The Pros And Cons Of The European Union

2. The European Union is a political and economic Union, which is collectively made up of twenty-eight European countries. The intention of the European Union is to foster economic and political cooperation between the member states, and “to make war not only unthinkable, but materially impossible.” (Schuman Doctrine) The belief of the European Union is that by promoting trade and interdependence between the member states, it will not only make them less likely to engage in war with each other, but it will also be against their best interests both politically and economically. Today, the European Union collectively possesses the world’s largest economy, is home to the world’s third largest population, and is the world’s largest exporter and
importer. The EU's foreign policy towards Russia and China the two newest hegemons has been one of cooperation and agreement, but has also been characterized by competition and mistrust. The EU engages in “strategic agreements,” with Russia and China in the hopes of satisfying both their political and economic interests. Russia and China are both members of BRICS, and make up the R&C of the BRICS acronym respectively.
BRICS is a multilateral organization that possesses twenty five percent of global GDP, thirty percent of global land, and forty three percent of the global population. The five member states are vastly different economically and politically, but they are all characterized by fast growing economies. Neither Russia nor China qualify for the European Neighborhood Policy, which is a bilateral policy between the EU and partner countries. The ENP policy makes neighboring countries part of the “ring of friends,” which gives them all of the benefits of being members in the EU, but without membership. The point of the ENP is to “achieve the closest possible political association and the greatest possible degree of economic integration” with neighboring nations in Eastern Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Southern Caucus. The reason that neither Russia nor China qualify for the ENP, is because they do not comply with the necessary requirements, which include a commitment to democracy, human rights, rule of law, good governance, and market economy principles and sustainable development. (Enlargement, the Neighborhood, and the European Order ppt.) Despite the fact that Russia and China do not comply with the EU’s criteria for inclusion in the ENP, the EU overlooks this and engages in “strategic agreements,” with them, because of the political and economic influence these two hegemons have on the international
stage.

The relationship between the EU and China has developed significantly due to their lack of territorial conflict disputes and their mutual interest in global economics. When China gained membership into the WTO in December 2001, it was due in part to support from the EU. One of the frictions that had slowed down negotiations between the EU and China was the complex structure of the European Union. When dealing with the EU, China had to not only deal with the conflicting interests of the European Commission, the European Council, and the European Parliament, but also had to consider the feelings and interests of each individual member state. The Lisbon Treaty helped to resolve this problem, by establishing the European External Action Service and a “larger commission delegation to replace the present commission representation in Beijing.” These steps have helped to “foster more direct and operative communication between the EU and China” (Caira, pg. 288) Unlike China, Russia and the EU not only share a common European history/identity, but they also share common geographical borders. In addition, Russia has an added importance to the EU compared to China, because Russia provides some of the member states of the European Union with a significant portion of their energy. Throughout its history, Russia has attempted to trade and interact with the other European states, because it realized that “its resources were not plentiful enough to make it a presence on the continent.” (Giusti & Penkova, pg. 118) The most recent acts of Russian aggression in Ukraine, has led to economic sanctions on Russia by the EU, and despite the fact that some members states are hurting economically as a result, only time will tell if the relationship gets better and the sanctions are lifted.

The collective twenty-eight member states that make up the European Union collectively possess the world’s largest economy, are home to the world’s third largest population, and are the world’s largest importer and exporter. The European Union not only fosters economic and political cooperation between the member states, but also prides itself on being “United in diversity.” By promoting trade and interdependence between the member states, the European Union prevents states from engaging in war with each other, by making it against their best interests both economically and politically. Despite the mistrust and competition, that has at times characterized the EU's foreign policy towards the two newest hegemons Russia and China, the relationship has overall been one of cooperation and agreement. By engaging in “strategic agreements” with Russia and China, the EU satisfies both their political and economic interests.