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European Union has had profound influence on global governance mechanism for decades. The EU has aimed at pursuing international relations strongly founded on the sustainable progress of international law. The extent of the EU influence on the member states’ legal spectrum may vary in accordance with the particular law considered for analysis. When it comes to EU’s influence on UK, “there is no totally accurate, rational or useful way of calculating the percentage of national laws based on or influenced by the EU.” (Amy). Obviously, the recent financial crisis and associated issues have raised doubts about the potential of EU’s vision of global governance.
In order for knowing the intensity of this influence, one has to first understand the concept of global governance. According to the definition of European Union Institute for Security Studies, it involves a combination of policies, security providers, and fundamental norms (ISS). According to this source, the global governance efforts aim at creating and maintaining a political and legal framework for sustainable global regulation, and various organizations including the United Nations and the African Union have been striving to meet these requirements in their joint efforts with the European Union itself. ISS admits the pertaining challenges in this regard, and is convinced of its role as a “norm-setter and a broad security provider” (ISS).
In their ODI report, Maxwell, Gavas, Barder and Johnson, examined the role of the EU in the current governance of EU aid on the basis of the “European Consensus on Development and the Code of Conduct on Division of Labour”. According to their findings, The European Commission (EC) has been performing well, and this can be attributed to “the mechanisms built into the Cotonou Convention with countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific” (Maxwell et al. ).
Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies also highlights EU’s role in global governance. According to this site, EU has been taking the path of multilateralism in order for confronting contemporary global challenges. The source substantiates this point giving specific reference to the Treaty of Lisbon, according to which EU will “promote multilateral solutions to common problems” (Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies).
When it comes to external influence and geographical agenda, the EU has established a ‘special bilateral and comprehensive relationship’ with the major powers and regional states (Telo, Chapter 4).To illustrate, The EU has successfully “established a ‘strategic partnership’ with China, Japan, India, Brazil, Canada, Russia, and the US” (Telo, Chapter 4). Another notable achievement is that, EU competition with the US has in the past fostered bilateral free trade agreements with Asian, Latin American, African and other ACP countries.
For many years, the EU has been considered a viable model for cosmopolitan governance it enjoyed a considerable degree of power over global decision making. In the words of Vooren, Blockmans, and Wouters, the EU is supported by unique and legally binding mission statement that follows international relations on a multilateral basis. The authors add that this mission statement was founded on the progressive development of the international legal spectrum. The political vision of EU in this regard is to spread its values of the rule of law across the international sphere.
However, some scholars believe that EU’s roles in the global governance are limited by a combination of factors. According to Lucarelli, the gap between “the gap between the recognition of a high potential for leadership and actual leadership” limits the EU’s ability to take an innovative stance in international political matters. The author claims that EU fails to transform its potential into actual leadership and therefore EU does not gain an influence in global governance that it actually deserved.
In a scholarly paper written by Zielonka, it appears that EU clearly enjoys an influence over global governance practices along with other global powers such as US, Russia, and China. The writer adds that EU, along with other global powers, seek to exert some level of pressure on other sovereign states using a combination of economic, diplomatic, and military policies.
The Great Depression in the last decade dreadfully struck economically advanced economies like US and EU whereas emerging economies like China and India managed to survive the crisis unaffected. In this context, EU strives to increase its political as well as diplomatic influence in global affairs in an attempt to defend the fast growth of emerging economies like China. EU regulators strongly believe that this approach is vital to improve EU’s involvement in global governance in the coming decades (Secchi and Villafranca).
Today, diplomats across the globe discuss the growing influence of EU over global governance. In a book written by Wunderlich and Bailey, the writers say that currently EU is a major constituent in global organizations like WTO and NATO. There is no doubt that such powers can greatly assist the EU to take a strong stance in matters relating to global governance. In addition, EU tries to promote its interests throughout contemporary international relations.
Works cited
Amy, Sippitt, “UK law: What proportion is influenced by the EU?”, web. 12 April 2016. Fullfact.org
ISS. European Union Institute for Security Studies. Web. 12 April 2016. http://www.iss.europa.eu/topics/global-governance/
Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies. “European Union and Global Governance”. Web 12 April 2016.
Lucarelli, Sonia. The EU’s Leadership in the Global Governance: Perceptions from the Others, 8th Pan – EuropeanConference on International Relations. “One International Relations or Many? Multiple Worlds, Multiple Crises”, 2013. Print.
Maxwell, Simon., Gavas, Mikaela., Barder, Owen and Johnson, Deborah. Global governance of the aid system and the role of the European Union (EU). ODI Annual Reports. May 2010. Web 12 April 2016. http://www.odi.org/publications/5075-global-governance-aid-system-role-european-union-eu
Secchi, Carlo., Villafranca, Antonio. Global Governance and the Role of the EU: Assessing the Future Balance of Power. UK: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2011. Print.
Telò, Mario. “The EU as a model, a global actor and an unprecedented power “ in The EU and global Governance. London: Routledge, 2009. Print.
Vooren, Bart Van., Blockmans, Steven and Wouters, Jan. The EU's Role in Global Governance: The Legal Dimension. UK: OUP Oxford, 2010. Print.
Wunderlich, Jens-Uwe and Bailey, David J. The European Union and Global Governance: A Handbook: UK: Routledge, 2011. Print.
Zielonka, Jan. The EU as an international actor: unique or ordinary? European Foreign Affairs Review 16: 281-301, 2011.
