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ISSUE: 1/2025

  • Volume 29
  • Number 1
  • 2025

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Studia Europejskie –
Studies in European Affairs

ISSN: 1428-149X
e-ISSN: 2719-3780

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Articles published in the journal are under a Creative Commons Attribution – Non Commercial – No Derivatives 4.0 International License

Development Of Scientific Journals

Publication co-financed by Ministry of Science and Higher Education pursuant to the Regulation of the Minister of Education and Science of 3 August 2021 (Journal of Laws of 2021, item 1514) on the “Development of Scientific Journals” programme.

Publikacja dofinansowana przez Ministerstwo Nauki i Szkolnictwa Wyższego na podstawie rozporządzenia Ministra Edukacji i Nauki z 3 sierpnia 2021 r. (Dz. U. z 2021 r. poz. 1514) w sprawie programu „Rozwój czasopism naukowych”.

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Publication co-financed by the University of Warsaw within the “Excellence Initiative – Research University” programme.

Czasopismo otrzymało dofinasowanie w ramach Programu „Inicjatywa Doskonałości – Uczelnia Badawcza”.

The European Union as a Diplomatic Actor in Turbulent Times

Beata Piskorska

Keywords:
 CFSP Challenges of New International Order Common Foreign and Security Policy Common Security and Defence Policy CSDP Diplomacy EEAS EU Foreign Policy European Union International Order

Abstract

This article contributes to an analysis attempting to identify the capacity and resources of the European Union as an actor in international relations hitherto defined as a “soft” power, a normative actor relying mainly on diplomacy in conflict resolution, trade disputes, and climate negotiations.

This article aims to outline how the European Union, in such a defined role, is adapting to a dynamically transforming international order, one of the turning points of which was Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine in 2022. In addition, the institutional strengthening of EU diplomacy through explicit provisions for external representation following the 2009 reform introduced by the Treaty of Lisbon will be analysed. In recent times, the anticipated transformation of the European Union into an entity using more “hard” power to defend the international order and stabilise security in Europe has gradually begun to materialise. This has been manifested in the financial and military aid provided to Ukraine, the sanctions package imposed on Russia, and the developed concept of EU strategic autonomy. However, it is assumed that, despite this, the EU’s traditionally ascribed role of an actor relying on soft power, the power of its diplomacy, is still necessary and relatively valid even in the face of military threats.

The analysis begins with an overview of selected theoretical approaches to the perception of the EU in international relations. It is followed by a review of the strengthening of diplomatic structures and, finally, the emergence of new formats of EU diplomacy in response to emerging global challenges. Ultimately, this study will provide insights into the European Union’s adaptation to a turbulent international order in three dimensions: the re-definition of its international identity; the evolution of the diplomatic institutional culture established after the Treaty of Lisbon; and the transformation of the forms of response to emerging challenges nearby.

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DOI: 10.33067/SE.1.2025.11

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Language: English

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Piskorska, B. (2025) "The European Union as a Diplomatic Actor in Turbulent Times". Studia Europejskie – Studies in European Affairs, 1/2025, pp. 209-230. DOI: 10.33067/SE.1.2025.11

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