The European Union as a normal international actor: an analysis of the EU Global Strategy

Abstract

For a long time, the European Union (EU) has been described by many scholars and policymakers as a civilian and a normative power. This article argues that these concepts do not accurately capture the foreign policy behaviour of the EU as prescribed in the European Union Global Strategy (EUGS). It first situates EU identity and role played in international relations within role strain theory. Then, it notes that the EU has difficulties fulfilling duties connected with its international identity and role. The second part of the article uses three indicators to examine whether the EU is pursuing ‘normal’ international actor status or not, drawing on the Strategy and relevant literature to do so. In conclusion, this article argues that the EU is still a unique actor, although changes prescribed in the EUGS could begin the evolution towards the role of a normal international actor.