Traditional analyses of EU trade policy stem from the theoretical frameworks of commercial liberalism, principal-agent or liberal-institutionalism. Very few works have approached this policy arena as part of EU's foreign policy, or used an approach from the realist tradition of international relations. This work analyzes the EU's approach to the BRICS and the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) blocs, which have not been the subject of a specific European strategy-and also the secondary case-studies of Mercosul and of the TransAtlantic Partnership (TTIP). The theoretical framework employed here derives from the commercial realism thesis developed by Meissner (2016) that explains how rival actors, counterpart region, member states and interest groups lead to an interregional or bilateral policy design. However, we also take into account the use of trade instruments to advance foreign policy goals and the EU's recent emphasis in concluding bilateral deals-two subjects which have been neglected by the International Relations literature.

This dissertation was originally written in the format of two research papers, which are presented here in the format of two chapters.