Strategic interests of the European Union

Main challenges for the European security policy are caused by the creation of new states, nationalisms and ethnic problems, enforcement of religious fanatics, globalisation of economy as well as a threat of huge migration from poorer parts of the world to Europe. The most important issue, from the perspective of the European role in the world, is the "shift of gravity" - towards Asian countries and new economic powers. The importance and interest in Europe diminishes and floats towards so called Asian Tigers, and Europe seems helpless facing the changes. The article aims at presenting the EU's strategic interests as well as show difficulties in creating common foreign and security policy. Identification of strategic fields of interest of the EU may seem easy and obvious, but the realization of common policy appears to be problematic or even impossible due to too distant objectives of the member states and their particular national interests. Nevertheless, the article discusses specific EU interests in the Middle East, Asia and Africa as well goes into the analysis of EU-NATO (USA) relations and importance of this cooperation.