External policy of the European Union as a late-Westphalian political innovation

Abstract

This article looks at the European Union’s external policy as a late-Westphalian political innovation. The article assumes that the external activity of the European Union goes beyond the classical framework of foreign policy, which is usually considered an attribute of the state, and the EU itself, as a hybrid entity, formulates and implements external policy. The latter has a normative and functional character, which means that the basis of the EU’s presence in the world is a set of specific rules, tools and organizational structures allowing for actions that not only complement the foreign policy of the member states but also go beyond its framework. European Union’s late-Westphalian external policy is based on three pillars – multilateralism, normative plasticity, and hybridism, which when considered collectively create an image of the EU’s activity beyond the model of classical diplomacy and interstate cooperation.