The European Union’s Self-conception of its Roles in Global Affairs

In many ways, the European Union (EU) may be considered a unique foreign policy actor, combining a peculiar institutional design and set of resources with a specific normative agenda for and ambition in global affairs. Through a two-stage analysis, this chapter examines the role self-conception of the EU as it appears from the EU Global Strategy, released in 2016 as the overarching guide for foreign policy action. First, a comparative analysis of the EU’s European Security Strategy from 2003 and the current global strategy is advanced, focused on continuities and changes in role self-conceptions. While key continuities are evident, drastic changes dominate the picture, reflecting EU-internal as well as external developments. Against this background, the second step of the analysis contains a critical examination and problematization of the role self-conception that emanates from the 2016 strategy. The chapter concludes with reflections on internal and external preconditions for EU actorness in international relations, with special emphasis on the relationship with the US.