| Review of: | The European Union at the United Nations: Intersecting Multilateralisms by K.V. Laatikainen, K.E. Smith |
|---|---|
| Reviewed By: | Vasilis Margaras |
| Reviewed in: | Journal of Common Market Studies |
| Date accepted online: | 02/11/2007 |
| Published in print: | Volume 45, Issue 03, Pages 745-769 |
Book Reviews
The book is an edited volume of essays which examine the role of the EU within the UN, the impact of EU co-ordination on Member States as well as the influence of the EU in various UN policies. Mary Farrell gives a first evaluation of the EU-UN relationship by suggesting that 'effective participation by the EU in the UN multilateral system remains restricted by the peculiarities of the EU system, its mix of intergovernmentalism and supranationality that variously enhances the power and influence of individual Member States and at other times places limitations on the supranational institutions, including the European Commission' (p. 45). Most authors put this claim to the test by taking into account the division between supranational and intergovernmental elements and by providing an account of the limitations of EU actorness at the United Nations.
The second part of the book consists of three case studies on the EU Member States. The first case study focuses on the behaviour of France and the UK in the UN where it is mentioned that due to their size, resources and historic trajectories the two countries have a special 'national' role in the UN that they are still keen to maintain. The two countries therefore do not always find it easy to co-ordinate their policies with the rest of the EU as they have a special status. In the second case study Laatikainen examines the special influence of the Nordic states plus the Netherlands in the UN by suggesting that in general this group of states had little problem in co-ordinating its policies with those of the EU. The same conclusion comes from the next study on the Central and Eastern European EU Member States, although for this particular group of states it is claimed that the process of Europeanization is still ongoing. The third part of the book provides a few examples of EU actorness in various UN policy arenas such as collective security, human rights, as well as environmental, economic and social issues.
The book is an interesting piece of work because it provides an analysis of the EU-UN bilateral relationship that although mentioned often in EU scholarship has not been previously analysed. As such, the book is a valuable contribution to the understanding of the actorness of the EU because it examines its impact on UN policies. There is a logical continuity in the way the arguments are presented and the case studies that are included provide a good account of the limits of Europeanization in terms of both national politics as well as of policy agendas.