This volume looks at the changing goals and instruments of European Union diplomacy and
examines the reforms of the Lisbon Treaty and their effects on the unity and coherence of EU
external action. The authors analyse institutional questions particularly about the European
External Action Service (EEAS) and the role of other EU actors in European foreign policy and
explore recent examples of EU multilateral bilateral and unilateral diplomacy as well as the
external perspective of third actors. The study concludes by investigating the current and
future training of the Union's diplomats which aims to prepare them for an effective EEAS.
Will the implementation of the Lisbon Treaty reforms make the EU fit for the future? Can a
common European foreign policy ensure that European interests are taken into consideration and
that European values shape international relations? Will the European Union be an actor or an
object on the international stage in the coming decades?
