Austrian diplomacy in a changing global and European context: Between innovation, adaptation and resilience (original) (raw)

Austrian Bilateral Diplomacy in the Context of EU Membership - Case Study on the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

EUFORPOL Working Paper Series, 2015

This is a project outcome report on a substudy conducted within the EUFORPOL project at the Comenius University in Bratislava. EUFORPOL explored the emerging system of EU foreign policy making and the role of small member states in it. The substudy concentrates on Austrian diplomacy, especially its bilateral dimension, in the context of the country’s EU membership. Results from a case study on developments in the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) are the basis for the following outline. A comprehensive conceptualization of diplomacy anchored in new-institutionalist terms serves as initial point for research on changes on the level of inner-EU bilateral diplomacy as well as on the level of bilateral relations to third states. This short project outcome report only illustrates selected results from the case study. A comprehensive outline will be available soon in the form of a dissertation.

Austrian foreign policy and 20 years of EU membership: Opportunities and constraints

When Austria joined the EU in 1995 it had to find its place in a substantially altered world order. Yet, rather than conceiving its membership in the EU as an opportunity to reenergize its foreign policy through Europeanization, Austria has displayed little interest in developing an active foreign policy profile within, or through, the EU. While membership in the EU meant a broadening of Austria's foreign policy agenda – as Austria became involved in a broad range of international issues and started to participate in the multi-level negotiation process of the EU-its main contributions to European foreign policy occurred in areas close to its national interest, as exemplified by its active role in the Western Balkans. Simultaneously, EU membership placed considerable constraints on Austria's formerly independent national foreign policy, especially on Austria's neutrality. This special issue brings together different international scholars with a longstanding expertise on different aspects of Austrian foreign policy that they will cover to take stock of the Europeanization of Austrian foreign policy two decades after it joined the EU. Zum Zeitpunkt seines EU Beitritts 1995 musste Österreich seine außenpolitische Rolle in einer neuen Weltordnung neu de-finieren. Die Mitgliedschaft in der EU wurde dabei allerdings nicht systematisch genutzt, um durch eine Europäisierung nationaler Außenpolitik an globalem Einfluss und Gestaltungsmöglichkeiten zu gewinnen. Österreich hat insgesamt eher wenig Interesse gezeigt, eine aktive Rolle innerhalb der europäischen Außenpolitik zu entwickeln. Während die EU Mit-gliedschaft eine signifikante Ausweitung der außenpolitischen Agenda bedeutet und Österreich sich in die Prozesse euro-päischer Politikgestaltung integriert hat, blieb der Schwerpunkt der österreichischen Diplomatie weitgehend auf nationale außenpolitische Interessen fokussiert. Dies zeigt sich etwa an der aktiven Rolle Österreichs im Rahmen der europäischen Politik gegenüber dem Westbalkan. Gleichzeitig kam es im Zuge der EU Mitgliedschaft zu Beschränkungen der einst unab-hängigen österreichischen Außenpolitik, gerade etwa in Bezug auf Österreichs Neutralität. Dieses Schwerpunkheft vereinigt internationale Experten, um 20 Jahre nach dem EU Beitritt bilanzieren über den Stand der Europäisierung verschiedener Aspekte österreichischer Außenpolitik. Insbesondere thematisieren die einzelnen Beiträge die Bereiche Kooperation in der Außen-und Sicherheitspolitik, Entwicklungspolitik, sowie die Veränderungen diplomatischer Praktiken und Institutionen.

Does the European Union Transform the Institution of Diplomacy? in Journal of European Public Policy, 12(1)-44-66

Diplomacy as a framework of principles, rules and organized patterns of behaviour regulating interstate relations in the Westphalian system of states is challenged by the process of European integration. This article conceptualizes diplomacy and its change using two new institutionalist perspectives that provide us with complementary insights into the nature of diplomacy as an institution. These are then applied to the study of diplomacy in the EU. The process of European integration is shown as challenging the institution of diplomacy at three levels: (a) the intra-European bilateral relations; (b) the multilateral setting of the Council; and (c) the emerging capacity of the EU to conduct external diplomatic relations with third states. The article assesses change in and of diplomacy at these levels.

