The European Union and its foreign policy in the multi-polar world –
political, economic and international aspects (new challenges,
opportunities, threats)

Polish Institute of Political Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences

Kinga Schlesinger,
Polish Institute of Political Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences,
Address: Polna 18/20, 00-625 Warsaw,	
www.isppan.waw.pl

Telephone 0048 22 617 32 39
E-mail: schleki@isppan.waw.pl

Type of institution: research 
Status: governmental
Profile of institution: Political Science, Sociology, European Studies     
Expertise of institution (participation in EU projects):  Political
Science/European Studies


Project information
Proposal title: 

The European Union and its foreign policy in the multi-polar world –
political, economic and international aspects (new challenges,
opportunities, threats)

Proposal acronym EUROPOLARIS
Call identifier FP7-SSH-2010-1
Call deadline 02.02.2010
Activity Political Science, European Studies, Economics, Sociology,
Culture Studies
Topic (according to the SSH Work Programme)  European Union in a raising
multi-polar world
Instrument: Large Scale integrating project
Plan to participate as: - Coordinator 

Project description (objectives, main activities, expected results):

The project EUROPOLARIS is of multidimensional and multi-faceted
character. It aims at giving a diagnosis and subsequently a forecast
about the EU's place and its role in a raising mulipolar world and about
its foreign policy. Our goal is to analyse not only an emerging new
multi-polar international system but also the European Union and its
foreign policy in the political, economic, social and international
aspects. Moreover, we would like to identify and show some new
challenges, opportunities and threats facing the above-mentioned system
and the EU.

Therefore, this project combines theoretical and practical dimensions,
as it is on the one hand, an attempt to critically look at the current
state of scientific research on these issues as well as the results
thereof and, on the other hand, an attempt to answer numerous questions
related thereto, which are of great practical importance to the European
Union and its bodies due to the fact that they contribute to the
enhancement of the activity and efficiency of the latter's external
(foreign) policy, in a broad sense. The project also aims at looking,
objectively but critically, at the European Union and its previous
foreign policy, its strengths and weaknesses that need to be corrected
or even reconstructed, as regards to its legal, organizational and
institutional dimensions.

With this project we are going to carry out an interdisciplinary study
and scientific research involving some eminent specialists who represent
different domains and countries, including the USA, Germany, France, the
UK, Italy, Russia, China and India, who will work on three core and
interdependent problems as well as determinants thereof: 1/ multi-polar
world and its perspectives, 2. the European Union as a global player
today and in the future, 3/ the European Union's foreign policy - how
does it look like today and how should it and look like in the era of
multi-polar international order.

The project EUROPOLARIS will involve the widespread scientific research
on the cross-related issues that are of great theoretical and practical
importance. The core element of this research will be the European Union
and its foreign policy which will be presented in the light of an
emerging multi-polar world in the political, economic, social and
international aspects. Thus, we are going to depict the European Union,
both in its current and future shape, as well as its possibilities of
active and efficient operation as a new subject of international law and
international relations in the light of the Lisbon Treaty, which is
about to enter into force, and in the conditions of a raising
multi-polar international order. 

Partners Sought
Target partner organization type:
- research 
- high education 

Target partner country: European countries, Georgia, USA, Japan, India
Partner profile: Political Science, Economics, Sociology
Expertise required: Geopolitics, Geoeconomics, International Relations