Since its inception, the EU’s foreign policy has been beset by skepticism.
Many academics claim that the EU lacks of capacity to have a strong common
foreign policy as the decision-making is constraint by the use of intergovernmental
framework. However, it is not always the case that the framework of
intergovermentalism failed to help the EU to form a common EU’s foreign policy.
Arguably, the history of EU clearly demonstrated that EU’s foreign policy has
gradually evolved under intergovernmental framework. In this context, the idea of
creating a supranational body in terms of foreign affairs was out of the question.
However, despite this rejection of supranationality, fundamentally the use of
intergovernmentalism is widely accepted by the international community.
In general within the EU institutions supranational and intergovernmental
aspects can be observed. Yet in terms of economic and social affairs, the EU
institutions takefull responsibility in maintaining order. Thus, in matters vital to
individual national interest, intergovernmental approach is applied. As the EU’s
intergovernmental framework has been used since 1957, the application of the
concept of intergovernmentalism has become more flexible. In this adapted form used
in the EU, intergovernmentalism does not limit itself to cooperation between states
anymore. Therefore, the concept has expanded its theoretical parameters to allow
integration in both high and low politics. For example, in the negotiations with
Iran, the intergovernmental mechanism of CFSP offered the EU member states the
ability to respond proactively in a cooperative manner to the Iranian nuclear
problem.
Since 2003, as the IAEA along with international community was
reacting to the Iranian nuclear issue, the EU has been at the forefront, rapidly
responding to developments. The EU Big three’s first endeavor in dealing with the
issue resulted in a breakthrough. After the EU adopted a strategy against WMD
proliferation and a Security Strategy in December 2003, it became even more
systematic in negotiations with Iran, utilizing ‘dual approaches’ of coercive
diplomacy and continued dialogue. What is more, the EU High Representative for
CFSP’s addition to the E3 negotiation team displayed coherence in terms of foreign
policy across the entire EU. Some other factors related to the expanding foreign
affairs role of the EU in effectively applying its influence in this particular
international issue were the experience of the Iraq war, the Iranian positive
perceptions towards the EU, the relative inaction of other major powers coupled
with the specific nature of the EUs diplomacy helped the EU to be proactive in
negotiating with Iran.
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