Book Reviews
As Bretherton and Vogler demonstrate, in The European Union as a Global Actor, focusing upon the differences between the EU and other actors in the international system can provide an extremely useful form of analysis. The question that Bretherton and Vogler pose is how best to capture and characterize the impact of the EU and its Member States on contemporary international relations?
In approaching this question The European Union as a Global Actor blends a combination of the conceptualization of the EU’s roles and significance with empirical studies focusing on the formulation, implementation and effectiveness of EU external policy. Bretherton and Vogler go beyond an assumption of the sui generis nature of the EU’s international role and attempt to capture the full complexity of the international identity of the EU with reference to other actors in international relations. A particular strength of the Bretherton and Vogler study is the focus on the perceptions and expectations of third parties who interact with the EU – a much under-researched area. The growth of the external activities of the EU is thereby viewed as a consequence of a combination of a range of internal and external factors.
Bretherton and Vogler are successful in building upon existing concepts that have been previously used to illuminate the EU’s international role. The interaction of presence (the ability to exert influence and shape the perceptions and expectations of others), opportunity (changes in the external environment which have been conducive to increased EU involvement in external policy), and capability (the capacity to respond to external opportunities and expectations), are used to illustrate how an EU international actorness is created.
The European Union as a Global Actor plots five fundamental requirements for actorness which the EU possesses: the commitment to shared values and principles; the ability to identify policy priorities and to formulate coherent policies; the capacity to undertake international negotiation; access, and the capacity to use policy instruments; and the legitimacy of decision processes. This approach provides extremely rich insights. It also permits the authors to examine how EU actorness is socially constructed.
In summary, Bretherton and Vogler have provided one of the most insightful additions to the literature on the international role of the EU in recent years. The availability of the text in paperback should also ensure a deservedly wide student audience.
