European Union representation in international forums

Résumé du document

American diplomat and political scientist, Henry Kissinger, once asked, "Who do I call when I want to speak to Europe?" In other words, he was wondering what exactly Europe has in place for its representation on the international stage. This is a valid query in light of the fact that there are twenty-seven states in the European Union, each with their own national foreign policy on their external relations. It is also a difficult question because of the traditional perception that foreign policy is the embodiment of national aims and interests pursued through the mobilization and application of national resources at the heart of state sovereignty and thus off-limits to state cooperation.

Extraits

[...] II: Unified Representation in International Forums One of the main forums where the EU works towards having a unified representation is in the United Nations. Co-operation of the EU member states in the UN “takes place on a broad range of areas: development, addressing climate change, peace building in conflict ridden countries, humanitarian assistance in crises, fighting corruption and crime, global health concerns such as AIDS/HIV, labor issues and culture [and] due to its institutional setup the EU speaks unilaterally for its Member States in such areas as agriculture, fisheries and trade” (The European Union and the World). [...]

[...] Some argue while these actions have been an achievement, Kissinger‟s question has not been fully answered: the European Union still does not have clear or completely unified representation in its external relations and international forums. For example, Karen Smith argues that, reach of EU foreign policy is still patchy and far from global. New issues on the international economic agenda remain a contested subject of cooperation, relations with the most potentially salient countries remain outside the framework of EU external relations, and when the EU does act several members states have preferred not to cooperate or have conducted a discussion without reaching a consensus or decision”(Smith, 49-50). [...]

[...] Firstly, EC position was normally presented by the country occupying the presidency of the Council of Ministers and efforts were made to ensure that Members states agreed upon a common position on issues in the UN general assembly. The second element of EPC involved the adoption of common policy statements and initiative by the European Council, occasionally leading to action towards developing a common policy position. And thirdly, EPC led to agreement to impose common economic sanctions on named countries (Phinnemore, 228). A good example of EPC in action on the international stage was during the Arab-Israeli conflict of 1973. [...]

[...] Bibliography “European Union and the World.” Europa . New Diplomatic Service.” EurActiv Network March Phinnemore, David, Lee McGowan. A Dictionary of the European Union. London: Routledge Rasch, Maximilian. The European Union at the United Nations: The Functioning and Coherence of EU External Representation in a State-Centric Environment. Boston: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers Smith, Karen, Federica Bicchi, Richard Whitman. [...]

[...] “International Politics and European States.” Developments in European Politics. Ed. Paul M. Heywood, Erik Jones, Martin Rhodes, and Ulrich Sedelmeier. New York, New York: Palgrave Macmillan Stivachtis, Yannis. “Part The European Union as an International Actor.” The State of European Integration. [...]