The European Union in Sudan before and after the Treaty of Lisbon: Consistency «without prejudice»

Abstract

This study examines the changes that the Lisbon Treaty may entail for the European Union’s policy in Sudan and South Sudan. To this end, the study describes, first, the main policies implemented by the Union in Sudan before the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, and identifies those responsible for them. It then discusses the key developments made by the Lisbon Treaty in matters which, based on the findings of the first section, are relevant to the Union’s action in Sudan and describes a series of decisions that the Commission and the Council have adopted since the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty. Finally some conclusions are submitted on the impact that the new institutional and regulatory system may have on the EU’s relationship with Sudan and South Sudan in the future. These findings indicate that with the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon, the European Union’s policy in Sudan and South Sudan is likely to gain in coordination, visibility, consistency and efficiency, yet there is also an increasing risk of subordinating objectives of development policy to other foreign policy objectives.