Offering a clear and logical analysis of the panoply of European Union aid policies and a theoretically informed evaluation of their operation, Patrick Holden contends that the major thrust of EU aid policy is an effort to augment the EU's structural power through targeted political and economic liberalization. Although historically grounded, this book concentrates on EU aid to key world regions in the 21st century. As such, it provides a comprehensive and thought-provoking account of EU aid policy and will be of interest to a wide range of academics, students and policy makers.