European External Action Service in the context of "Triangle building"

A European Union Association Agreement or simply Association Agreement (AA) is a treaty between the European Union (EU, or its predecessors), its Member States and a non-EU country or bloc of countries that governs bilateral relations. Areas frequently covered by such agreements include the development of political, trade, social, cultural and security links. The provision for an association agreement was included in the Treaty of Rome, which established the European Economic Community, as a means to enable co-operation of the Community with the United Kingdom, which had retreated from the treaty negotiations at the Messina Conference of 1955. According to the European External Action Service, for an agreement to be classified as an AA, it must meet several criteria:

The EU typically concludes Association Agreements in exchange for commitments to political, economic, trade, or human rights reform in a country. In exchange, the country may be offered tariff-free access to some or all EU markets (industrial goods, agricultural products, etc.), and financial or technical assistance. Most recently signed AAs also include a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the EU and the external party.

The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission (HR/VP) is the chief co-ordinator and representative of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) within the European Union (EU). The position is currently held by Kaja Kallas.

The Treaty of Amsterdam, signed in 1997 and entered into force in 1999, had established the position of High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy. The position's purview was augmented by the Treaty of Lisbon, signed in 2007 and entered into force in 2009, which established its current title and authorities, including a seat on the European Commission as Vice-President and the chair of the council of EU foreign ministers. The first person to hold the full title of High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, inaugurated upon the coming into force of the Treaty of Lisbon, was Catherine Ashton. Early in the first term of the post, the office holder became assisted by the European External Action Service (EEAS) that was set up in December 2010.

The Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG International Partnerships or DG INTPA) is the European Commission department responsible for international development policy. It operates under the authority of the European Commissioner for International Partnerships, currently Jozef Síkela.

The official development assistance (ODA) disbursed by the European Commission increased in 2022 (USD 23.1 billion), mostly due to support to Ukraine, some of which was in the form of loans. The European Union (EU) – EU institutions and member states together – accounts for the largest share of total ODA among Development Assistance Committee (DAC) members and has a development co-operation presence in all regions and across all sectors. Among the EU institutions, the European Commission and the European Investment Bank (EIB) manage funding. The European External Action Service co-ordinates foreign policy.