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The EU as a Diplomatic Actor in the Post-Lisbon Era: Robust or Rootless Hybrid?

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The European Union as a Diplomatic Actor

Part of the book series: The European Union in International Affairs Series ((EUIA))

Abstract

The past five years have seen the introduction and initial institutionalisation of a new system of diplomatic action in the European Union (EU), following the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty and the setting up of the European External Action Service headed by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission (HRVP), along with the establishment of the office of President of the European Council (PEC). It is also fair to say that these five years have been the context for radical challenges to EU assumptions about the diplomatic institutions, role and capacity of the Union, and to the Union’s capacity for action in specific arenas. Debates and conflicts about the setting up of the new system have accompanied challenges from the external arena that have often seemed to paralyse or — perhaps more dangerously — to by-pass the Union, even in areas where it has an established and significant set of interests. In terms of policy formation and implementation, this has been a turbulent and demanding period, and it has generated doubts in some quarters about the efficiency and effectiveness of the new EU diplomatic machine (Balfour et al., 2012; Balfour et al., 2015; Emerson et al., 2011; Hemra et al., 2011; Lehne, 2011; Smith, 2013).

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Authors
  1. Michael H. Smith
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Vesalius College, Belgium

    Joachim A. Koops (Dean, Research Professor) (Dean, Research Professor)

  2. Institute for European Studies, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium

    Joachim A. Koops (Dean, Research Professor) (Dean, Research Professor)

  3. St Antony’s College, University of Oxford, UK

    Gjovalin Macaj

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© 2015 Michael H. Smith

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Smith, M.H. (2015). The EU as a Diplomatic Actor in the Post-Lisbon Era: Robust or Rootless Hybrid?. In: Koops, J.A., Macaj, G. (eds) The European Union as a Diplomatic Actor. The European Union in International Affairs Series. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137356857_2

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