Normative Power Europe and the Problem of a Legitimacy Deficit: An Israeli Perspective

Abstract

European integration constitutes an ambitious attempt on the part of numerous nations to be integrated peacefully under a separate and superior legal order. Now the EU wishes to export its successful campaign to other parts of the world, promoting extraterritorial ?Europeanization?. The EU has acted in that regard as a civilian, normative power, relying on soft-power instruments. The achievements of the EU on this front have, however, been modest. This article proposes to analyse this theme by focusing on the EU?s legitimacy deficit in the eyes of non-Europeans. An attempt is made to offer an analysis of this cause, presented through an Israeli prism. The negative Israeli narrative regarding the EU, exposed in this article, adversely affects the legitimacy of the EU in Israel, thereby making it very difficult for it to position itself as a normative power. The EU should therefore search for effective instruments that can improve its credibility and legitimacy in the eyes of Israelis.