The EU's external relations include both the relationship between the member states and that between the EU and the rest of the world. An inward-looking trend was quite evident in the EU's diplomacy in 2017.In the face of the serious challenges posed to the EU by Brexit，the election of Donald Trump as US President and the rising populism in the EU，the Council，the European Commission and some member countries like France raised various proposals on the future of the EU. In 2017，debates on this issue dominated Europe.However，no consensus was concluded largely due to the unfinished Germany coalition government negotiations. The transatlantic relationship arrived almost at the lowest point since WWII and EU-Russia relationship was still filled with rancorous disputes. The Free Trade Agreement negotiations between the EU and Japan，Latin America and Australia respectively made some progresses in 2017 but the EU's role in the Middle East has been further marginalized.