Principles and practices of EU external representation - TMC Asser ...

Introduction: Principles and practices of EU external representation
Introduction: Principles and practices of
EU external representation
Steven Blockmans and Ramses A. Wessel
Since the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon, the Centre for the Law of EU
External Relations (CLEER) has paid attention to the changing nature of the
EU’s institutional legal frameworks pertaining to external action, 1 with a specific
focus on the recalibration of the Union’s international objectives, 2 the chief
organising principles of EU external relations, 3 the role played by the Member
States, EU institutions and High Representative in the negotiation process
leading up to the creation of the Union’s new diplomatic service, 4 the legal
nature and scope of the European External Action Service, 5 and the mechanisms
that allow for the participation of the European Union in the work of the
United Nations. 6 In terms of the substantive development of the EU’s role in
the world, the first signs of operational strengths and weaknesses of EU external
action post-Lisbon have been studied, 7 as well as the international role
played by the European Union in fields like human rights, 8 military crisis
management, 9 the environment, 10 and international taxation. 11 The Lisbon
Treaty’s aim to raise the EU’s international profile by strengthening the coherence,
visibility and effectiveness of external relations policy has indeed triggered
many new legal questions.
With this working paper, CLEER aims to offer a better insight into selected
legal aspects concerning the European Union’s redefined diplomatic persona.
1 See the contributions to P. Koutrakos (ed.), ‘The European Union’s external relations a year
after Lisbon’, CLEER Working Paper 2011/3.
2 See J. Larik, ‘Shaping the international order as a Union objective and the dynamic internationalisation
of constitutional law’, CLEER Working Paper 2011/5.
3 See C. Hillion, ‘Mixity and coherence in EU external relations: the significance of the ‘duty
of cooperation’, CLEER Working Paper 2009/2.
4 See L. Erkelens and S. Blockmans, ‘Setting Up the European External Action Service: an
act of institutional balance’, CLEER Working Paper 2012/1.
5 See B. Van Vooren, ‘A legal-institutional perspective on the European External Action Service’,
CLEER Working Paper 2010/7.
6 See P. A. Serrano de Haro, ’Participation of the European Union in the work of the United
Nations: General Assembly resolution 65/276’, CLEER Working Paper 2012/4.
7 See S. Blockmans, ‘The European External Action Service One Year On: First signs of
strengths and weaknesses’, CLEER Working Paper 2012/2.
8 See A. Rosas, ‘Is the EU a human rights organisation?’, CLEER Working Paper 2011/1.
9 See S. Blockmans and R. A. Wessel, ‘The European Union and crisis management: will the
Lisbon Treaty make the EU more effective?’, CLEER Working Paper 2009/1.
10 See M. Klamert, ‘New conferral or old confusion? The perils of making implied competences
explicit and the example of the external competence for environmental policy’, CLEER
Working Paper 2011/6.
11 See B. Van Vooren, ‘The EU as a global Robin Hood: Proposal for a multilateral convention
on a global financial transaction tax’, CLEER Working Paper 2011/4.
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CLEER WORKING PAPERS 2012/5