The European Union with(in) international organisations. Commitment, consistency and effects across time

Since its creation, the European Union (EU) has been a participant in the activities of other International Organisations (IOs) or has been working together with them. Still, little information is available on what this long-term involvement with(in) IOs means for International Relations and European Studies. Why has the EU been involved with(in) IOs on such a long-term basis? How? With what impact? These three key research questions are addressed in this volume, in a bid to explore the continuity of EU action with(in) IOs.

While written by a diversity of authors (from European Studies or from International Relations, Europeans or non-Europeans) and from a diversity of disciplines (in particular Law and Political Science), each chapter of the volume elaborates on three common political concepts derived from three-fold questioning: commitment (for the why question), consistency (for the how question), and effects (for the question of impact).

Consisting of a two part structure, the book is focussed in Part I on more general trends of the EU’s long-term participation with(in) IOs and in Part II on more precise case studies on labour standards, public services, flexicurity, human trafficking and security. Highly useful for students, academics and experts, this volume combines a clear and easy-to-use framework with new empirical data.

Contents:

Introduction: Studying the EU with(in) international organisations: research agenda - Amandine Orsini

Part I: The European Union with(in) International Organisations: Broader Pictures
1. Methodology. Studying the EU’s long-term participation with(in) international organisations: research design, methods and data - Anne Wetzel
2. Membership. The evolution of EU membership in major international organisations - Peter Debaere, Ferdi De Ville, Jan Orbie, Bregt Saenen and Joren Verschaeve
3. Representation. Who is sitting in the EU’s chair at the UN? Member states, Presidencies and the Commission - Peter Nedergaard and Mads Dagnis Jensen

Part II: The European Union with(in) International Organisations: Case Studies
4. Labour standards. An historical account of the EU involvement with(in) the ILO - Robert Kissack
5. Public services. Challenging European politics: the liberalisation of public services at the World Trade Organization - Amandine Crespy
6. Flexicurity. The EU actorness at the ILO on flexicurity - Eleni Xiarchogiannopoulou and Dimitris Tsarouhas
7. Human trafficking. The European Union commitment to fight human trafficking - Beth Simmons and Ashley DiSilvestro
8. Security. EU-NATO relations: informal cooperation as a common lifestyle - Nina Græger

Conclusion. Studying the EU with(in) international organisations: main results - Amandine Orsini