The European Union’s global strategy: Complementarity and specialization (original) (raw)
Related papers
Crafting the EU global strategy: Building blocks for a stronger Europe
The European Union is preparing a new global strategy on foreign and security policy, to be presented by its foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini by June 2016. The success of the new strategy will depend on its ability to regenerate commitment to a common foreign policy among member states. Compared to the European Security Strategy of 2003, the regional and global context is far less favourable today. The vulnerability and insecurity of today’s Europe are pushing Europeans closer together. The EU’s value-based agenda needs clear priorities. At the same time, the EU should defend European security and the norms-based global order in a manner that seeks to engage different types of regimes. The strategy should send a clear message that the EU’s security and defence policy, in all its forms, is about providing security for the EU and its citizens. The EU is unlikely to be directly involved in the territorial defence of its member states, but it contributes to Europe’s security by a variety of means, ranging from diplomacy to strengthening the defence industrial base. The refugee crisis is the latest, stark reminder that it is necessary to strengthen the Union as a ‘comprehensive power’ able to draw on a variety of tools in a flexible, goal-oriented manner.
The EU's New Global Strategy: Its Implementation in a Troubled International Environment
Executive Summary In June 2016, High Representative Mogherini presented the EU’s new Global Strategy on Foreign and Security Policy (EUGS) to the European Council. With the Strategy now finalized, attention needs to turn to its implementation in an environment mired by crises both within Europe and the wider world. In September 2016, The Hague Institute for Global Justice and Europe House—the European Parliament Information Office and the Representation of the European Commission in The Netherlands—organized an expert meeting and a public panel discussion, which inform the present document as a first appraisal of the Global Strategy. Focusing on three areas of particular salience in EU foreign policy—the EU as a security actor, developing rules-based global governance in new areas, and the ‘joined-up’ approach in pursuing the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)— the following recommendations for the implementation of the EUGS can be made: The EU as a security actor The EU needs a pragmatic and flexible approach in order to solve the crises around Europe and to improve its credibility in the short and long term, for example by using ad hoc coalitions. Moreover, a possible withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU could open up political space for deepened defense cooperation. The EU would need to find ways to make use of this political space in order to generate political will in the capitals for deepening defense cooperation. More broadly speaking, the EU should devise plans to connect with its citizens as a security actor and communicate the message that EU defense cooperation tangibly benefits the security of all citizens. Developing rules-based global governance Using the area of cyber governance as an example given its cross-cutting importance, the EU should fully embrace the role of ‘agenda-shaper, connector, coordinator and facilitator within a networked web of players’ by investing in multistakeholder initiatives and, together with the Member States, showing coordinated political leadership in this area. The EU, furthermore, needs to take its internal normative innovations (such as the “right to be forgotten”) to the global stage, where they can serve as inspiration to other actors. It should also use regional approaches and coalitions of like-minded countries as building blocks for working towards a global consensus. In addition, the EU should bolster its credibility as a cyber power by capacity-building, both within the EU Member States and third countries, to fight criminal activities and strengthen cooperation between law enforcement agencies. Capacity-building as part of a ‘joined-up approach’ in the case of the SDGs For SDGs to be progressively realized through ‘joined-up’ EU action, they need to be translated and concretized into measurable goals, which should be pursued through already existing policies and strategies and be taken into account during the framing of new ones. Moreover, the EU should invest, in tandem with the Member States, in communicating to the public that the SDGs are a global commitment with implications, both positive and negative, in the daily lives of citizens. For the EU, the most important next step is to translate the EUGS into prioritized and coherent sub-strategies with a view to maintaining the SDGs as a central element of the follow-up of the EUGS. The Global Strategy will remain the core guidance for EU external action for years to come. However, the period until the first yearly progress report in June 2017 will be crucial for establishing the traction and first concrete results produced by the Strategy. As the calendars of the EU institutions and Member State policymakers are filling up with more milestones for its implementation, existing sectorspecific strategies will be updated and new ones developed. Implementing the Global Strategy will be a momentous endeavor by any standard, both for the EU and its Member States. How well they will work together, use their resources, build political momentum and voice their common message will ultimately determine the role of the EU in the world.
The Entire World's a Stage: The Eu's Strategic Presence in the Contemporary International Arena
2011
In the last ten years, an exceptional and diverse series of impacting events-international terrorism, violent conflict situations, war, environmental and natural crises, coups, assassinations and international disputes and challenges-have unfolded. As higher expectations of international bodies in responding to emerging challenges within the international system continue to surface, the shifting structures of actors that deal with those challenges can be readily observed. With the global conflict map undergoing strident change, the focus of strategic analysts is shifting to the global role of the European Union (EU). The EU is seen, more than ever, as a viable and legitimate player that can appropriately respond to existing and anticipated crises in a coherent and coordinated manner, particularly with the application of military force. This article addresses the shifting power structures of the EU as it becomes oriented toward a more unique role that utilizes a 'soft-hard' p...
