Abstract
Most European citizens expect the European Union (EU) to play a more significant role on the international stage. According to a survey conducted in France in June 2007 , 70% of the French respondents agree with the idea that EU might have a common foreign policy vis-à-vis other countries and 82% of them believe that Member States of the EU should develop the Common Security and Defense Policy.
But in fact, EU's influence remains negligible compared to its economic weight and its resources. Very often, EU is described as an "economic giant but a political dwarf". However, EU is the world's largest market, the leading trading power and it provides more than half of the Foreign Aid for Development Assistance but without the necessary commensurate influence around the world. The EU is indeed a sum of states, which do not have the same conception of the European project. For some states, the EU should be a zone of prosperity and free trade whereas others want the EU to become a center of power in order to counterweight the U.S.
But these differences make that the raise of the EU's personality on an international stage is difficult.
Although there have been many attempts to create a European military and diplomatic entity, European leaders never really reached their goals. Several times, they tried to implement a common foreign policy but each time, they had to cope with internal or external difficulties (European or international difficulties).
It is true that over the years, European institutions acquired significant expertise in foreign relations, security and defense but the complexity of institutional mechanisms impeded to impose itself on the world stage with a clearly defined role.
It is also true that "the EU cannot be regarded as a classical power, as it exerts its influence through what it is and what it represents, rather than through what it does" . It is rather a passive power than an active one.
However, the Treaty of Lisbon, which entered into force on 1st December 2009, introduces several changes regarding foreign policy.
We may wonder the effects of the Treaty of Lisbon as regards European Union's foreign policy.
To begin with, we are going to focus on the history of the common foreign policy and then we are going to analyze how EU's will to become a more coherent, effective and capable global actor led to the modifications in terms of common foreign policy.
