The foreign policy of the European Union (EU) is, first of all, the issues of ensuring peace and security in Europe and on the planet as a whole and preventing and eliminating armed conflicts. The main elements of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) are civilian and military capabilities, sanctions, and EU special representatives (EEAS, 2021). The European Union’s member nations are highly integrated, yet interstate politics still dominate international affairs.
Europe is the largest trading bloc in the world, and as such, it increasingly pursues financial interests over the aspirations of its partners in terms of foreign policy (Bale, 2017). However, a geopolitical response from the EU is necessary to meet the threat posed by big powers, and no one EU state is strong enough to do it alone. The present foreign policy framework, created in a more hospitable international setting, has several fundamental issues. Moreover, the claim that Henry Kissinger once said he would not know whom to call if he wanted to talk to Europe is still relevant. In other words, unanimous decision-making across all EU nations offers an evident limitation that frequently delays and occasionally blocks. The larger member states have had some success addressing a few of the most urgent issues affecting European policy in the lack of robust foreign policy leadership from Brussels (Leonard & Bildt, 2019).
To sum up, modifying the bloc’s institutional structures and decision-making procedures is necessary for a more successful foreign policy. The claim that certain aspects of EU foreign policy have deteriorated or even retreated is one that many in Brussels would contest. They would argue that this is still a work in progress and that the tools at the member states’ disposal have improved gradually but steadily over the previous five years.
References
Bale, T. (2017). European Politics: A comparative introduction. Bloomsbury Academic.
European External Action Service (EEAS). (2021). About the European External Action Service.
Leonard, M. & Bildt, C. (2019). From plaything to player: How Europe can stand up for itself in the next five years. European Council of foreign relations.