The diplomatic role of the European Parliament’s parliamentary groups

Abstract:

With the Lisbon Treaty, the European Parliament increased its power of scrutiny over the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). But what role does the European Parliament, and more specifically, the political groups of the European Parliament play in that policy area? In this policy analysis, the author Daniel Fiott argues that the political groups of the European Parliament indeed do play a diplomatic role in the European Union’s foreign policy.

The paper provides an overview of what form of diplomatic activities the political groups engage in and what impact as well as potential benefits and drawback this might have.