Heidi Maurer

Understanding the Role of Bureaucracy in the European Security and Defence Policy: The State of the Art

The establishment of the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) in 1999 has led to the creation of a whole range of bureaucratic bodies in Brussels and the national capitals. These bodies support the crisis management operations of the European Union. This review article presents the state of the art of academic research on the role of bureaucracy in this recent policy area. It argues that the growing institutional complexity and the constant interaction between actors at the national and European level require scholars to go beyond the dominant approaches of International Relations. Using insights from comparative politics, public administration and multi-level governance, this article considers four important questions: who these civil servants are, why they matter, how they interact, and how they are controlled politically and democratically.

Europe in America: an upgraded EU delegation in a reinforced system of European diplomatic coordination

The ‘Comprehensive EU approach to the implementation of UNSCR 1325 and 1820’ foresees that “an open exchange among EU Member States on national implementation of Resolution 1325 will be organised once a year in view of sharing best practices and identifying joint interests“. This exchange, organised by the European External Action Service (EEAS), also provides a platform for civil society representatives, UN and regional organisations to engage on their priorities and progress made towards the implementation of UNSCR 1325 (2000) and follow-up resolutions: UNSCR 1820 (2008), UNSCR 1888 (2009), UNSCR 1889 (2009), UNSCR 1960 (2010), UNSCR 2106 (2013) and UNSCR 2122 (2013).

Problem-Based Learning in European Studies

The approach of problem-based learning (PBL) is the main teaching method within the field of European Studies at Maastricht University, at both the bachelor and master’s level. PBL is a student-centred approach in which students collaboratively – in small groups with the support of a tutor – solve problems that are presented in different assignment texts. Advocates of PBL claim that it enhances content knowledge and fosters the development of communication and problem-solving skills as well as self-directed learning.

From regional power to global power? The European Neighbourhood Policy after the Lisbon Treaty

The European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) was established in 2004 to provide a framework for coherent and efficient EU action towards its neighbours in the East and the South. Coherence was meant to be achieved in the EU’s approach across various policies, but also across various countries. This chapter investigates how the Lisbon Treaty has affected the institutional set-up of the EU’s relations with its neighbours, the main underlying logics of the ENP framework and its effects on the EU’s global and regional standing. We take an institutional and political approach, asking how and to what extent the set-up of the EEAS, the strengthened role of the High Representative and the change in the role of the rotating presidency all affect the EU’s policy-making towards its neighbours. The Lisbon provisions are only now being implemented. As such, institutional and political developments in the EU’s policy-making system are the focus of this chapter. To what extent does the Lisbon Treaty strengthen or diminish the logics underlying the ENP? What implications might this have for the EU’s efforts to become an actor of global reach? Or is the EU instead consolidating its regional power base with more limited geopolitical ambitions?

An Upgraded EU Delegation in a Reinforced System of European Diplomatic Coordination: Insights from Washington

The Lisbon Treaty aimed to make EU foreign policy-making more coherent, more efficient and more unitary. As with most previous EU foreign policy upgrades, the focus was on institutional and procedural adaptations in Brussels, with the creation of the European External Action Service (EEAS) and the upgrading of the High Representative (HR) as chair of the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) and Vice-President of the Commission. But the Lisbon Treaty also had far-reaching impact on European foreign policy-making on the ground: it upgraded former Commission delegations to comprehensive EU delegations, adjusted modes of diplomatic representation towards third countries and international organisations and put an end to the rotating presidency in external affairs (Vanhoonacker et al., 2011). EU delegations now officially represent the Union abroad and ‘shall act in close cooperation with member states’ diplomatic and consular missions’ (Article 221 TFEU, see also Council, 2010, Article 5).