Abstract
The European Union is now a major participant in international environmental diplomacy, but does this involvement mean that it is an actor in its own right as opposed to a set of Member States? This article advances four characteristics of ‘actorness’ against which to evaluate the EU. Arguing that the EU's external policy in this area constitutes a special case, it analyses the way in which competence and recognition determine Union participation in environmental diplomacy. This approach serves as a guide to understanding the ways in which the EU will be represented in particular circumstances and how it will negotiate. It concludes that, despite early difficulties, the EU has been a surprisingly effective international environmental actor, even aspiring to leadership. It remains, however, a unique, complex and changeable entity the peculiarities of which students of international environmental politics cannot ignore.
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