

I believe that it is important that the EU carries out such monitoring in non EU states. But what about elections in EU member states?

Mr. Valere Mantels, Political Affairs Officer, United Nations Department for Disarmament Affairs, was in charge of the BWC issues in the Department for Disarmament Affairs.