Conclusion

This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the concepts covered in the preceding chapters of this book. The book empirically and comparatively, indicates the extent to which there is continuity or change in the foreign policy composition of key European Union (EU) Member States, as found across the 'strong-weak competence spectrum', and on this basis explore the extent to which the resulting foreign policy action is similarly transformed, as found within the four key modes. Member State foreign policy operating within established EU frameworks in a deeply institutionalized, integrated, potentially supranational fashion; Member State foreign policy operating within the established EU frameworks, according to intergovernmental mechanisms; Member State foreign policy conducted bilaterally or multilaterally between EU Member States, but outside established EU frameworks and/or the EU acquis; Member State foreign policy conducted between EU and non-EU Member States. The book analyses the existence of a hybrid system of foreign policy-making across different dimensions.