Research Guide on Foreign Affairs: Home

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EP Library Catalogue includes millions of references on foreign affairs. You can log in from anywhere, including outside the European Parliament or on a mobile device. There you will find

• A number of specific foreign affairs journals. You can also check the list of international relations studies on Browzine.

• Online journal articles: on EP Library Catalogue you can also access a broad collection of e-articles on foreign affairs. You cannot find the article you need? We will rapidly obtain it for you with our article delivery service.

• E-books: We give you access to a vast collection of e-books on foreign affairs from major academic publishers, including ProQuest Ebook Central - request your personal access and you can log in from anywhere, including outside the European Parliament or on a mobile device. See how to join and check what it can offer on international relations topics.

E-books are as well accessible directly on the publishers websites, for example: Springer books in the field of international relations, Oxford “Very Short Introductions” on international relations or Oxford Handbooks on international relations.

•  A considerable range of EPRS and other EP publications in the area of foreign affairs.

Through the Library you can consult on the intranet or receive in your mailbox, newsletters on foreign affairs. For help to subscribe just send a mail to library@europarl.europa.eu indicating the one you are interested in:

Besides the EP Library Catalogue, EPRS publications are also available on the European Parliament’s ThinkTank website.

Foreign policy

European Union (EU) action beyond its borders often requires a combination of approaches. The EU Treaties differentiate between common foreign and security policy (CFSP), common security and defence policy (CSDP), external action, and the external dimension of internal policies, but in the field, issues are so intertwined that more often than not a single tool is not sufficient. For example, population displacement triggered by a conflict over natural resources has to be addressed by humanitarian aid, itself secured by a CSDP mission, and its effects mitigated by adequate migration and development policies, while peace talks are conducted. Coordination between all stakeholders is challenging but vital, not only as a response but also for prevention.