The EU’s longer arm abroad: the role of EU Delegations in crisis management

Abstract

Since the establishment of the EEAS as the EU’s diplomatic service and the transformation of the EU’s representation abroad into EU Delegations, the EU has been a pioneer in multilateral diplomacy and contributed to development in its wider neighbourhood. These bodies made a significant contribution to widening the EU’s diplomatic network and strengthening its position in foreign policy and external relations. However, EU Delegations play a minimal role in the EU’s crisis management efforts despite their presence on the ground and their useful recourses, which could, in fact, provide crucial assets to EU-led missions. While the EU has shown successes in diplomacy, its Delegations face the problems of multiple principals and non-exclusive delegation which risk undermining the EU’s overall capacities as a global actor. This article applies the PA model to illustrate these dual problems in the cases of the CSDP missions conducted in Mali and Ukraine.