Foreign Ministries in the European Union: Integrating Diplomats (Studies in Diplomacy)

What role, if any, does the foreign ministry perform in contemporary world politics? Is the argument that it is in a state of terminal decline accurate or rooted in only partial understandings of its changing character? Foreign Ministries in the European Union explores this theme in the context of the EU where foreign ministry has played a key role in the development of integration but where its role is increasingly questioned. The contributors examine the foreign ministry in thirteen member states and draw conclusions that challenge some conventional wisdoms. Front Matter....Pages i-xv Introduction: Gatekeepers and Boundary-Spanners — Thinking about Foreign Ministries in the European Union....Pages 1-17 The Evolving Role of Foreign Ministries in the Conduct of European Union Affairs....Pages 18-36 Austria....Pages 37-59 Belgium....Pages 60-74 Denmark....Pages 75-94 Finland....Pages 95-110 France....Pages 111-131 Germany....Pages 132-145 Ireland....Pages 146-162 Italy....Pages 163-176 The Netherlands....Pages 177-190 Portugal....Pages 191-211 Spain....Pages 212-237 Sweden....Pages 238-249 The United Kingdom Adapting to the European Union within a transformed world....Pages 250-272 Conclusion....Pages 273-286 Afterword: Towards a European Diplomatic System?....Pages 287-305 Back Matter....Pages 306-314 Observers of foreign ministries have reached very different conclusions as to their role and significance in the rapidly shifting patterns of world politics. There are those who argue that their essential functions remain, in essence, unaltered. A contrary view asserts that the twin forces of globalization and regionalization are challenging governments and have dramatically diminished the significance of these traditional instruments of diplomacy. Foreign Ministries and the European Union analyses this debate in the specific context of the EU and examines the foreign ministry in thirteen member states Observers of foreign ministries and the systems of diplomatic representation over which they preside have reached very different conclusions as to their role and significance in the rapidly shifting patterns of world politics.