The European Union and the multilateral system: Lessons from past experience and future challenges

EPRS invites leading experts and commentators to share their thinking and insights on important features of the European Union as a political and economic system. In this paper, David O'Sullivan, former Secretary General of the European Commission and EU Ambassador to the United States, reflects on the Union's contribution to and standing in the multilateral system which it has done so much to support and pioneer, as well as on some of the issues that confront Europe if it is to maximise its influence ...

EPRS invites leading experts and commentators to share their thinking and insights on important features of the European Union as a political and economic system. In this paper, David O'Sullivan, former Secretary General of the European Commission and EU Ambassador to the United States, reflects on the Union's contribution to and standing in the multilateral system which it has done so much to support and pioneer, as well as on some of the issues that confront Europe if it is to maximise its influence in international economic fora of various kinds. Over the years, the European Union has become a key player on the international scene in many areas, from its role in economic and financial affairs to the importance of its development policy, its commitment to fight climate change and its engagement to defend human rights. The 2003 European Security Strategy, a milestone in the development of an independent EU foreign and security policy, already dedicated an entire section to the importance of 'an international order based on effective multilateralism'. This chapter of the strategy argued that regional organisations, such as the EU, are key actors in the multilateral system and strengthen global governance. As such, multilateralism is not only a cornerstone of the European external policy, as emphasised again by the 2016 EU Global Strategy, but it is a real 'identity factor' for the EU. The integration of the EU in the multilateral order has never been easy in a world dominated by state actors. Today, a complex international landscape poses many challenges to the Union, from the risk of collapse of the multilateral trading system to new strategies endorsed by key global players such as the United States and China. The very essence of the EU is to promote structures and systems which favour the gradual elaboration and implementation of common rules in all areas of economic activity. In that sense, the EU was moving with the Zeitgeist of the second half of the 20th century. Yet, the recent re-emergence of more traditional great power politics and a more transactional approach to both bilateral and multilateral negotiations threaten to change the rules of the game. The sui generis nature of the EU has long been recognised by both scholars and practitioners. For decades, the EU has been a puzzle to traditional diplomatic and international law approaches. Precisely defining this 'objet politique non identifié', to use the words of Jacques Delors, remains still today a complex task. Far from being a mere theoretical issue, the uniqueness of the EU has, in fact, very practical implications in the world of international politics. In particular, the complex nature of the EU directly challenges key multilateral fora such as the United Nations (UN), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the G7/G20 or the international financial institutions. These different institutions alternately seek to integrate the EU as an economic giant and growing political power and to relegate it to a secondary role as a simple regional organisation. As a result, the EU is forced to juggle between different political roles and institutional arrangements across the full breadth of the multilateral landscape. This paper looks at how the EU's singularity is overcome in practice. It also reflects on what are the perspectives for future developments, taking account of a particularly challenging multilateral context.