As an actor in the non-proliferation, disarmament and arms control domain, the European Union has a mixed record. On the one hand, it displays strengths in certain traditional aspects of its external relations, such as the provision of assistance and technical cooperation. On the other hand, it keeps a lower profile in politically sensitive areas such as nuclear disarmament and deterrence, where its member states remain divided. Even though the EU has strongly upgraded its profile in the field, notably in the unlikely context of the Iran nuclear crisis over the past decade, its influence there remains limited.

This course unit will familiarise participants with:

• drivers of the EU’s emergence as an actor in non-proliferation and disarmament
• institutional machinery, competences and fields of action
• policies and record in the field