The European Union as a Sustainable Development Actor: the Case of External Fisheries Policy

Abstract: Promotion of sustainable development and poverty eradication in the world's poorest countries are interlinked and frequently reiterated commitments of the European Union. While their achievement depends upon successful implementation of the Union's policy coherence for development (PCD) strategy, they also epitomize the challenges facing that strategy. This article examines EU actorness in relation to sustainable development, using the external dimensions of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), with particular reference to fisheries agreements with West Africa, as an illustrative case. Given the many sources of incoherence identified in relation to the CFP, it is concluded that, while the Union is undoubtedly a global actor, implementation of the PCD strategy is insufficient to enable it to function effectively as a sustainable development actor.