Constructing European Union Trade Policy: A Global Idea of Europe (International Political Economy Series)

With the stagnation of the Doha Round of multilateral talks, trade liberalisation is increasingly undertaken through free trade agreements. Gabriel Siles-Brügge examines the EU's decision – following the 2006 'Global Europe' strategy – to negotiate such agreements with emerging economies. Eschewing the purely materialist explanations prominent in the field, he develops a novel constructivist argument to highlight the role of language and ideas in shaping EU trade policy. Drawing on extensive interviews and documentary analysis, Siles-Brügge shows how EU trade policymakers have privileged the interests of exporters to the detriment of import-competing groups, creating an ideational imperative for market-opening. Even during the on-going economic crisis the overriding mantra has been that the EU's future well-being depends on its ability to compete in global markets. The increasingly neoliberal orientation of EU trade policy has also had important consequences for its economic diplomacy with the developing economies of the African, Caribbean and Pacific group of states. With the stagnation of the Doha Round of multilateral talks, trade liberalisation is increasingly undertaken through free trade agreements. Gabriel Siles-Brugge examines the EU's decision -- following the 2006 'Global Europe' strategy -- to negotiate such agreements with emerging economies. Eschewing the purely materialist explanations prominent in the field, he develops a novel constructivist argument to highlight the role of language and ideas in shaping EU trade policy. Drawing on extensive interviews and documentary analysis, Siles-Brugge shows how EU trade policymakers have privileged the interests of exporters to the detriment of import-competing groups, creating an ideational imperative for market-opening. Even during the on-going economic crisis the overriding mantra has been that the EU's future well-being depends on its ability to compete in global markets. The increasingly neoliberal orientation of EU trade policy has also had important consequences for its economic diplomacy with the developing economies of the African, Caribbean and Pacific group of states (site de l'éditeur) "Cover" -- "Series" -- "Title" -- "Copyright" -- "Dedication" -- "Contents" -- "List of Tables and Figures" -- "List of Abbreviations" -- "Acknowledgements" -- "1 Introduction" -- "2 Trade Is What You Make of It: The Social Construction of EU Commercial Policy" -- "3 Charting the Rise of â#x80;#x98;Global Europeâ#x80;#x99;" -- "4 Resisting â#x80;#x98;Protectionismâ#x80;#x99;: The EUâ#x80;#x93;Korea Free Trade Agreement" -- "5 â#x80;#x98;Global Europeâ#x80;#x99; and the Economic Partnership Agreements" -- "6 â#x80;#x98;Global Europeâ#x80;#x99; during the Crisis: Reciprocity and the Political Limits to Liberalisation" -- "7 Conclusion" -- "Appendix: Coding and Selecting Texts for Discursive Analysis" -- "Notes" -- "References" Cover 1 Series 2 Title 4 Copyright 5 Dedication 6 Contents 8 List of Tables and Figures 10 List of Abbreviations 12 Acknowledgements 14 1 Introduction 16 2 Trade Is What You Make of It: The Social Construction of EU Commercial Policy 36 3 Charting the Rise of ‘Global Europe’ 72 4 Resisting ‘Protectionism’: The EU–Korea Free Trade Agreement 111 5 ‘Global Europe’ and the Economic Partnership Agreements 139 6 ‘Global Europe’ during the Crisis: Reciprocity and the Political Limits to Liberalisation 173 7 Conclusion 200 Appendix: Coding and Selecting Texts for Discursive Analysis 215 Notes 223 References 231 Index 257 Front Matter....Pages i-xiv Introduction....Pages 1-20 Trade Is What You Make of It: The Social Construction of EU Commercial Policy....Pages 21-56 Charting the Rise of ‘Global Europe’....Pages 57-95 Resisting ‘Protectionism’: The EU-Korea Free Trade Agreement....Pages 97-124 ‘Global Europe’ and the Economic Partnership Agreements....Pages 125-158 ‘Global Europe’ during the Crisis: Reciprocity and the Political Limits to Liberalisation....Pages 159-185 Conclusion....Pages 187-201 Back Matter....Pages 203-258 "Explains why the EU has increasingly turned to free trade agreements with emerging markets to deliver economic prosperity."--Provided by publisher Gabriel Siles-Brugge explains why the EU has increasingly turned to free trade agreements with emerging markets to deliver economic prosperity