European Union Foreign Policy: From Effectiveness to Functionality (Palgrave Studies in European Union Politics)

Scholars and policymakers in EU foreign policy lament the EU's inability to assert itself on the world stage. This book explains this weakness by arguing that EU foreign policy is burdened by various internal functions, and systemizes the analysis of internal functionality, pushing the study beyond the concern with effectiveness. The study of EU foreign policy has for a long time been haunted by Henry Kissinger's famous quip, "what number do I call if I want to get through to Europe?" This has prompted scholars to inquire into the effectiveness of the EU as an international actor. Arguing that the focus on effectiveness has pushed EU studies too far into the world of policy planning, this book examines EU foreign policy from the perspective of functionality. It asks what function foreign policy co-operation plays in the wider European integration process. The findings are original and striking: EU foreign policy serves as a way of managing Europe's retreat from power politics, is the site for inter-institutional struggles between the Council, Commission and Parliament within the EU, and increasingly provides the EU with a new identity at a time when the traditional narratives of European integration are no longer so convincing for European citizens. Far from being the poor cousin of other policy areas, foreign policy is increasingly the terrain upon which the future of the EU is being decided "Anyone thinking that the EU's foreign policy is primarily about changing the world rather than changing itself, think twice. Through the simply idea of functionality, Bickerton's book offers a brilliant and sober new prism through which to appraise the current debate over Europe's mission to contribute to a new world order. Perhaps counter-intuitively, this is an optimistic book: CFSP achieves more than its straightforward foreign policy claims. A must read for anyone interested in world politics.' - Kalypso NicolaIdis, Professor, University of Oxford, UK 'A clear, analytically sophisticated and refreshingly original analysis of the European Union as an international actor. Bickerton argues that the functionality of the Union's external policies should not be judged by the metric of the foreign policy of traditional nation states. Rather, its purpose is as a site for institutional competition within the EU and as a narrative for the next phase of European integration.' - Anand Menon, Professor of West European Politics, University of Birmingham, UK 'The great interest of this work by Chris Bickerton is that he situates the debate around the role of the European Union in a way that takes us away from the well-worn path of academic reflection dominated by purely institutional concerns. By putting the question of meaning at the heart of the EU's foreign policy, he brilliantly contributes to the renewal of the study of the international relations of Europe, a renewal to be welcomed given the doubt that has taken hold of Europeans as regards their capacity to influence world affairs'. - Zaki LaIdi, Research Professor, Sciences Po, Paris, France The study of EU foreign policy has for a long time been haunted by Henry Kissinger's famous quip, "what number do I call if I want to get through to Europe?" This has prompted scholars to inquire into the effectiveness of the EU as an international actor. Arguing that the focus on effectiveness has pushed EU studies too far into the world of policy planning, this book examines EU foreign policy from the perspective of functionality. It asks what function foreign policy co-operation plays in the wider European integration process. The findings are original and striking: EU foreign policy serves as a way of managing Europe's retreat from power politics, is the site for inter-institutional struggles between the Council, Commission and Parliament within the EU, and increasingly provides the EU with a new identity at a time when the traditional narratives of European integration are no longer so convincing for European citizens. Far from being the poor cousin of other policy areas, foreign policy is increasingly the terrain upon which the future of the EU is being decided. -- Back cover Zbrani prispevki ponujajo bralcu analize primerov evropske zunanje politike na raznih, pogosto tudi zapostavljenih področjih in regijah v svetu. Poskušajo oceniti moč in vpliv Evropske unije v tujini v zadnjih letih, obenem pa analizirati dva v procesu evropske politične integracije jasno opredeljiva nasprotna trenda: politično zbliževanje držav članic in stalnost globokih razlik med nacionalnimi interesi. Pojavnost Evropske unije v svetovnem merilu in značilnosti ter omejitve evropske mednarodne vloge so prikazane v luči mednarodnega sistema, političnih velesil, reševanja političnih sporov in regionalnih politik EU Front Matter....Pages i-xii Introduction....Pages 1-11 Functionality in European Union Foreign Policy: A Framework for Analysis....Pages 12-33 Managing Ambivalence: National Foreign Policy in an Age of ‘Power Avoidance’....Pages 34-56 The Politics of Performance: ‘Turf Wars’ in Common Security and Defence Policy....Pages 57-72 Normative Power and the EU’s Search for Meaning....Pages 73-98 Saving the Union? EU Foreign Policy and the Democratic Deficit....Pages 99-117 Conclusion....Pages 118-129 Back Matter....Pages 130-173 Offices in Brussels representing the interests of regional actors in the EU have carved out a niche position within Europe's expanding multi-level political system. They are now the most visible indicators of the growing role played by EU regions. How can we understand their contribution to EU governance? What do they deliver to Europe's regions? What will be the future of security cooperation in Europe after the Bush Administration? This work explores security challenges confronting Europe, from relations with the United States and Russia to the use of military force and the struggle against terrorism. It shows that European states will increasingly act alone, independent of America