The COREU/CORTESY network and the circulation of information within EU foreign policy

The COREU/CORTESY network, through which member states exchange documents related to the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) is a crucial but little known instrument in the EU system of foreign policy making. This paper aims to shed light on how it works and what function it serves. It starts by recalling the circumstances in which the COREU was created and the original function it was given. It then proceeds by looking at how it currently works. It charts the exponential growth of messages exchanged and it analyses the role various actors play in exchanging messages. Finally, the paper addresses the functions played by the system in EU foreign policy making and shows that the practice among member states is gone well beyond what the system was originally intended for.