CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2025
| Author | Machaidze, Irakli |
|---|---|
| Title | Unanimity-Driven Foreign Policy and the EU's Limitations as an Effective Global Actor |
| Summary | The European Union holds a distinctive position in global politics, often viewed as an economic powerhouse with significant diplomatic network. However, this substantial economic power frequently struggling to assert unified geopolitical influence on the global stage. This thesis investigates why this gap exists between the EU’s potential and its actual global actorness. It argues that the primary reasons lie in the structural and procedural constraints embedded within the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), which stem from member states’ continued retention of sovereign control and their practice of advancing national agendas through the use, or threat, of veto power. Reliance on unanimous decision-making creates this intrinsic tension, hindering swift and coherent external action. Based on an analysis of CFSP mechanisms and case studies across three distinct geopolitical contexts, this research highlights the impact of divergent national interests. It also shows how inconsistent adherence to core EU principles by some member states deepens internal divisions, further weakening the EU’s external effectiveness. The policy-oriented section of the thesis explores obstacles to reform, including proposals such as expanding qualified majority voting (QMV), but not only, and reveals that these constraints are fundamentally political rather than merely technical. The thesis concludes that bridging the gap between the EU’s international aspirations and these complex internal political and procedural realities is vital for fulfilling its global potential. |
| Supervisor | Csernatoni, Raluca |
| Department | International Relations MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2025/machaidze_irakli.pdf |
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