Eastern Journal of European Studies (Dec 2016)
BOOK REVIEW - Pernille Rieker (ed.), External Governance as Security Community Building, The Limits and Potential of the European Neighbourhood Policy
Abstract
Since the latest events which negatively affected the immediate European neighbourhood, the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) has become a much debated topic among academics. With the open conflicts in Ukraine, Syria, and Libya the European Union’s neighbourhood could be better described as “a ring of fire” rather than as a “ring of friends” (p. 1). In this context, the book External Governance as Security Community Building, The Limits and Potential of the European Neighbourhood Policy undertakes an excellent investigation into the main challenges of the ENP, seeking to respond to two fundamental questions: Does this mean ENP has failed and that an alternative policy towards the EU’s neighbours is needed? Or should these developments be seen as temporary setbacks caused by external factors beyond EU control? (Rieker, p. 3) As argued by the author, much has been written about the role and impact of the ENP, but what is still lacking is the systematic comparison between various ENP countries in order to really identify what actually went wrong and why. The book aims at providing a better understanding of the functioning of the ENP throughout the time and inquires whether this policy could be in the future a major European instrument of security policy. The purpose of this book is ambitious, since there are clear challenges in the measurement the effects complex policies, such as the ENP, have on neighbouring states. The book is the result of a collective endeavour undertaken under Rieker’s coordination, senior researcher at Norwegian Institute of International Affairs. With strong expertise in European security and foreign policy, Rieker perceives the ENP, first and foremost, as an instrument meant at building a broader security community in the wider Europe.
