European Union Foreign Affairs Journal eQuarterly for European Foreign, Foreign Trade, Development, Security Policy, EU-Third Country Relations and Regional Integration (EUFAJ) N° 01 – 2009 (November 2009) ISSN 2190-6122 Contents Editorial Finally a Periodical about EU Foreign Policy 4 Articles Europe Should Say “Yes Minister” to Her – On the New EU Foreign Minister 5 The Future Diplomatic Service of the European Union – Hans-Jürgen Zahorka 6 The European Union and Belarus: Five Theses for a Pragmatic Approach – Peter Liesegang 20 Soon to Come: New Nordic Information Office in Minsk 23 Belarus: 2009 Situation Analysis and Policy Recommendations 24 What Can the Belarusian Government do? - From the Website of the EU Delegation 27 The Energy Security of Europe and the Role of Azerbaijan – Fazil Zeynalov 29 Turkmenistan: Still Waiting for the Second Step – Farid Tukhbatullin 35 Russia is Indeed a European Country – Olivier Védrine 37 Competition in Albania – Evis Pertafi 41 Europeanization of Macedonian Regional Policy – Sanja Kostovska 59 Ambitious New Free Trade Agreement EU-Korea 71 Documentation The New Foreign Policy Related Articles of the Treaty of Lisbon 74 The European Parliament and Its New Parliamentary Delegations 91 Reviews 95 Standpoint. By Olivier Védrine - Power to Europe’s People 103 European Union Foreign Affairs Journal – N° 1–2009 (November 2009) www.eufaj.eu, e-mail: [email protected] 1 Nehemia University is a new, private university in Pogradec/Albania, ashore Macedonian-Albanian Lake Ohrid. Since the early 1990s, Bavarian aid organisations bogged down in Albania, where they set up a group of kindergartens, elementary schools (also for underprivileged children), secondary schools, medical and rural development projects – and now also a university. The Chairman of Nehemia Foundation, Arnold Geiger, obtained in 2008 the Federal Cross of Merit from the German Ambassador, for the “construction works” – for which already the old Nehemia was famous in the Middle East. The University offers a Master in European Studies, besides Bachelor presence studies e.g. for a B.A. in Business Administration. The Master programme runs 24 months in “blended learning”, with distance studies (27 course units) and homework tasks, a Project Study (1st year), a Master Thesis (2nd year), Skype conversations between students and lecturers, and four presence courses of four days and one of two weeks. A team of altogether 35 lecturers from many countries is at the disposition of the students. The Lecturers love their job – for it includes also discussions with intelligent students from countries who are in Europe or in other parts of the world. Everything can be overseen – also the group size in the presence modules, where the size of a group will be between 5 and 9 students. In the presence modules skills and debates are in focus, skills like negotiation techniques, international project management, European policy and values communication, and many topical subjects from European policymaking. Please see here some pictures of a part of the Campus (with a modern Adidas sports field) and of the panorama with the Lake Ohrid at the left and Macedonian mountains in the background. Albania is becoming an interesting country, aspiring for EU accession, with many young, clever people, who are eager to learn and to work with their fellow students from other countries. You need just a Bachelor degree to be able to continue your Master studies. And students can enrol at any time. The Rector of Nehemia University, Prof. Dr. Alexander von Freyhold (formerly Rector of Dual University Baden-Württemberg in Mosbach/Germany), takes the time to discuss with the students personally their problems, and the Course Coordinator for the Master in European Studies, Hans-Jürgen Zahorka, has prepared a Curriculum and course material, which, as it is online, is always at the newest level, he coordinates also the Master in European Studies faculty. Accreditation is envisaged in Germany, the courses are following the EU Bologna principles, and the tuition fees are very competitive. Students from all over the world are welcome – as Nehemia University is small, they are individually taken care of. This is part of the familiar climate of the Nehemia institutions. More: www.nehemia-uni.org European Union Foreign Affairs Journal – N° 1–2009 (November 2009) www.eufaj.eu, e-mail: [email protected] 2 European Union Foreign Affairs Journal (abbreviated: EUFAJ) eQuarterly for European Foreign, Foreign Trade, Development, Security Policy, EU-Third Country Relations and Regional Integration Published by: LIBERTAS – Europaeisches Institut GmbH, Lindenweg 37, 72414 Rangendingen, Germany Phone +49 7471 984996-0, fax +49 7471 984996-19, e-mail: [email protected] Managing Director: Ute Hirschburger Registered at AG Stuttgart, HRB 243253, USt ID no.: DE811240129, Tax no.: 53 093 05327 Internet: www.eufaj.eu, www.libertas-institut.eu Subscription rate: 96 EUR/year (4 issues), students 48 EUR/year * * * Chief Editor: Hans-Jürgen Zahorka Editor: Olivier