http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/authors/2887/rob-may Inquiries Journal provides undergraduate and graduate students around the world a platform for the wide dissemination of academic work over a range of core disciplines. en-us Wed, 17 Jun 2026 11:27:15 -0400 Wed, 17 Jun 2026 11:27:15 -0400 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1065/we-need-to-talk-about-lisbon-the-capacity-of-the-european-union-as-a-global-trade-actor By Rob May - The European Commission’s (EC) Directorate-General Trade is one of several that have been subsumed into the remit of ‘external relations’ by the Lisbon Treaty. The effect of the construction of the European Single Market on trade throughout the latter half of the twentieth century has helped define the EU as a significant actor in international relations;3 but to what extent has the Lisbon Treaty, which came into effect in 2009, strengthened or weakened the “actorness” of the EU? This question is particularly difficult to answer with any brevity or parsimony; with... Sun, 01 Jan 2012 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1065/we-need-to-talk-about-lisbon-the-capacity-of-the-european-union-as-a-global-trade-actor