scholarly journals Party Politics or (Supra-)National Interest? External Relations Votes in the European Parliament

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 547-564 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tapio Raunio ◽  
Wolfgang Wagner
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Security Policy ◽  
Group Cohesion ◽  
National Interest ◽  
European Parliament ◽  
Party Politics ◽  
Development Aid ◽  
Roll Call ◽  
External Relations ◽  
Foreign And Security Policy

Abstract Parliamentary votes on foreign and security policy have often been demonstrations of patriotism and unity. This resonates with the notion that external relations are exempted from party politics, or that politics stops at the water's edge. Its supranational character makes the European Parliament (EP) a particularly interesting laboratory for subjecting this thesis to empirical scrutiny. Analyzing roll-call votes from 1979 to 2014, this article shows that group cohesion and coalition patterns are no different in external relations votes than in other issue areas. Members of the EP (MEPs) do not rally around a European Union flag, nor do MEPs vote as national blocs in votes on foreign and security policy, trade, and development aid. Based on statistical analyses and interviews with parliamentary civil servants, it concludes that the EP stands out by having party politics dominate all business, including external relations.

scholarly journals Influence beyond formal powers: The parliamentarisation of European Union security policy

2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guri Rosén ◽  
Kolja Raube
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
European Union ◽  
Security Policy ◽  
European Parliament ◽  
Democratic Governance ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Union Security ◽  
Crucial Component ◽  
Foreign And Security Policy ◽  
And Control

The European Union’s foreign and security policy is commonly described as an intergovernmental affair. Despite limited formal powers, several studies suggest that the European Parliament has increased its influence on the Union’s foreign and security policy. This article argues that, to gauge the significance of parliamentary participation, it is necessary to look beyond the notion of formal parliamentary rights and to take into account informal influence. The analysis shows how informal avenues of influence are crucial at certain stages of the decision-making process, and points to factors that constrain and enable parliamentary impact. Furthermore, it emphasises the important role that parliaments play in scrutinising security policy, which is a crucial component of democratic governance. In this particular field where there is little legislation, the establishment of solid procedures and practices for oversight and control can also be a significant indicator of parliamentary influence.

16. Policy-making in the European Union

2019 ◽  
pp. 235-252
Author(s):  
Edward Best
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Security Policy ◽  
Policy Coordination ◽  
Problem Definition ◽  
Policy Cycle ◽  
The European Union ◽  
External Relations ◽  
Foreign And Security Policy ◽  
Ordinary Legislative Procedure ◽  
The Eu

This chapter provides an overview of how policy is made in the European Union (EU), focusing on the main procedures involved and the varying roles of the EU institutions. It begins by describing the range of powers that have been given to the EU by the member states in different policy areas, and the multiple modes of governance that are involved. The concept of the policy cycle is used as a framework to explain the stages in EU law-making. The ordinary legislative procedure is presented in some detail, and a case study illustrates the whole cycle from problem definition to implementation. The roles of the institutions in other kinds of policy process are then presented. Policy coordination is explained, with particular attention to economic governance and the European Semester. Finally, the chapter looks at external relations and the common foreign and security policy.

The Dynamics of the European Union Legal Order: An Increasingly Coherent Framework of Action and Interpretation

2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramses A. Wessel
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
European Union ◽  
Security Policy ◽  
Legal Order ◽  
The European Union ◽  
External Relations ◽  
Legal Nature ◽  
Foreign And Security Policy ◽  
Pillar Structure

Institutional and normative convergence – Common Foreign and Security Policy – Pillar Structure – External Relations – Role of the Court – Normative Consistency – EU Legal Order – Legal Nature CFSP – Treaty of Lisbon – Legal Instruments – Decision-Making

19. External Policies

2021 ◽  
pp. 845-906
Author(s):  
Robert Schütze
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Development Policy ◽  
Security Policy ◽  
External Action ◽  
The European Union ◽  
External Relations ◽  
Foreign And Security Policy ◽  
Title Iii ◽  
Legal Foundations ◽  
The Common

This chapter presents an overview of the four most important external policies of the European Union. It starts with the Common Commercial Policy (CCP), which still constitutes the ‘centrepiece’ of EU external relations. It is set out in Title II of the External Action Part of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). The chapter also looks at the legal foundations of the Union's development policy. The Union's development policy draws on various parts within the EU Treaties, of which Chapter 1 within Title III of the External Action Part represents only an element of the overall picture. The chapter then moves to the Common Foreign and Security Policy, which touches upon the military heart of the Member States' external sovereignty; and it has therefore been subject to very rigid political safeguards of federalism. Finally, it explores the ‘policies’ of association and enlargement. While not styled as external policies as such, the Union has nonetheless turned both into formidable strategic tools to ‘export’ its values.

10. The EU as a Global Actor

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Peterson ◽  
Marlene Gottwald
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Foreign Policy ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Security Policy ◽  
Development Aid ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Global Power ◽  
Foreign And Security Policy ◽  
The Common ◽  
The Eu

This chapter focuses on the European Union as a global actor. The EU's ambitions to be a global power are a surprising by-product of European integration. Students of European foreign policy mostly focus on EU trade, aid, and the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), but cannot neglect the extensive national foreign policy activities of its member states. The EU's external policy aspirations now extend to traditional foreign and security policy, but distinct national policies persist and the EU suffers from weak or fragmented leadership. The chapter first provides an overview of European foreign policy before discussing the EU's trade policy, development aid, and CFSP. It also examines theories that explain the EU's role as a global actor.

II. External Relations

2002 ◽  
Vol 51 (4) ◽  
pp. 990-996
Author(s):  
Joe McMahon ◽  
Eileen Denza
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Security Policy ◽  
The European Union ◽  
External Relations ◽  
Foreign And Security Policy ◽  
The Common ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Treaty Of Amsterdam

The last account of developments in the external relations of the European Union, described how the Treaty of Amsterdam, which had just entered into force, had reformed the Common Foreign and Security Policy. Three years on one can begin to assess the impact of these changes.

scholarly journals Migration issues in the EU’s common foreign and security policy – selected aspects

2021 ◽  
pp. 43-59
Author(s):  
Tomasz Dubowski
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Foreign Policy ◽  
Security Policy ◽  
Migration Policy ◽  
External Action ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Eu Foreign Policy ◽  
Foreign And Security Policy ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Eu

In the discussion on the EU migration policy, it is impossible to evade the issue of the relation between this policy and the EU foreign policy, including EU common foreign and security policy. The subject of this study are selected links between migration issues and the CFSP of the European Union. The presented considerations aim to determine at what levels and in what ways the EU’s migration policy is taken into account in the space of the CFSP as a diplomatic and political (and subject to specific rules and procedures) substrate of the EU’s external action.

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