Session 2 Flashcards
Evolution of the EU; exercising different kinds of power
EU as a civillian power (summary)
concentration on non-military, economic means to international goals; bring to international problems a sense of common responsibility and structures of contractual politics (Duchêne1973; Maull1990)
EU as a soft power (summary)
‘making others want what you want’ (Nye 1990, 2021)
EU as a normative power (summary)
projecting norms and constructing them in the international arena (Manners 2002, 2006
EU as a transformative power (summary)
EU transfers rules, norms and regulations via enlargement (Grabbe2006)
EU as a collective power (summary)
outcome, ability to act and exercise agency (Laffan 2022)
What is power?
Differences between ‘power over’ and ‘power to’Power over: ability of an actor or a set of actors to constrain choices available to other actors in a non-trivial way (Allen 1999 in Laffan 2022)‘Power to’: ability to get things done (Parsons 1963 in Laffan 2022)
Soft power according to Nye
Co-optive power to attract states in one’s orbitMaking use of economic interdependencePossessing capacity for effective communicationDeveloping and using multilateral institutionsShaping international norms*Mobilises ‘intangible factors such as ideology, culture and institutions
Normative power according to Manners
EU as a uniquely distinctive international actor, able to shape the concepts of the normal in international relations (Manners in Laffan 2022).*‘…rooted in legitimate principles, exercised through actions involving argumentation, persuasion, naming and shaming and, socializing in its impact’ (Manners 2009
Manners’ norm diffusion
Norm diffusion through:contagioninformational diffusionprocedural diffusiontransference*cultural filter (Manners 2002)
What is the concept of normative power aimed at? (its peculiarities)
The concept is explicitly aimed at capturing the EU moving away from Cold War approachesstresses the absence of physical forceability to define the ‘normal’ in the international arena, leading with values and norms
Transformative power
The power to export EU values, rules, regulations and principles to candidate statesTransformation of CEE candidate states in the late 1990s amounted to broad reforms that appeared to change every aspect of politics and policyPower depends on candidates having a membership perspective
THrough what is transformative power exercised?
ConditionalityCapacity buildingSocialization
Transformative power & enlargement
Power of attraction acting as an anchor for stabilityEU model guides political transformations in CEEAdoption of EU rules, policies, case law –the acquis by candidate states‘Enlargement policy is the EU’s most important soft power tool.’ Rehn 2008
EU shift towards hard power from 2016 onwards
‘The European Union has always prided itself on its soft power –and it will keep doing so, because we are the best in this field. However, the idea that Europe is an exclusively “civilian power” does not do justice to an evolving reality. For instance, the European Union currently deploys seventeen military and civilian operations, with thousands of men and women serving under the European flag for peace and security –our own security, and our partners. For Europe, soft and hard powergo hand in hand.’ EU Global Strategy 2016:4.
What is geopolitical confusion
‘geopolitical confusion: the EU argues for a more forceful approach in line with realist geopolitics, while at the same time trying to maintain its status as a critical voice, lamenting the rise of great power logic in international relations.’Helwig(2024:5-6)
Collective power
Ability to amass resources, instruments and affect outcomesAgile actors mobilizing processes under conditions of uncertaintyCreation of capacity through mobilization and application of resources, including finance, knowledge, innovative policy toolkitThree aspects:Leadership in framing and finding consensusMobilization of EU institutions and intra institutional coordinationPolicy toolkit for shared challenges (Laffan 2022
Evolution of different kinds of power
1990ssoftnormative power2000snormativetransformative power2016-adding hard to soft powerBrussels effect2019-collective powerGeopolitical powergeoeconomic power
Early attempts for a defence community
The European Defence Community (EDC) (Pleven plan,1952)Treaty and plans for far reaching foreign policy coordination and defence failed to get ratification in the French parliament (1954)Western European Union founded 1954, but the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) from 1949 became central for common defence; WEU: ‘dormant
European political cooperation (EPC)
Summit Paris 1961, Fouchetplans, (1961,1962), opposed by Benelux countriesInitiated in the Hague 1969, EPC established 1970‘external’ pillar of the European Economic CommunityIntergovernmental as opposed to community method, runs parallel, does not extend to security and defenseNew impulse with Franco-British cooperation, seeking joint actionInformal consultations that were not treaty based until preparing the Single European ActSEA (1986) includes EPC in the treaties, but no ECJ jurisdiction
