The European Union as a Global Actor

Posted: August 26th, 2021

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The European Union as a Global Actor

What Type of Global Actor is The EU?

The European Union’s role and capacity at the global stage have inadvertently fascinated analysts and researchers for quite a while now. Specifically, the EU’s capacity in formulating and implementing its Integration and International Relations Agenda has been the main focal point of numerous analyses. As such, numerous analysts and studies have described the EU as a Normative Power basing on the union’s ability to shape conceptions of the ‘normal’ in global affairs. The EU’s normativity makes it pursue milieu goals as opposed to possession goals. That is, this economic bloc has been at the forefront in redesigning the international system as a whole as opposed to pursuing short term immediate self-interests as has been observed in other economic blocs. Also, the EU’s role as a normative power at the global stage is demonstrated by how it implements its Global Strategy through the development of enduring partnerships within European countries and beyond todefend a rules-based international system that has multilateralism at its core.

            To further cement is a global role as a normative power, the European Union has in recent years, come up with a set of plans that are intended to enhance connectivity between Europe and Asia sustainably. For example, in 2017, the European Union unanimously agreed to increase its spending on military activity in the region. A spat informed this move of increased terror attacks on European countries such as Britain and France that had become common between 2013 and 2015. Terrorist groups from the Middle East region claimed responsibility for all of these attacks; hence, the decision by the EU to increase its military spending, thereby strengthening its role as a global security and defense actor. Going forward, the EU has well laid down plans for enhancing cooperation with Asian countries in matters surrounding military spending and defense of the region against terror attacks.

Main Issues Related to EU External Policies

Within the European Union economic bloc, national policies of the member states coexist with the EU foreign policies. Over time, these national policies have been criticized as being inconsistent, ineffective, and incoherent. To address these shortcomings, therefore, the EU external policies began as a way of coordinating the national policies of member states through the development ofuniversal foreign and security policies. By carefully scrutinizing the implementation of these policies by the EU, one gets to understand the bloc’s views on freedom, the rule of law, human rights, and the world in general. At present, six main issues are related to the European Union’s external policies. These are Brexit, Arms Control & nonproliferation, security, crisis management, terrorism, and human rights &the rule of law. Through tackling the issue of terrorism and security, for example, the EU aims at rooting out incidences of terrorism in the region, where one of the exceptional cases is the 2015 Paris Attacks in France in which 140 people lost their lives. Upon full realization of this policy’s intended goals; therefore, terrorism will become an issue of the past for EU member states within a few years.

What the European Neighborhood Policy Teaches Us about EU Foreign Policy

Primarily, through the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP), the EU seeks to work with its Southern and Eastern neighbors to foster stabilization, security and prosperity. This commitment is in line with theGlobal Strategy for the realization ofthe European Union’s Foreign and Security Policy. Therefore, the ENP policy teaches us that the EU’s foreign policy has a more significant bearing on realizing greater good in terms of security and stability not only for the EU countries but also for countries neighboring the bloc. Secondly, ENP ably demonstrates that the attainment of successful bilateral and multilateral relations is a vital target goal of the EU foreign policy. Thirdly, the European Neighborhood Policy teaches us that the EU’s Foreign Policy is keen on ensuring further integrations of more neighboring counties into the EU Bloc through the provisionof respective legal instruments to be applied in such scenarios. Ultimately, further integrations within the EU region and full realization of regional stability and peace will lead to socio-economic and political developments not only for EU countries but also for its neighboring countries.