3,657 research outputs found
Single Representative, Single Voice: Magical Thinking and Representation of the EU on the World Stage
No full textIt is frequently argued that the EU should speak with a single voice on the international stage in order to play an effective role in the field of foreign policy. The representation of the EU by a single representative is often viewed as a remedy to this lack of a single voice. This article analyzes that argument and asks whether the relative disillusionment that followed the appointment of a president of the European Council and of a high representative of the EU suggests that stronger EU representation on the world stage is needed. The article argues that equating the institutionalization of a single representative with an ability on the part of the EU to speak with a single voice amounts to ‘magical thinking’ because no institutional engineering can overcome member states’ divisions. Furthermore, different successful cases of external action led by a few member states in spite of the lack of unanimity show that the single voice is an unhelpful myth. Lastly, the implementation of the Lisbon Treaty reforms reveals that the EU does not need stronger external representation and that any principle of representation relying on personalization should be dismissed as inadequate in the EU context
Book review of Carolyn Ban, Management and Culture in an Enlarged European Commission: From Diversity to Unity?, Palgrave 2013
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Europe at the Highest Level. About: Luuk van Middelaar, The passage to Europe, Yale University Press, 2013
No full textLuuk van Middelaar puts forward an alternative history of the European construction by analysing the various types of discourse on Europe, the influence of international events and overdue research on democratic legitimacy
Qualified Majority Voting from the Single European Act to present day: an unexpected permanence
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Warum ein EU-Präsident nur der EU-Sündenbock wäre
No full textEin demokratisch gewählter Präsident für die EU könnte den Staatenbund endlich aus der Krise holen - stimmt das wirklich? Bisher zumindest haben "EU-Gesichter" wie Ratspräsident Van Rompuy eher für Negativschlagzeilen gesorgt
La prise de décision au Conseil de l'Union européenne. Pratiques du vote et du consensus
No full textThe Silence of Ministers. Consensus and Blame-Avoidance in the Council of the European Union
No full textAccording to conventional wisdom, in areas where the Council of the European Union is supposed to decide by qualified majority voting, it does not vote but rather decides ‘by consensus’. This article aims to explain why the Council does not vote and what ‘consensus’ means. Given that consensus is often used by international organizations and EU institutional bodies, it is important to explain how it differs from unanimity. The article argues that formal voting is avoided because it would disclose the identity of opponents and would be detrimental to the negotiation process. Furthermore, ministers tend not to register their opposition even when they remain unsatisfied with an adopted measure because they expect to be blamed by their constituencies for having failed to defend national interests. Consensus is not necessarily used to signal that a general agreement is reached. It sometimes results from a strategy of blame avoidance that conflicts with democratic accountability
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