The EU and its member states- Europeanization

The specificity of foreign and security policy cooperation and integration

• Foreign policy cooperation is the least likely case of cooperation not only in the EU context

• Foreign policy adaptation cannot be explained in terms of domestic demands

• Changes in EU MSs foreign policy cannot be adequately explained in terms of ‘functional spillover’ or ‘political spillover’

• Policy outcomes rarely reflected the lowest common denominator

• There were no permanent cleavages and power blocs in EPC,

• Outside influences has not been very strong motivation for EU foreign policy cooperation

M.E. Smith (2004)

Instrumental and constructivist logic of interests formation

• Instrumental logic of interest formation in an intergovernmental setting where the MSs retain veto power

• specific bargains take place, often in the form of side-payments and issue-linkages. If bargains are not allowed and the states retain their veto power, the most likely result is the lowest common denominator solution.

• Agenda-setting and leadership: the largest and most powerful states often have the most impact

• Change in both institutions and substantive policies: minimum institutional change in the absence of powerful internal and external forces.

• Social rationality• Privileges debating over bargaining• Leadership in the system comes from any legitimate actor;• Allows for more dynamism in the absence of internal and external

pressures

Institutionalised forms of EU’s foreign policy-making

• Intergovernmental instrumental rationality: governments bargain among themselves in weakly institutionalised settings (periodic summits) and achieve gains that must be approved (explicitly or tacitly) by their respective constituents

• Supranational decision-making: intense common interests, EU governments have delegated their sovereignty over those policies to EC institutions and procedures

• Transgovernmental network- a system where relevant officials conduct an intense discourse about foreign policy issues away from the glare of intergovernmental summits

Development of EU’s foreign policy cooperation

• Creation and structure of the original intergovernmental forum of EPC

• Expansion of the transgovernmental EPC/CFSP communications network to support the intergovernmental forum forum

• Emergence and codification of EU foreign policy rules governing EU MSs and EU institutions such as the Commission.

Transgovernmental EPC network

• 1973 EPC COREU system - encrypted telex network

• Maastricht Treaty- the network extended to include new officials CFSP Councillors in COREPER and more representatives of other EC institutions, the Commission and the Secretariat General of the Council of Ministers

• The importance of communication channels for redefining problems, interests and policy options

EU foreign policy rules

• 1977 coutumier (custom), the SEA gave them treaty status

• Receuil (collection)• Acquis politique• Consultation • Coordination reflex • Confidentiality- states could not use the information

shared to embarrass or blame other states.• Domaines reserves• The role of the rotating six-month presidency in foreign

affairs

EPC/ CFSP performance record

• Actions

• Functions

• Instruments

• Consistency: more linkages of external policies of the EC and those formulated under EPC/CFSP

• National adaptation on substantive EPC/ CFSP issues