The interrelationship of UK and EU foreign policy: costs and benefits

There is a growing national debate about the role and future of the UK in a changing Europe with a referendum on future EU membership in prospect. However, the foreign policy aspects of the UK's interrelationship with the EU is a topic that has received less attention in this debate. A strong desire for greater knowledge is evidenced by the recent decision by the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee (July 2015) to conduct an inquiry into the costs and benefits of EU membership for the UK's role in the world on the basis of the concern that leaving the EU could have significant implications for the UK's alliances and strategic partnerships, standing in other international organisations, soft power and national security. However, and as one scoping report for the ESRC notes, the interrelationship between the UK's and the EU's foreign policy is actually an under-researched area.

This contrasts sharply to a rapidly growing body of literature on the development of the EU's foreign policy and other EU member states' relationships with EU foreign policy. Meanwhile, even fewer researchers have sought to make their research and findings accessible to a wider audience of non-academics.

The aim of this innovative and collaborative Fellowship is to address these gaps. It is focused squarely on engaging decision-makers, stakeholders and civil society to exchange and cascade knowledge and understanding. The aim of the Fellowship is to improve understanding of the contemporary interrelationship between the UK and the EU in the area of foreign and security policy. In particular it will advance understanding of the current and future benefits and costs associated, for both the UK and the EU, with the UK's participation in the EU's foreign, security and defence policies.

The Fellowship will address a series of questions highly relevant to a debate on the UK's future relationship with the EU:

- What impact, if any, would leaving the EU have on the UK's foreign relations and standing within international multilateral organisations?
- What would be the costs/benefits for the EU and its member states of a UK withdrawal or renegotiated relationship with the EU's foreign, security and defence policies?
- And how might policy makers, practitioners, the media and public make sense of this challenge and navigate the associated issues?

Answering these questions in an accessible and outward-facing manner will significantly inform the wider national debate about the future of the UK in a changing Europe.

To do so, the Fellowship draws upon and updates recent academic research on these questions that has only just begun to impact upon non-academic communities. It will add new understanding to existing research that are centred on these questions and then, together with the ESRC, the London-based think tank Chatham House, and the Brussels-based think tank European Policy Centre (EPC), communicate the power of social science through a series of high profile and accessible outputs. Workshops and sandpits with different groups of stakeholders, a series of evidence briefings, blogs, a final report, an accompanying launch event and social media will all be used to disseminate social science research on these areas to a wide and diverse audience.

The Project will benefit a wide and diverse range of academic and non-academic audiences, as outlined in the Pathways to Impact section. By examining the foreign policy aspects of the UK's interrelationship with the EU, working with the ESRC (and actively with the Programme Director and the Knowledge Forum) and think tanks in London and Brussels, the Fellowship will deliver twelve months of sustained knowledge exchange and impact-related activity, championing the social sciences and engaging with stakeholders from a range of organizations, including:

- UK-based policymakers who share an interest in the UK's relationship with the EU in Westminster and Whitehall and also in the devolved regions administrations, including senior civil servants and politicians in the Cabinet Office, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and, in Brussels, the European Commission and European Parliament. It should be noted that as a Fellow at both London (Chatham House) and Brussels (European Policy Centre) the Fellow is able to utilise extensive contacts in such institutions.

- Individuals in major political parties and advocacy groups, including the major political parties, Business for Britain, European Movement, British Influence, and senior Europe correspondents and journalists who write on these issues (e.g. at the BBC, Financial Times, Parliament Magazine, and The Economist).

- Think tanks that cover the EU and foreign policy issues, including the European Council on Foreign Relations; Centre for European Reform; Foreign Policy Centre, Centre for European Reform, Open Europe, Policy Network, Demos, the Institute for Public Policy Research and Policy Exchange.

-Regional opinion formers including elected members and staffers of devolved administrations, local press, civil society organisations (including business organisations) and the education sector.

The Fellowship will pursue multiple routes to impact:

- First, after updating and analysing the UK-EU foreign policy relationship the project will publish a regular series of policy papers and blogs, sharing them with beneficiaries via the ESRC, think tank (Chatham House and European Policy Centre) and the Global Europe Centre websites and on social media. The Fellow will actively encourage civil society (including schools and business organizations) to engage with us on social media and write some blogs specifically for these communities.

-Second, holding four specific focus group workshops around the United Kingdom, and for (1) regional opinion formers including members of parliament, members and officials of devolved administrations and local government, (2) local media editors and journalists, and (3) members of civil society including non-governmental organisations, regional business organisations and educationalists from secondary, tertiary and higher education organisations to help ensure that the research is cascaded and is influencing the national debate from multiple angles.

-Third, users will further benefit from a final (10,000 word) report on the costs and benefits of EU membership for the UK's role in the world and using the imprimatur of Chatham House. Published online, the report will be fully accessible and also available in a podcast format to further its reach to the widest possible audience.

-Fourth, beneficiaries will be invited to a major dissemination event in London (simulcast on the internet) in the winter of 2016 intended to directly engage end-users with the research

-Fifth, all materials relating to the project will be made available on the ESRC Fellowship website, a dedicated page on the Global Europe Centre website and regularly communicated through social media and in response to specific events.

-Sixth, academic users will benefit from 'high-impact' journal articles that examine the interrelationship between the UK's and the EU's foreign and security policies.