The latest attempt at institutional engineering: The Treaty of Lisbon and deliberative intergovernmentalism in EU foreign and security policy coordination

Abstract

The Treaty of Lisbon is the latest in a series of attempts at institutional engineering seeking to enhance the EU's capability to act within a decentralised policy setting which is not governed through the classic Community method and in which Member States either cannot be at all formally sanctioned for non-compliance or only in very exceptional circumstances. More specifically, this chapter reviews the new role of the High Representative within the Common Foreign and Security Policy as well as the changed presidency regime of the European Council. It does so with a view to how these changes further consolidate a system of deliberative intergovernmentalism which is constituted by routinised and consensus-oriented policy dialogue and, thus, departs from previous notions of intergovernmentalism in EU policy-making. Similarly, the increased use of informal working methods as well as the repercussions of the creation of the European External Action Service for enhanced administrative cooperation between national administrations are discussed.