‘Patchwork Power’ Europe: The EU’s Representation in International Institutions

Abstract: This article investigates why the EU’s representation in formal and informal international institutions still varies so widely. It draws on a number of case studies and, by analysing their findings in a comparative manner, makes this fragmented representation visible. It argues that institutional rules relating to both the EU and the international fora need to be considered to explain this patchwork. The weaker its legal competences and internal coordination mechanisms, and the stricter and less equal the rules of participation in international institutions, the greater the EU’s inability to ‘speak with one voice’. The plausibility of this claim is illustrated by various examples selected from different issue areas and international institutions of global importance.