The Western European Union


Book Description

This full-term study of the Western European Union (WEU) brings to life the history of Europe’s search for a co-operative security and defence order, from its post World War II origins to the present day. Establishing the WEU as a support organization, designed to promote the two security "ideas" of collective defence and integration through the primary organizations of Alliance and Community, this book offers a window onto the challenges faced in the development and management of NATO and the evolving EC/EU over time. As the WEU’s historical journey unfolds, the frequently competing visions of the future organization of the European security space are exposed in the fluctuating nature of its own functional evolution and devolution. A hybrid organization driven by its dual support role, the constructively ambiguous and conveniently autonomous WEU was to provide a mechanism through which divergent interests could converge and inherent tensions be relieved, preventing NATO and EC/EU stagnation. This book offers fresh insight into the means by which the gradual transformation of the institutional framework of European security was enabled, and stakes the WEU’s claim as a fundamental and life-long contributor to the stability of the European security system.




Routledge Handbook on the European Union and International Institutions


Book Description

This Handbook addresses the increasingly contested issue of profound political importance: Europe's presence in multilateral institutions. It assesses both the evolving role of Europe in international institutions, and the transformations in international institutions themselves.




Theorising Institutional Change: The Impact of the European Integration Process on the Development of Space Activities in Europe


Book Description

The book provides a structural analysis of the European space effort from an institute change perspective. It analyzes the EU-ESA inter-institutional relationship, gives an overview of the development of space policy in Europe, and advances the debate about the impact of the European integration process on existing institutional actors. While European Space collaboration was initially developed outside the competences of the European Union (EU) with space programmes being carried out almost exclusively under the framework of European Space Agency (ESA) and national agencies, the EU has gained “shared competences” (Art. 2, TFEU) in space policy following the adoption of the Lisbon Treaty. Currently the EU and ESA work together under a Framework Agreement. In 2016, the EU Commission has published a Communication entitled “European Space Policy” (ESP). Even though ESA’s Member States have agreed to keep ESA as an intergovernmental organisation during the ESA Ministerial Council of 2014, the discussion about ESA becoming part of the EU framework continues. The EU’s ambitions for leadership in European space policy raise question concerning the future of ESA. The study of institutions lies at the heart of political sciences. Strikingly the theoretic framework qualifying institutional change and making it comparable leaves room for more concrete and testable dimensions of institutional change.




The Making of European Security Policy


Book Description

This volume addresses how and in what capacity the European Union and its member states are able to respond to fundamental shifts occurring in global politics and remain relevant for the future. The changing nature of the international system is subject to considerable contestation among scholars, with many claiming that the fundamentals of the post-war international system are being rewritten. This volume brings together prominent scholars in the field of European security to address a range of pertinent issues related to Europe’s role in the context of evolving global challenges. The first section focuses on whether the EU is an actor with a strategic nature and the means to act on a global security strategy. The second section considers the institutional dynamics and the approaches at the EU’s disposal to fulfil its possible intended global roles. The third section addresses Europe’s most important strategic relationship—the partnership it has with the United States. This section considers the recalibration of the transatlantic relationship in light of the changing international system and the reorientation of U.S. foreign policy. This book will be of much interest to students of European Union policy, European Security policy, European Foreign policy and International Relations in general.




Between Autonomy and Dependence


Book Description

The European Union is traditionally seen as a new and partly separate legal order within the global legal system. At the same time, the EU is an important player in the global governance network. The strong and explicit link between the EU and a large number of other international organisations raises questions concerning the impact of decisions taken by those organisations and of international agreements concluded with those organisations (either by the EU itself or by its Member States) on the autonomy of the EU legal order. This book addresses the relationship between the EU and other international organisations by looking at the increasing influence of norms enacted by international organisations on the shaping of EU law.




The Informal Construction of Europe


Book Description

Informal dimensions of European integration have received limited academic attention to date, despite their historical and contemporary importance. Particularly studies in European integration history, while frequently mentioning informal processes, have as yet rarely conceptualised the study of informality in European integration, and thus fail usually to systematically analyse conditions, impact and consequences of informal action. Including case studies that discuss both successful and failed examples of informal action in European integration, this book assembles cutting-edge research by both early-career and more experienced scholars from all over Europe to fill this lacuna. The chapters of this volume offer a guide to the study of informality and show how informality has impacted European integration history and the functioning of the EC/EU as well as other European organisations in a variety of ways. Reflecting the diversity of studies within this burgeoning field of research, within and across several academic disciplines, the book approaches the informal dimensions of European integration from different disciplinary, methodological and thematic angles. This book will be of key interest to students and scholars of European integration, EU politics/studies, European politics, European Union history, and more broadly to comparative politics and international relations.




The Evolution of the Common Security and Defence Policy


Book Description

This book examines the evolution of the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) from its inception in 1998 to the present day. Using the theoretical framework of historical institutionalism, it examines both the successes and failures of the CSDP. Drawing on a series of interviews with officials and researchers from various EU institutions, NATO, and diplomatic missions of EU member states, it assesses what has instigated changes in the CSDP, and why some events have proven more determining and influential than others. The book reviews six crises that have shaped the CSDP, including the Yugoslav Wars, the Second Gulf War, the Libyan campaign, the Ukrainian crisis, the Syrian crisis, and Brexit, in order to understand how real-life events have influenced policy. In this context, the book defines the term ‘European Strategic Autonomy’ dynamically, as the residual effect of negotiation over time. It will appeal to government officials and policymakers, as well as students and scholars of European politics and international relations.




The EU's Power in Inter-Organisational Relations


Book Description

This book studies inter-organisational relations from a new angle: power. Drawing on examples that highlight how the EU relates to NATO and to the UN, it shows how consequential inter-organisational relations are for the functioning and nature of the organisations, and how important it is to detect the forms of power exerted in these relations. Power, for international organisations, is above all about relevance. In an era when the legitimacy and role of international organisations is increasingly questioned, the organisations have a growing concern for ensuring their continued relevance. Subsequently, the management of relevance is a central part of inter-organisational relations and becomes visible in the way organisations handle questions about their tasks, hierarchies and image. Clear and accessible, the book will appeal both to the growing scholarly community working on inter-organisational relations and to a variety of audiences including practitioners and scholars outside the field of international relations.




Reinventing Europe


Book Description

Reinventing Europe provides a thorough exploration of the history of the European Union, tracing its development from inception to recent times. It is the first book of its kind to contextualize the history of the EU within the wider frames of European and global history. The volume also breaks new ground by successfully highlighting the roles individuals, member states, transnational actors and European institutions played in both advancing and slowing down European integration in the EU. With chapters from leading academics in the UK, the US and across Europe who draw on sources in a variety of languages, the book presents a balanced and comprehensive account of this sometimes controversial Union. It is made up of three main parts which in turn cover: · A narrative survey of the EU · A historical analysis of the key institutions and policies · Critical themes and vital geographical spaces There is also a historiographical essay which handily charts the literature in the field, as well as 50 illuminating images, a range of maps, text boxes and primary source extracts, a bibliography and a useful glossary.