Relations
between the European Union (EU) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are at a
crossroads. After the derailment of the negotiations for the Free Trade
Agreement (FTA) in 2008, the cooperation between the two regional blocs has
remained low-key in a number of different areas, while the unprecedented
changes that have taken place in North Africa and the Middle East, the common
neighbourhood of the EU and the GCC, have not led to a renewed, structured
cooperation on foreign and security policy issues. This volume addresses the
shortcomings and potential of EU-GCC relations by taking stock of their past evolution
and by advancing policy recommendations as to how to revamp this strategic cooperation.
In this light, it highlights the areas where greater room for manoeuvre exists
in order to enhance EU-GCC relations, discusses the instruments available and
sheds light on the features of the regional and international context that are
likely to significantly influence the new phase in the mutual relation between
the two blocs. The book is the result of the research conducted in the
framework of the project ‘Sharaka – Enhancing Understanding and Cooperation in
EU-GCC Relations’ co-funded by the European Commission.