European Neighbourhood Policy: CFSP in disguise

The extent to which political and security challenges emanating from the EU’s outer periphery have tested the Union’s ability to act in a comprehensive and integrated fashion has raised questions about the alleged nexus between the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) and the CFSP. Does such a nexus exist at all or is the ENP mere CFSP in disguise? This chapter revisits the supposedly unique features of the ENP at constitutional, institutional and instrumental levels. It argues that the ENP is still ill-conceived and badly equipped to deal with an unstable environment and the zero-sum gaming neighbours of the EU’s neighbours. Crisis response and conflict management fall outside the realm of the ENP and where a nexus with the CFSP/CSDP might have been presumed it has not materialized.