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The EU as a Modest ‘Force for Good’: the European Neighbourhood Policy

Esther Barbé and Elisabeth Johansson-Nogués, January 2008

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The European Union has portrayed itself as a force for good in International Relations. The purpose of this article is to explore this proposition in relation to the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). This article uses four parameters: utility, values, rights and fairness to ascertain whether the EU can be held as a 'force for good'.

The main findings are that although the ENP has helped the EU achieve some morality in its exercising of power, it is still found wanting, diplomatically, when dealing with its neighbours. This is a consequence of the tensions between objectives pursued, between member states and institutions and of insufficient coordination among EU policies.