Eu Diplomacy After Lisbon: Institutional Innovation, Diplomatic Practices and International Strategy

Challenges of the Knowledge Society, 2014

This paper analyses the institutional changes to European Union diplomacy constituted by the Lisbon Treaty and the creation of the European External Action Service. These changes were meant to solve serious problems of horizontal and vertical incoherence in EU diplomacy that were caused by the network organization of EU diplomacy and the divide between supranational and intergovernmental policy areas. The approach is based on three separate analytical dimensions. The first focuses on the reorganisation of the decision-making and policy-planning structures in Brussels, where particularly the new double-hatted post of High Representative and Vice-president of the Commission represents a watershed in EU internal coordination. Secondly, the constitution of the network of EU actors that act internationally is analysed, with special attention given to the now even more central role of the EU Delegations to third states, around which EU diplomatic representation has been streamlined. The p...

EUROPE AND THE WORLD: NEW TRENDS IN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMACY

2018

The world of International Relations seems to be moving no less than the speed of light. Rapidly shifting international environment demands equal momentum to catch up with the change. However, the European Union lags behind because of some serious impediments in its foreign policy mechanism. The differences between member states and supranational institutions keep the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) in cold storage. Europe's role as an international player in world politics needs to be activated if it desires to remain relevant in a scenario where Russia, China and the US appear more concerned about their respective national interests. This paper compares the emerging trends in international diplomatic arena with the developments in the EU's foreign policy. The paper discusses the tools that the EU requires to play an influential role on the world's diplomatic stage. Introduction In the age of globalization nothing is as simple as it appears. As the world advances technologically, its system attains more complexity. This intricacy then seeps into the practice of interstate diplomacy. The foreign policies of various states operate within this byzantine network. The diplomatic artfulness of a country is determined by the posture it takes in the international arena.

Whither European diplomacy? Long-term trends and the impact of the Lisbon Treaty

Cooperation and Conflict

The article analyses the evolution of European diplomacy over two decades, to assess the impact of the European External Action Service (EEAS) creation alongside consecutive waves of enlargement. Data is drawn from two original datasets about European Union (EU) member states’ diplomatic representations within the EU and across the globe. It shows that member states have maintained and strengthened their substantial diplomatic footprint across the EU’s territory, expanding it to include new members and making Brussels a diplomatic hub also for non-member countries. In parallel, and despite the establishment of the EEAS, member states have maintained and even increased their networks of diplomatic representations across the globe, alongside more numerous and more politically active EU Delegations (EUDs). At the same time, member states have been reducing their diplomats’ numbers, as the cases of Austria, France, Germany and Italy show. This delicate balancing act has been made possib...

Upgrading the EU's Role as Global Actor: Institutions, Law and the Restructuring of European Diplomacy. CEPS Paperbacks. January 2011

2011

The international order is experiencing fundamental changes driven by globalisation and the multipolarity emerging from the new balance of power. In response, a new book by a team of experts assembled by CEPS argues that the EU should build up a world-class diplomatic corps, capable of becoming a major actor in global affairs, drawing on enabling provisions in the Treaty of Lisbon. The report investigates two prerequisites for achieving this goal: first, enhancement of the status of the EU in numerous multilateral organisations, international agreements and fora (the UN, IMF, etc.) and second, a restructuring of European diplomacy, involving a reallocation of functions and resources between the new European diplomatic corps (the European External Action Service) and the diplomatic representations of the 27 EU member states worldwide. Recommendations are formulated on where and how to upgrade the EU’s status in the international arena. Scenarios are presented for the build-up of the ...

Austria´s European Policy and its Coordination and Decision-making System at the Turn of the 21st Century

Politics in Central Europe, 2008

The study describes Austria‘s relationship to the EU and the processes the country underwent in the past thirteen years as an EU member state. Due to its EU accession Austria went through a process of Europeanization. This paper analyses the top-down and bottom-up effects of this process. The author begins by asking to what extent Europeanization had an impact on the coordination mechanisms of Austrian politics, in particular, the executive and the legislative, and the specifi c features of the Austrian political system: federalism and corporatism. The analysis shows that the adaptation of institutions to EU model signifi cantly affected Austrian politics. The second part of the paper analyses the bottom-up effects, how domestic political processes infl uenced the Austrian European policy. Despite the strong Europeanization of Austria‘s domestic institutions the research found some problem junctures in the relationship between Austria and the EU. This included the issue of the coali...

The emerging EU system of diplomacy: How fit for purpose?

2010

This Policy Paper is the first in a series that will be produced by the Jean Monnet Multilateral Research Network on ‘The Diplomatic System of the European Union’. The network is centred on three partner institutions: Loughborough University (UK), Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (BE) and Maastricht University (NL). It also brings together colleagues from a wide range of academic institutions within the EU, and includes participants from EU institutions and non-governmental organisations. The aim of the Policy Papers series is to contribute to current debates about the emerging EU system of diplomacy and to identify the key challenges to which the EU’s diplomatic system will need to respond in the short and medium term.