EU in the Views of Asia-Pacific Elites: Australia, New Zealand and Thailand. NCRE Research Series No. 5, December 2005

[From the Introduction]. With its population approximating 450m people and its territory covering the space from the Atlantic Ocean to the Carpathian Mountains, the European Union (EU) is a new “giant” on the world stage. Neither a nationstate nor a regional organization, the EU is growing in importance as an international actor. Traditionally, it has been known as a global economic powerhouse and currently holds the status of a leading economy in the ‘troika’ of major regions of the world economy – Europe/ EU, North America, and the Asia-Pacific. Alongside this projection as an economic ”muscle”, the EU has more recently sought new and complementary roles on the world stage – as an audible voice in the international political arena, a skilful international negotiator, a power with a ‘soft’ touch, a model for international integration, and a possible counterbalance to the USA