The EU’s commitment to Effective Multilateralism in the Field of Security

Jan Wouters, Sijbren De Jong & Philippe De Man from the Catholic University of Leuven contributed to the 29th edition of the Yearbook of European Law (Oxford University Press) with an article on ‘effictive multilateralism’ in the field op security.

The contribution aims to clarify the extent of the EUs commitment to effective multilateralism. To this effect, the first two sections of the contribution analyse the concepts ‘multilateralism and ‘effectiveness, respectively, on the basis of a critical review of existing theoretical dissertations on the subjects. Subsequently, the notion of effective multilateralism as conceptualised in abstracto in the policy documents of the EU will be clarified. We will then assess the actual level of the EU’s commitment to effective multilateralism in its foreign policy by drawing from the recent developments in the field of security, focusing on some of the key threats identified in the 2003 European Security Strategy. This will allow us, finally, critically to determine whether the notion of effectiveness as wielded by the EU today corresponds to what is commonly understood by the concept or if it is, rather, a political concept that carries an entirely different meaning.

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