Principles and practices of EU external representation - Asser Institute

Introduction: Principles and practices of EU external representationIntroduction: Principles and practices ofEU external representationSteven Blockmans and Ramses A. WesselSince the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon, the Centre for the Law of EUExternal Relations (CLEER) has paid attention to the changing nature of theEU’s institutional legal frameworks pertaining to external action, 1 with a specificfocus on the recalibration of the Union’s international objectives, 2 the chieforganising principles of EU external relations, 3 the role played by the MemberStates, EU institutions and High Representative in the negotiation processleading up to the creation of the Union’s new diplomatic service, 4 the legalnature and scope of the European External Action Service, 5 and the mechanismsthat allow for the participation of the European Union in the work of theUnited Nations. 6 In terms of the substantive development of the EU’s role inthe world, the first signs of operational strengths and weaknesses of EU externalaction post-Lisbon have been studied, 7 as well as the international roleplayed by the European Union in fields like human rights, 8 military crisismanagement, 9 the environment, 10 and international taxation. 11 The LisbonTreaty’s aim to raise the EU’s international profile by strengthening the coherence,visibility and effectiveness of external relations policy has indeed triggeredmany new legal questions.With this working paper, CLEER aims to offer a better insight into selectedlegal aspects concerning the European Union’s redefined diplomatic persona.1 See the contributions to P. Koutrakos (ed.), ‘The European Union’s external relations a yearafter Lisbon’, CLEER Working Paper 2011/3.2 See J. Larik, ‘Shaping the international order as a Union objective and the dynamic internationalisationof constitutional law’, CLEER Working Paper 2011/5.3 See C. Hillion, ‘Mixity and coherence in EU external relations: the significance of the ‘dutyof cooperation’, CLEER Working Paper 2009/2.4 See L. Erkelens and S. Blockmans, ‘Setting Up the European External Action Service: anact 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 UnitedNations: General Assembly resolution 65/276’, CLEER Working Paper 2012/4.7 See S. Blockmans, ‘The European External Action Service One Year On: First signs ofstrengths 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 theLisbon 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 competencesexplicit and the example of the external competence for environmental policy’, CLEERWorking Paper 2011/6.11 See B. Van Vooren, ‘The EU as a global Robin Hood: Proposal for a multilateral conventionon a global financial transaction tax’, CLEER Working Paper 2011/4.7CLEER WORKING PAPERS 2012/5