Whither European diplomacy? Long-term trends and the impact of the Lisbon Treaty

Federica Bicchi,Daniel Schade

doi:10.1177/00108367211000791

Abstract

The article analyses the evolution of European diplomacy over two decades, to assess the impact of the European External Action Service (EEAS) creation alongside consecutive waves of enlargement. Data is drawn from two original datasets about European Union (EU) member states’ diplomatic representations within the EU and across the globe. It shows that member states have maintained and strengthened their substantial diplomatic footprint across the EU’s territory, expanding it to include new members and making Brussels a diplomatic hub also for non-member countries. In parallel, and despite the establishment of the EEAS, member states have maintained and even increased their networks of diplomatic representations across the globe, alongside more numerous and more politically active EU Delegations (EUDs). At the same time, member states have been reducing their diplomats’ numbers, as the cases of Austria, France, Germany and Italy show. This delicate balancing act has been made possible not only by contemporary technological developments, but also by European cooperation, as in the case of EUDs hosting member states’ representations in non-member countries, a development referred to as co-location. Therefore, whereas the continued presence of national embassies on the ground could be interpreted as detracting from the EEAS, the existence of EUDs contributes also to other, more indirect but certainly novel, forms of diplomatic cooperation under a single European roof.

Highlights

This article analyses the evolution of European diplomacy, and more of the European Union’s (EU) and its member states’ networks of diplomatic representations during the last two decades, marked by profound changes
To what extent have changes within the EU foreign policy structure been reflected in changes to member states’ national diplomatic networks, across Europe and beyond? How has European diplomacy as a whole evolved over the last 20 years and what does that suggest in relation to future developments?
This article has brought to evidence fresh data about European diplomatic networks, highlighting major transformations in the way in which the Europeans organise their diplomatic contacts, both within the EU and across the globe

Summary

Introduction

This article analyses the evolution of European diplomacy, and more of the European Union’s (EU) and its member states’ networks of diplomatic representations during the last two decades, marked by profound changes. The Treaty of Lisbon and the creation of the European External Action Service (EEAS) radically altered the set-up of the EU’s foreign affairs system, in Brussels and beyond EU borders with the establishment of EU Delegations (EUDs). This occurred as the EU nearly doubled its membership, with the 2004, 2007 and 2013 enlargements. To what extent (and in what ways) have changes within the EU foreign policy structure been reflected in changes to member states’ national diplomatic networks, across Europe and beyond? How has European diplomacy as a whole evolved over the last 20 years and what does that suggest in relation to future developments?

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Conclusion