As part of the LISBOAN Network the Clingendael Institute organised an expert workshop to gain better insight into what the EU is and does in international organisations and regimes. With the Lisbon Treaty the EU aimed to increase the EU’s international profile by strengthening the coherence and visibility of the EU’s external representation. Yet its entry into force did not end the debate on the EU’s representation in various international organisations; quite the contrary. The EU Member States agreed to increase the EU’s profile in international settings, but have difficulties with entrusting their international representation to the EU. Very often they are not willing to give up their seats, votes or speaking rights in external contexts, complicating potential reform within those contexts. The meeting provided a forum for free and open discussion based on papers presented by researchers from universities and think tanks, which were discussed with the insights from diplomats and officials who contributed to the debate with their practical experience in EU external representation in various international settings.

12/09/2012

A set of papers that were written for the workshop have been published in the  CLEER working paper 2012/5.

Contents:

• Federico Casolari: The principle of loyal co-operation: A ‘master key’ for EU external representation.
• Peter Van Elsuwege and Hans Merket: The role of the Court of Justice in ensuring the unity of the EU’s external representation.
• Bart Van Vooren and Ramses A. Wessel: External representation and the European External Action Service: Selected legal challenges.
• Scarlett McArdle and Paul James Cardwell: EU external representation and the International Law Commission: An increasingly significant international role for the European Union?
• Christina Eckes: EU external representation in context: Accession to the ECHR as the final step of mutual recognition.
• Jan Wouters, Sven Van Kerckhoven and Jed Odermatt: The EU’s external representation at the G20 and the G20’s impact on the European Union.

01/07/2013

As a further outcome of the workshop, an edited volume is in the process of being published with Routledge. See  http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415713115/ for more information.