Is the EU a Global Actor?

The European Union (EU) plays a special and, in many ways, contradictory role in the world order. It possesses more political power than any other supranational organization. The EU is the third-largest market after China and the United States. And it likes to portray itself as an important global player. But is it recognized as such by other countries? WZB researcher Christian Rauh examined this question in a recently published study.

The EU is ambitious in its desire to shape the world around it, but these ambitions are hindered by internal and external obstacles, emphasizes Christian Rauh, Research Fellow of the Research Department Global Governance. Internally, EU member states insist on their veto rights in security and defense policy, often slowing down the making of clear joint foreign policy decisions. From the outside, the EU's complex web of overlapping national and European responsibilities often gives the appearance of a political hybrid in a world order where individual states are once again vying for power and influence. This perception impacts the EU's global role.

Rauh's study analyzes the external perception of the EU, examining nearly 8,500 speeches from United Nations General Debates between 1985 and 2020. In this forum, representatives of nearly all states present their views on the current world order annually. Using computer-assisted language processing methods he developed, Rauh determined how often, by which states, and in which contexts the EU was explicitly recognized as an actor in international politics.

Recognition as an economic actor dominates

Although explicit recognition of the EU as an actor has increased significantly since the 1990s, reaching levels surpassing many other international organizations and countries, the patterns are sobering, Christian Rauh shows. The trend of increasing recognition is largely due to contributions from EU member states themselves. Countries outside Europe are considerably less likely to attribute an independent role to the EU as a global actor, especially if they are authoritarian or compete economically with the EU. In the annual speeches of Chinese or U.S. representatives, for example, the EU is rarely mentioned in connection with explicit actions. Recognition of the EU as a global actor mainly comes from third countries that are geographical neighbors of the EU or are heavily dependent on it in terms of trade policy. Contrary to its normative claim, the EU is primarily named as an actor in economic policy contexts, less so in security policy contexts, and hardly at all in value-oriented statements.

Thus, these rhetorical patterns reveal a clear discrepancy between the EU's self-image and its resonance in global political discourse. Whether and by whom the EU is recognized as a global actor depends on its economic and neighborhood policies, but this recognition is limited by the conflicting interests of third parties with which the EU must deal strategically.

1/10/25, kes