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‘Patchwork Power’ Europe? The EU’s Representation in International Institutions. Bruges Regional Integration & Global Governance Papers 2/2008

Gstöhl, Sieglinde (2008) ‘Patchwork Power’ Europe? The EU’s Representation in International Institutions. Bruges Regional Integration & Global Governance Papers 2/2008. [Working Paper]

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    Abstract

    This paper examines why, after five decades of integration, the European Union's representation in international institutions still varies considerably. This question has so far not attracted much scholarly attention in political science; most studies focus on the legal status of the EU in international organisations, in particular in UN bodies. The EU does not consistently 'speak with one voice' as a global actor, but its international representation varies from the Commission, the EU presidency (and troika) over the European Central Bank to the national, sometimes coordinated positions of the member states. The Union's role in global governance is thus constrained by a bewildering pattern of external representatives. Theoretical approaches suggest four explanatory factors: issue areas, institutions, interests and identities. The paper argues that the usual focus on issue areas in terms of the distribution of legal competences alone cannot explain the EU's current role as a 'patchwork power'. Institutional factors (such as an organisation's rules of participation and the EU's own coordination mechanisms) and the member states' constellation of interests have to be taken into account as well.

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    Item Type: Working Paper
    Additional Information: Joint working paper series of the EU International Relations and Diplomacy Studies Department at the College of Europe and the Comparative Regional Integration Studies of the United Nations University, Bruges.
    Subjects for non-EU documents: EU policies and themes > External relations > common foreign & security policy 1993--European Global Strategy
    Other international institutions > UN
    Subjects for EU documents: UNSPECIFIED
    EU Series and Periodicals: UNSPECIFIED
    EU Annual Reports: UNSPECIFIED
    Series: Series > College of Europe (Brugge) > Bruges Regional Integration & Global Governance (BRIGG) Papers
    Depositing User: Ms Léonie Maes
    Official EU Document: No
    Language: English
    Date Deposited: 09 May 2012 16:50
    Number of Pages: 32
    Last Modified: 09 May 2012 16:50
    URI: http://aei.pitt.edu/id/eprint/33529

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