Is the EU Becoming a Global Power After the Treaty of Lisbon?
The European Union (EU) is a unique entity, frequently referred as ‘sui generis’, and could be viewed as an international actor from many perspectives. However, especially considering recent relative rapid changes to the international agenda, it is debata
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1 Introduction The nature of the international world order is constantly changing. One important change is that, with the weakening of Westphalian sovereignty, state borders are blurring and actors other than nation-states, such as international and regional organizations, multinational companies and non-governmental organizations, are playing a greater role in the international arena. Yet, although the role of these nonstate actors has increased significantly, the concept of global power continues to be related to traditional nation-state actors having sufficient force, usually military force, to control other states’ behaviour in the international arena. The European Union (EU) is a unique entity, frequently referred as ‘sui generis’, and is certainly an international actor. However, especially considering recent relative rapid changes to the international agenda, it is debatable if it is, or can become, a global power in the near future. For an actor to be a global power it must dominate in various areas, including the political, military, economic and social, to attract, transform and deter other international actors. So far, the EU, although an international player, is lacking or weak in some of these areas, and therefore is not generally considered as a global power. The principle reason for this perception can be linked to the EU’s institutional structure, and especially the insufficient level of integration, particularly regarding the EU’s lack of a coherent foreign policy, especially for member states to speak with one voice in the global arena. An additional factor contributing to inconsistent policy initiatives is the nature of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). The ongoing dilemma over federalism versus inter-governmentalism within the EU represents a significant impediment in its evolution into a global power. Finally, although the EU has ¨ zog˘uz-Bolgi (*) S. O Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Department of European Union Relations, Bahcesehir University, C¸ırag˘an Caddesi Osmanpas¸a Mektebi Sokak No: 4-6, 34353 Bes¸iktas¸, Istanbul, Turkey e-mail: [email protected] A. Boening et al. (eds.), Global Power Europe - Vol. 1, Global Power Shift, DOI 10.1007/978-3-642-32412-3_1, # Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013
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been partly able to effectively influence those actors with whom its member states associated in the past or EU candidate countries in its neighbourhood. Yet it has been less effective concerning those regions of the world, where it can neither offer EU membership nor exert its norms and values. The EU faces many challenges in the twenty-first century, especially due to the rapid changes in the world order, including the rise of emergent powers, changes in domestic and international politics, international economic crises, climate change and the need for sustainable development, energy security and international crossborder crime. Additional factors influencing the EU’s specific international attractiveness include the shift
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