The European Union Global Strategy: What kind of foreign policy identity?
The International Spectator, 2017
Some dismiss the recent EU Global Strategy as a “triumph of hope over experience”, an impracticable and therefore ultimately irrelevant statement; others are enthusiastic about what they see as perseverance and renewed ambition in the face of the present crisis. Although the 2016 Strategy appears more modest than its 2003 predecessor in operational terms, the range of deliberations that fed into it and the quality of the document itself demonstrate a greater maturity of reflection on foreign policy. A critical reading of the document shows that concepts such as normative power and differentiated inclusion of neighbours in the EU’s system of governance have all but disappeared. The emerging EU identity appears to be debilitated by the centrifugal processes of internal contestation and a drastically downsized claim for external power projection. An alternative plan for action will have to deal with the Union’s vulnerabilities and carve out a role that is distinct, yet in line with this new self-understanding.
2018
The aim of the study is to analyze what kinds of understanding of security does the European Union have and what themes are linked to security. Additionally, the study aims to analyze the European Union as a power in international politics. The research material consists of two security strategies. The focus is on the Global Strategy for European Union's Foreign and Security policy, which was published in June 2016. This strategy is compared to the European Security Strategy of 2003 in order to detect new trends in European security policy. The strategies act as guidelines for the European security policy and thus represent the main actors and themes related to European security. Therefore, strategies provide interesting research material. The study was conducted through the method of political reading. Political reading (Palonen, 1988) aims to study how the political aspect appears in texts and what kinds of interpretations can be made from the political parlances. Buzan, Waever, and de Wilde's (1998) categorization of the areas of security was a useful tool when analyzing the security threats presented in the Global Strategy. When studying the European Union as a power, Toje's (2011) concept of small power was used alongside McCormick's (2007) work on superpower. Based on the results, the field of European security is quite versatile. Strongest emphasis in the Global Strategy is on European military and economic security. Political and societal security is in most cases overlapping other areas; the strong institutions and European values are in the core of European security policy. Despite the EU's role as a trendsetter for environmental awareness, environmental security is underrepresented in the Global Strategy of 2016. The study shows that the European Union has behavioral elements of both a small power and a superpower. It can thus be argued that the EU relies heavily on international institutions, such as the UN, in its global actions, but at the same time tries to achieve a position as an independent actor. Operational independency was especially a current theme in the material. According to the Global Strategy of 2016, the European Union is a small power that aims towards recognition as a great power.
The (Small) State of the Union: Assessing the EU’s Ability to Implement Its Global Strategy
New Perspectives Interdisciplinary Journal of Central & East European Politics and International Relations, 2019
The European Global Strategy (EUGS) is a significant document that came out at a critical time. Decision makers and scholars need to identify and assess the challenges the EU is facing in its effort to pursue its new Strategy. This paper addresses the lack of a tool for identifying those challenges and assessing the EU’s ability to respond to them by introducing a new analytical framework based on the conceptualization of the EU as a small power in the international system, and the literature about the international relations of small states. The framework combines the factors that impact upon a small state’s behaviour and performance in the international system and consists of the following elements: a) the EU’s relations with the great powers in the system, b) developments in the EU’s neighbourhood, c) the EU’s politics, and d) the EU’s reputation. After discussing each one of them, the paper contributes a comprehensive assessment of the EU’s ability to implement its Strategy. It concludes that in order to implement its Strategy, the EU should respond to specific challenges. Therefore, the framework this paper introduces can improve our understand- ing of both the EUGS and the Union’s strengths and weaknesses, shed some light on what measures should be taken for the Union to respond to challenges that lie ahead and be used as a yardstick to assess the Union’s progress. Moreover, the framework can be applied to other areas of the EU’s external action and contribute to both drafting better informed strategic documents and supporting their implementation.
Towards a European Global Strategy. Securing European influence in a changing world
European Global Strategy Project, 2013
The principal aims of the European Union are to promote its shared values, peace and the wellbeing of its peoples. Achieving these aspirations depends heavily on developments beyond its borders. On-going transformations at the global, regional and European levels create opportunities as well as challenges for the Union and demand strategic thinking on an ambitious and assertive external agenda. This report on a European Global Strategy offers guidance on this long-term endeavour.