RECON Online Working Paper 2007/19

Download paper 

Integration Without Democracy?

Three Conceptions of European Security Policy in Transformation

Helene Sjursen (ARENA, University of Oslo) 

Abstract

European Foreign and Security Policy is being transformed. This raises potentially important challenges to democratic accountability. But in order to properly assess the state of democracy in this policy field it is necessary first to define the nature of the EU polity. This paper explores three different ways in which this may be done and assesses these against the existing literature. It finds that although the literature predominantly argues that state-like models are not relevant for understanding the EU’s foreign and security policy, the alternatives are surprisingly vaguely formulated. Further, when turning to empirics, it finds that conceiving of EU foreign policy as 'state-like' is not as far-fetched as one would perhaps expect.

Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) – Democracy – European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) – Human Rights – Intergovernmentalism - International Relations – Institutions – Security – Sovereignty – Supranationalism

Download the paper