Védrine, Paris, France Editorial Advisory Board: Židas Daskalovski, Ph.D., assistant professor of political science at Kliment Ohridski University in Bitola, president of CRPM think-tank in Skopje, Macedonia Martin Pontzen, Dr. rer. pol., economist, Bundesbank Director, German Federal Bank, Frankfurt/Main, Germany All authors are responsible for their published texts. If no author is mentioned, the Chief Editor is responsible. All texts published under a name do not necessarily represent the view of the Editorial Advisory Board members or of the EUFAJ editors. EUFAJ is committed to different views and a public discussion. * * * Copyright: All copyright enquiries are welcome. Reprints of certain contributions are free of charge, for others a license fee may have to be negotiated. It is recommended to ask the publisher for copyright permission in any case. Proposal for quotation: EUFAJ, 1-2009, then number of page (e.g. EUFAJ 1-2009, 32) Papers, articles, reports, contributions: They should be sent to the Chief Editor by e-mail and as attachment in Word format. EUFAJ follows in general a generous policy towards authors, who may decide themselves if they write a scientific or more practical article, with or without footnotes. We reserve the right of adding annotations and commenting shortly. No guarantee for unsolicited articles which, however, may remain in our archive. All longer contributions are requested in English language, but abstracts in other languages are welcome. EUFAJ is published in English. European Union Foreign Affairs Journal – N° 1–2009 (November 2009) www.eufaj.eu, e-mail: [email protected] 3 Editorial: Finally A Periodical About EU Foreign Policy Dear readers, This new online publication has been conceived by Europeans who want to see the European Union stronger and more articulate in international politics and European security policy, and stronger as well as responsible in international development and trade. The appearance of the EU in the international economy is after all rather streamlined, but EU Foreign Policy in the widest context remains a new field, which has been elaborated only in the last years with functional as well as institutional reforms, although since long time being an objective for many Europeans. Will this journal be at the left, at the right, or at the green, or whatsoever? The people who make this eQuarterly are in general “middle on the road”, they are democratic, tolerant, open, curious, balanced, pragmatic and responsible. That does not necessarily mean that all authors think in the same direction. We believe in the capacity to think, to digest intellectually, and in pluralist forums. The publisher, LIBERTAS – European Institute is a company under German law, a pro-European think-tank (which exists since 1992 and therefore has a longer breath than a same-name short-term attempt trying to kill the Lisbon Treaty, with the same name), which does not belong to any bigger company, and we are free of other interests. We are proud of being independent, we are proud of being committed to the European cause, but this – of course – never permits us to neglect the responsibility of Europeans towards Africa, Central and Latin America, Asia, the CIS and the Pacific, as well as to neglect the traditional transatlantic relationship with North America. In general, the people who are responsible for this paper are citizens of the world. And as there are not really many papers on European Union Foreign Affairs, we just started it – without one Cent of taxpayers’ money. This paper is committed to all kinds of integration between states, as the European Union is. After all, we made excellent experience how to do it. It is open to a fruitful dialogue between people of different views, histories and religions in this world, it is committed to Human Rights, it is committed to economic development and equally free trade. And finally it wants to cover issues of security policy for the European Union. All this is a major challenge for European and non-European citizens, policy- makers, administrations, researchers, teachers, students and analysts. For EUFAJ, we chose a subscription rate which is also acceptable for people and organisations with chronic budget difficulties. Of course, we want many subscribers, and your ideas, suggestions and contributions, too. EUFAJ wants to be more than a mere journal. From time to time, you should look on our website www.eufaj.eu. We also will organise workshops, discussions, lectures, non-periodical publications, visits. And let me finally apologize: EUFAJ exists only in English, although we are fervent partisans of cultural diversity, but pragmatism had to win, with all immanent irregularities. With best regards, Hans-Jürgen Zahorka November 2009 European Union Foreign Affairs Journal – N° 1–2009 (November 2009) www.eufaj.eu, e-mail: [email protected] 4 Europe Should Say “Yes Minister!”to Her Catherine Ashton, more precise Baroness Ashton of Upholland, was Member of the European Commission in charge of Trade, the successor of Peter Mandelson.