The limits of institutional engineering: the EEAS and the EU’s power in a changing environment

With a cumulative army of around 57,000 European diplomats scattered all over the world, the EU and its member states have put into place the biggest collective diplomatic system in the world. In the light of this astonishing presence, one should ask whether such a diplomatic army is able to coordinate and if there is a project behind it.

This paper introduces the new institutional structure of the EU and highlights the permanence of horizontal, vertical and institutional inconsistency in the system. It then questions the existence of a strategy to deal with an international environment characterized by the financial and political crisis in Europe, the increasing volatility of the European neighborhood, a structural shift of economic and political resources towards Asia and the desire to have these changes reflected in a variety of international fora.

ISPI: Analysis: The limits of institutional engineering: the EEAS and the EU’s power in a changing environment [PDF] http://www.ispionline.it/sites/default/files/pubblicazioni/analysis_79_2011_0.pdf

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