The EU’s Commitment to Effective Multilateralism in the Field of Security: Theory and Practice

Summary:

This article aims to answer questions posed about the ‘effective multilateralism’ of the European Union (EU), by clarifying the extent of the EU's commitment to effective multilateralism.

To this effect, the first two sections analyse the concepts ‘multilateralism’ and ‘effectiveness’, respectively, on the basis of a critical review of existing theoretical dissertations on the subjects. Subsequently, the notion of effective multilateralism as conceptualised in abstracto in the policy documents of the EU will be clarified. The article then assesses the actual level of the EU's commitment to effective multilateralism in its foreign policy by drawing from the recent developments in the field of security.