Panorama_Estrategico_2015

Martín Ortega CarcelénAbstractIn institutional terms, the EU’s external action was marked by electionsto the European Parliament in May 2014, which led to the nomination of anew European Commission and High Representative, the Italian FedericaMogherini. Developments such as an efficient European External ActionService and civilian and military operations in the EU’s neighborhood,particularly in Africa, continued in 2014. The economic crisis sets limits tothe Europeans’ ability to act internationally, but some missions have beensuccessful, for instance Atalanta, the naval force in the Indic Ocean. Thesingle most important event for the EU’s external action in 2014 was theUkraine-Russia crisis. The EU was mainly focused on problems towardsthe East, which meant less attention to serious conflicts in the Mediterraneanand the Arab world. In the Ukrainian crisis, the EU condemnedCrimea’s annexation to Russia and separatist movements in the East,leading to economic sanctions vis-à-vis Russia. Tensions between the EUand the United States, on the one hand, and Russia, on the other, mightbe long-lasting, since Ukraine’s society is divided and keeping Ukraine’sterritorial integrity seems to be very difficult.Key WordsEuropean Union, CFSP High Representative, European External ActionService, civilian and military operations, economic sanctions, Crimea,Russia, Ukraine.40