La politica europea di vicinato

This volume deals with the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), inaugurated in 2004. It is made up of two analytical essays and an extensive appendix illustrating the technical and operational details. The ENP is the direct consequence of EU enlargement to the central-eastern European countries. It is meant to establish intensive and privileged relations between the Union and its neighbourhood - in doing so, defining the Union's borders. Although the motivations for the ENP spring from Europe, the policy has at the same time become an occasion for reforming relations with the southern Mediterranean countries. In fact, it is one and the same for eastern and southern neighbours. Many see this unification of relations as artificial and believe that the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, while continuing to exist, will be strongly undermined. The reasons and details are explained in the studies presented in the Quaderno. The essay by Michele Comelli examines the ENP in the broader framework of the Union's Common Foreign and Security Policy. The one by Riccardo Alcaro deals more with institutional mechanisms and, in the appendix, looks at the important operational and administrative aspects of the new policy.