Do Sanctions Strengthen the International Presence of the EU?

Abstract

In many cases, the European Union (EU) not only participates in the imposition of United Nations (UN) sanctions against states but actively sets the agenda and shapes their content, as a coercive means to bring a recalcitrant state into order especially when protracted negotiations fail to deliver. By default, this course of action constitutes an act of actorness, raising the international profile of the EU and signalling a significant presence in varying degrees in multilateral negotiations. However, some of these cases are also indications of limited effectiveness in the EU international interactions, revealing a considerable actorness-effectiveness gap. We account for this gap by reference to the bargaining power of the EU, identifying its key determinants that are related with the modality of EU engagement in multilateral diplomacy and revolve around the EU structural assets and institutional features as well as the bargaining environment. We use this analytical framework to account for the EU role in the negotiations over the Iranian nuclear program, questioning whether the imposition of sanctions do always indicate a strong EU international presence.