Formative years of EU security policy
In the 1990s the EU looks to cooperative aspects of security (Helwig2024)*Emphasis on peacekeeping and crisis management
Common foreign and security policy (CFSP)
CFSP established in Maastricht and enshrined in the Maastricht treaty, formalizing the established European Political Cooperation (EPC)Remained a separate decision-making pillarMain focus in the 1990s –peacekeeping tasks, following the formulation of the Petersbergtasks (1992)
CFSP focus and instruments 1990s
Common positionsJoint actions (unanimity), constructive abstention in case of opting out of a joint actionSanctions (unanimity)Strategic guiding concept: crisis management and peacekeeping inPetersbergtasks 1992, in treaty from 1997 (from the treaty of Amsterdam)
Emergence EU’s CFSP and CDSP
European security and defensepolicy (ESDP) had a new start in 1998 with the St Malo initiative by France and UK (post conflict in Kosovo)1999 Helsinki European Council: built on the St Malo initiative, proposing:military crisis management, civilian crisis management and conflict preventionMilitary dimension: headline goals definedCivilian dimension: police cooperation, rule of law, civilian administration and protection
Civilian CDSP
Committee on the Civilian aspects of Crisis managementFour priority areas:Policing:Rule of lawCivilian administrationCivic protectionAcivilian CSDP Compact signed to make CDSP (Finnish presidency 2018)More capableMore effective*More joined-up civilianCSDP
Unified approach
The EU Global Strategy 2016: Aiming for more coordination between security and other aspects of foreign policy: developmental, economic, tradeAiming for operational strategic autonomyThe EU Security Union Strategy 2020Separate and specific strategies for parts of the world: e.g. EU-China Strategic Outlook 2019: ‘the systemic rival’The EU’s Strategic Compass 2022
EU’s global strategy 2016
Adding ‘hard’ power to ‘soft’, military and defence dimensions to CFSP (p.4)Seeking strategic autonomy with three objectives:stabilitydisseminating EU standardspromoting EU values (Michel 2020)*Deepening common defense defense spending commitments (via EDA)
According to global strategy 2016
The EU must contribute to:Responding to external conflicts and crisesFull range of CSDP tasks in civilian and military crisis managementBuilding the capacity of partnersTraining, advice and mentoring in the security sectorProtecting the Union and its citizensAddressing challenges and threats within the nexus of internal and external security
Implementing global strategy
The Implementation Plan on Security and Defense (2016)Coordinated Annual Review on Defense to enhance defense cooperation(CARD)European Peace Facility (established March 2021)*Permanent structured cooperation for member states that want to go further (PESCO) (established 2017) Military planning capability: permanent command and control structure within the EUMS: unified control and command to missions in the field (established June 2017)Strengthening the EU’s rapid response toolbox, including EU battlegroups and civilian capabilities
Critical assessment of the strategic compass
Unprecedented to conduct a common threat assessment between the 27 member statesThe preparation of the SC was a…‘long and arduous bureaucratic process that eliminated any and all references of the original big ideas’ (Blockmans, Crosson and Paikin 2022)Lowest common denominator mode?*Large number of new projects identified, a list of concrete measures
Measures of the strategic compass 2022
EU Single Intelligence Analysis CapacityEU Hybrid rapid response teams to support member states and CSDP missions and partner countries in countering hybrid threatsEU Cyber diplomacy Toolbox*EU toolbox to counter foreign information manipulation and interference
Security union strategy 2020
Security as a cross-cutting issue: connecting the dotsFour strategic priorities for action at EU level:A future proof security environment (protecting key infrastructure)Tackling evolving threats (cyber crime, digital investigations, hybrid threats)Protecting Europeans from terrorism and organised crime*A strong European security eco-system (Europol, Eurojust, better link judicial and law enforcement authorities)
What is the geopolitical commission?
The European Commission led by Ursula von der Leyen 2019-2024Mobilization of economic power and strategic assessmentGeopolitics of supply and interdependence*‘Trade and technology issues must now be considered foreign policy issues on which we will have to take strong initiatives’ Josep Borrell, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy 2019
How to assemble a stronger FP
CFSP, including sanctions CSDP, including capacities and capabilities Enlargement Trade, association, partnership agreements Regulation, including technology Responses to hybrid threats
