In 2014 EU-China relations have been substantially reformed with a new comprehensive strategic partnership agreement. It is ever more important for the EU to have a coherent EU-wide policy approach...Show moreIn 2014 EU-China relations have been substantially reformed with a new comprehensive strategic partnership agreement. It is ever more important for the EU to have a coherent EU-wide policy approach towards China as it creates greater mutual benefits for all member states. With a trade volume of 428 billion€ in 2013 and annual trade growth rate of 6.8% since 2009, the PRC is one of the EU’s most significant partner in trade and vice versa. Moreover, both regions could potentially impact international relations altogether by jointly challenging conventional norms and US hegemony via international institutions. Yet, various disputes have previously hampered the success of the strategic partnership. These include uncertainty within the EU to what direction the partnership should take, and, the weak institutional mechanism of annual summits with no clear objective. The goal of this dissertation is therefore, to find out what has to change in the EU strategy and member states interest accumulation and perception of China that can make the relationship more effective. Accordingly, the following research questions were addressed: How can the EU-China strategic partnership be more effective and constructive in foreign policy making? 1. To what extent is the newly formulated Europe-China 2020 Strategic Agenda of 2013 an improvement of the EU-China strategic partnership? 2. Are British and German national foreign policies vis-á-vis China competing with each other, which ultimately hampers the effectiveness of the EU-China strategic partnership?Show less
The European Union’s representation to multilateral organisations is a vital element in its external action framework. The Union promotes an efficient multilateral system to advocate universal...Show moreThe European Union’s representation to multilateral organisations is a vital element in its external action framework. The Union promotes an efficient multilateral system to advocate universal rights and to respond to worldwide crises, with support of the international community. Global dynamics and power relations are changing. New threats to security and peace are altering and financial pressures confine the future development of peace and security capabilities. In the contemporary global order, the EU is called upon to assume greater international responsibilities. To achieve a more unified and continued representation in the multilateral system, EU coordination and representation are essential. To analyse the way in which EU representation operates in the multilateral system and whether the Treaty of Lisbon provides the appropriate improvements, two research questions are formulated: 1) how does the EU function in the multilateral system of the UN, and 2) does the Lisbon Treaty provide the EU with the means necessary to project a more coherent and effective multilateral representative framework? Using case studies on the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly, the analysis examines the notion of European foreign policies versus European foreign policy. It will argue that though rhetorical support is strong, effective implementation is yet to be realised. The declared intention of unified external representation is not always persuasive, especially when the EU-28 fails to consolidate interests within the Union itself. However, throughout the development of the EU-UN partnership, multilateral representation of the Union has been greatly enhanced. In general, EU-UNSC representation is less coherent, mostly due to ‘high’ politics. Moreover, the seats of France and UK do not reflect the contemporary global order, nor do they specifically benefit the EU’s multilateral representation. In the UNGA, EU representation is more coherent. This is caused primarily by greater coordination, a weaker political agenda, and the Union’s enhanced observer status. The thesis will address why EU representation in the two most important UN bodies is dissimilar, and will provide an analysis of how the Lisbon Treaty has aided the Union’s ambitions in the multilateral system.Show less
